1 October 2025
4 min read
Best things to do at Kew this autumn
See spectacular autumn leaves, spot fungi and explore our spooky Halloween trail: there's plenty to do at Kew Gardens this autumn.
The Gardens have come alive with the rich colours of autumn. Kew is the perfect place in London to see autumn trees at their best.
At Kew Gardens this October and November, our popular Halloween trail is back, plus discover our autumn festival celebrating art, fashion and plants, and bring the whole family for half term adventures with Zog.
The best places to see autumn leaves at Kew
The best spots to see blazes of red and gold as our trees change colour are the Treetop Walkway and the Arboretum (which has 11,000 trees to discover).
Take a free autumn walking tour led by one of our expert guides and get to know the Gardens at this mellow time of year.
The Grass Garden is also stunning at this time of year, exhibiting plenty of hues and textures.
Halloween at Kew
Our Halloween trail is back! This spooky season, Kew Gardens will transform once more into a ghostly, glowing adventure, from 17 October to 2 November.
Bring family and friends and wind through the haunted woods as night falls over the Gardens. Watch out for tricks in the forgotten fairground and beware the monsters lurking in Frankenstein’s laboratory. Look out for giant spiders waiting in creepy cobwebs, ghastly ghouls and wicked witches.
From freaky fries and hot chocolates to toasted monster marshmallows and hot toddies, there are wickedly delicious treats for everyone.* (separate charges apply).
Book your tickets now to secure the date and time of your choice.
Material World
This autumn, step inside the Temperate House for Material World, a festival of art, fashion and plants running from 20 September to 2 November 2025.
Discover new artworks exploring how nature inspires the clothes we wear and the futures we can create, with innovative nature-based designs from students at the London College of Fashion, UAL. Don't miss exclusive weekend workshops with the artists, including seaweed weaving and lino printing.
From October 10 to 18, Material World After Hours brings you DJ-curated beats, drinks, talks and sustainable fashion workshops (tickets must be booked separately).
Material World is included with entry to Kew Gardens.
How to spot autumn fungi
Autumn is the best time of year to see fabulous mushrooms and fungi, and you'll spot plenty on a walk around Kew Gardens.
Head to the Natural Area or Woodland Garden and look for fungi growing around the bases of trees, in leaf litter and on rotting wood such as logs or wood chips.
There are lots of species to spot: keep your eyes peeled for parasol mushrooms; bracket fungi growing on tree trunks; the tiny birds' nest fungus, found on wood chips; and wood blewits, which can be a beautiful lilac colour.
Please leave all our fungi where it is so that others can enjoy it, too.
Learn more about spotting fungi at Kew from our expert, Lee Davies
Zog: October half term trail
This autumn, set off on an outdoor adventure at Kew inspired by Zog, the bestselling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
Make muddy memories and embrace the elements as Zog's story is brought to life through fun challenges, sensory elements, and interactive games designed to ignite curiosity and encourage discovery.
Grab a family snap with the child-size carved wooden sculpture of Zog and pose at the end of the trail with a life-sized scene from the book where families can capture their own magical memory.
Zog is included with entry to Kew Gardens and runs from 18 October to 2 November 2025.
THE SINGH TWINS and Flora Indica
These two complementary exhibitions in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery explore the complicated colonial history of botanical art, open from 11 October 2025 to 12 April 2026.
THE SINGH TWINS: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire by internationally acclaimed artists The Singh Twins is a striking new body of work inspired by Kew’s botanical archives. Displayed as fabric light boxes, these explore the deep connections between botany, empire and trade.
Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art is the first-ever public display of 52 rediscovered botanical illustrations by Indian artists commissioned by British botanists between 1790 and 1850. These exquisite watercolours, hidden for over a century, shed light on the contribution of Indian artists in shaping botanical knowledge.
THE SINGH TWINS and Flora Indica is included with entry to Kew Gardens.
.jpg.webp?itok=mrM-HvGH "Wakehurst in autumn, Jim Holden © RBG Kew")
