Which are you most looking forward to?
Have we missed something you think deserves a shout out - or do you have news you’d like us to share?
Get in touch via our Share Your News form to let us know:
www.scottishmuseumsfederation.org.uk/share-your-n...
A by no means exhaustive list of some of the exhibitions and openings to look forward to across Scotland in 2026! ✨
From museums and galleries to libraries, archives, and heritage sites, there’s so much to be excited about in the year ahead.
The deadline is fast approaching! Get your forms in before Friday 30th!
📣 Call for Papers: SMF Conference 2026
Heritage professionals at all career stages are invited to share ideas on shaping a more resilient, sustainable sector. Talks, workshops, panels welcome - open to all!
Complete a form: 1drv.ms/w/c/7f9a8c62...
Submit to: scottishmuseumsfederation@gmail.com
Warmest season’s greetings from all of us at the Scottish Museums Federation! 🎄✨
Thank you for being part of Scotland’s vibrant museum community in 2025. We look forward to sharing more stories, collections, and heritage with you in 2026. Slàinte mhath!
Calling all Scottish museums, galleries, libraries, archives & heritage sites: got an exhibition, opening, or event in 2026?
Share your news with us and let's highlight the exciting projects happening across the sector!
🖊️ Submit here: www.scottishmuseumsfederation.org.uk/share-your-n...
🎬 The Marbles explores 200 years of empire, diplomacy, & cultural restitution, from Lord Elgin’s removal of the Parthenon Marbles to Melina Mercouri’s campaign for their return.
📆 Wed 21 Jan 2026, Everyman Edinburgh + live Q&A.
🎟 Limited tickets: www.everymancinema.com/film-listing...
Something to look forward to in early 2026 🌍
Perspectives: Collecting the World comes to The Meffan Museum & Art Gallery, Forfar. A journey around the globe exploring how the story of Angus has been shaped by our relationship with the world.
🗓 24 Jan - 20 Apr 2026
🔗 angusalive.scot/events/persp...
🗣 Just us on Wednesday for the third in our series of Lunchtime Talks with SMF!
Hear from Dr Maria Maclennan & John Lawson on the Edinburgh 900 Project - ‘Edinburgh’s First Burghers’.
10 December, 12.30-1pm. Free for members | £3 for non-members.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-...
🗣 Our next Lunchtime Talk with SMF is tomorrow! Introducing Phenomenal Bodies, a new initiative reshaping how we engage with the human body.
Join Dr Emily Hanson & Dr Billy Rough at 12.30pm on International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-...
🗣 The first of our 30-min Lunchtime Talks with SMF is coming up! This session will explore ivory in museum collections - past, present, and future.
Join us and speaker Caitlin Jamison on 26 November at 12.30pm. Free for members, £3 for non-members.
🔗 Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-...
Lunchtime talks with SMF! A series of bite-sized online events open to everyone:
📅 26 Nov - Ivory in Museums w/ Caitlin Jamison
📅 3 Dec - Phenomenal Bodies w/ Dr Hanson & Dr Rough
📅 10 Dec - Edinburgh 900 Project w/ Dr Maclennan & John Lawson
🔗 Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/lunchtime...
A museum display on a wooden floor featuring three fossils, two toy dinosaurs (one grey and one yellow), and three white number cards
A museum display on a wooden bookcase featuring three fossils, two toy dinosaurs (one grey and one yellow), and three white number cards. To the right of the display is a small white information card about the fossils in the display
Here’s Hugh Miller’s Birthplace Museum’s #ScottishMuseumsDay submission for #MightyObjects
Our dinosaurs (Brachiosaur tail bone and two Iguanodont bones, all from the Isle of Wight) which are back on display for the Big Birthday Weekend (Sat 11th and Sun 12th Oct!) 🦕
@scottishmuseums.bsky.social
That’s a wrap on #ScottishMuseumsDay 2025! 🎉
Huge thanks to everyone who shared their #MightyObjects – from bloomers & knickers to ships, salmon, dinosaur fossils, & jute machines. A mighty reminder of how diverse & fascinating Scotland’s collections are and why we need to keep supporting them. 🏛️✨
Our Golden Retriever explorers, Arthur (on the left) and Walter (on the right) pose in front of the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther.
The massive boat, Research, on display in one of the galleries at the Scottish Fisheries Museum.
Happy #ScottishMuseumsDay! 💙🏴
This year's theme is #MightyObjects, and we want to highlight one of our favourite museums- The Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, Fife.
#ScottishFisheriesMuseum #Anstruther #Scotland #Dogs #Travel @museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk @scottishmuseums.bsky.social
Today marks #ScottishMuseumDay & I visited our new Clydebank Museum to learn more about our historical legacy.
I encourage everyone to go immerse yourself in our past; from our world-renowned Singer sewing machines to our ship building roots. Admission is free!
@scottishmuseums.bsky.social
An adult with curly brown hair, wearing a cowboy hat, and a black t-shirt with "Deaf Staff" written on the back, stands on an elevated part of a boat, gazing out over the deck below.
An adult who has light skin and red hair and is wearing a green jumper holds a measuring tape against a green silk dress. A lamp shines an intense white light onto the dress.
A smiling adult with light skin, short brown hair, and a grey and brown beard holds a tool as they work on the inside of an upturned wooden boat.
Happy Scottish Museums Day! Today we're celebrating the mighty efforts of the museum staff and volunteers who tirelessly research, conserve, interpret, display and promote Scotland’s #MightyObjects. A huge well done to the incredible people who make Scotland’s museums special!
#ScottishMuseumsDay
The Halls are proof that heritage isn’t always something you can pick up or move, sometimes it’s the very space where history happens.
What part of Maryhill’s heritage are you most proud of?
#MightyObjects @scottishmuseums.bsky.social
Photo of Maryhill Burgh Halls in the sun. A Victorian building developed onto two floors. A doors n the middle, two windows on each side and 5 windows on the top floor.
It’s #ScottishMuseumsDay and we’re shining a light on our mightiest ‘object’: Maryhill Burgh Halls!
Opened in 1878 as the civic home of the old Burgh, they are more than just a building. They’ve seen generations of Maryhill life, from council decisions to community dances.
The photograph shows a table with large fern leaves and stacks of paper, along with some paint and paint rollers. Two sheets of paper show prints of fern leaves that have been made with the paint and rollers.
For #ScottishMuseumsDay (3 Oct) we’ve rounded up some of our favourite #MathsWeekScot museum activities from across the country!
mathsweek.scot/news/scottis...
#mathstoday #UKMathsChat #kidsinmuseums #tmwyk
It’s #ScottishMuseumsDay! 🎉
This year’s theme is #MightyObjects – the biggest, tallest, heaviest & most surprising treasures in Scotland’s collections.
Head out, explore museums near & far, and share your monumental finds today! 🏛️✨
Scottish Museums Day is tomorrow and we're going BIG! 💥
From giant fossils to towering sculptures and shipyard legends. Visit a museum, find some #MightyObjects, and share them with us by using #ScottishMuseumsDay!
Just 3 days to go!
On 3 October, join us in celebrating #ScottishMuseumsDay by seeking out Scotland’s #MightyObjects - the biggest, tallest, and heaviest treasures in our museums.
Visit, explore, and share your discoveries using the above hashtags!
One week to go! On 3 October we'll celebrate Scottish Museums Day 2025! 🎉
This year’s theme is #MightyObjects – the largest, tallest, heaviest, & most surprising treasures in Scotland’s collections.
Share your finds & tag us using #MightyObjects + #ScottishMuseumsDay!
We’re going BIG for #ScottishMuseumsDay 2025! 🎉
Following last year’s #TinyTreasures, this year is all about #MightyObjects - the largest, tallest, heaviest, & most surprising items in Scottish collections.
Share your finds with us on 3 October!
Save the date! Scottish Museums Day is back on 3 October 2025! 🎉
We’ll be celebrating the incredible collections in Scotland’s museums, galleries, libraries, archives, & heritage sites.
This year’s theme drops soon. Stay tuned! 👀
#ScottishMuseumsDay
Our friends at @socantscot.bsky.social invite you to a free hybrid talk: Reinterpreting the Past to Explain the Present and Reimagine the Future, with Nelson Cummins on colonial histories in Glasgow Museums.
📆 Thu 2 October, 6-8pm
🎟 Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reinterpre...
🗣 Elections 2025 are open! SMF is seeking new Committee members to help shape the future of Scotland’s museums.
Roles: President, Secretary, & Membership Officer
Deadline: 29 September
Your voice can make a difference!
🗳 👉 www.scottishmuseumsfederation.org.uk/elections
📢 Museum Mentor Opportunity!
The Museum of Communication in Burntisland is looking for a mentor to support its reaccreditation. Volunteer-run, board meetings mostly on Zoom, open May–Sept and by appt.
📧 Contact Marion McLean: enquiries@mocft.co.uk
👉 More info: www.museumofcommunication.org.uk
From Pit to Pitch is now open at National Mining Museum Scotland! ⚒️⚽
Explore how Scotland’s coalfields shaped generations of footballing talent and pride.
🎟 Admission included with your museum ticket
📅 Summer events on now
👉 www.nationalminingmuseum.com