London art school graduate degree shows 2026
May and June mark the start of London’s annual art degree show season, when graduating students from the capital’s leading art schools present their final bodies of work to the public. It is what we consider one of the most important moments in the UK cultural calendar, offering a first public look at the next generation of artists, designers, filmmakers, and creative practitioners entering the contemporary art world. The shows, which feature work in painting, sculpture, photography, performance, fashion, animation, design, installation, and experimental digital media, often reflect urgent contemporary themes such as identity, sustainability, technology, migration, and social justice, while also showcasing highly technical craft and material exploration.
Below is a guide to the key London art school degree shows in 2026, with confirmed dates to help you plan visits between May and July.
University of the Arts London (UAL)
Han Tang, 2025 Postgraduate Show, MA Sculpture, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL. Photograph Orlando Myxx.
UAL Shows 2026 is a summer-long programme of free exhibitions, performances, screenings and more, taking place across London until 18 July. Presented by the University of the Arts London’s Class of 2026, the major showcase features work by undergraduate and postgraduate students from across UAL’s six colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, Central Saint Martins, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, and Wimbledon College of Arts, as well as the UAL Creative Computing Institute (CCI).
Date: May – July 2026 (varies by college).
Camberwell College of Arts (UAL)
Catherine Chan You Fee, Undergraduate Show 2024, BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL. Photo by Andrea Capello.jpg
Focus on fine art, illustration, drawing, and experimental visual practice, with a mix of traditional and digital approaches.
Dates:
Undergraduate & Graduate Diploma Show:13–17 June 2026
Postgraduate Show: 29 June – 4 July 2026.
Location:
BA Illustration and Graduate Diploma Illustration exhibiting at MA Illustration exhibiting at: Camberwell College of Arts, 1 Wilson Road, London SE5 8LU
MA Textile Design at Chelsea College of Arts: 16 John Islip Street, London SW1P 4JU.
All other courses: Camberwell College of Arts, 45–65 Peckham Road, London SE5 8UF.
Central Saint Martins (UAL)
2025 Shows, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Photos by Paul Cochrane.
One of the world’s most influential art and design schools, known for highly experimental, boundary-pushing work across art, fashion, performance, and design.
Dates:
BA Fashion Communication and Graduate Diploma Fashion Show: 27 May – 31 May 2026
BA Fashion Show Livestream: 3 June 2026
Central Saint Martins Shows: 18 – 21 June 2026
Postgraduate Art Show: 1 – 5 July 2026
Location:
Central Saint Martins, 1 Granary Square, London N1C 4AA.
Chelsea College of Arts (UAL)
Lily Dixon, BA (Hons) Textile Design, Chelsea College of Arts Show 2025. Image by Orlando Myxx 2025.
Focused on fine art and design disciplines, with work exploring material, space, identity, and contemporary culture.
Dates:
Undergraduate and Graduate Diploma Show: 12 – 19 June 2026
MA Textile Design Show: 29 June – 4 July 2026 [held at Camberwell College of Arts]
Postgraduate Show: 6 – 11 July 2026
Location:
Chelsea College of Arts, 16 John Islip Street, London SW1P 4JU.
London College of Communication (UAL)
Lcc Shows 2024 Media, London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph Paul Perelka.
Specialises in media, communication, film, photography, UX, and digital design.
Dates:
Photography Show: 12 – 16 May 2026
Design Show: 3 – 6 June 2026
Screen Show: 17 – 20 June 2026
Postgraduate Design Show: 21 – 25 July 2026
Location:
London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6SB.
London College of Fashion (UAL)
Sophie Moro, 2025 BA (Hons) Costume for Performance, London College of Fashion, UAL. Photo by Rebecca Geden.
Showcasing innovative fashion design, styling, textiles, and performance-led catwalk presentations with strong emphasis on sustainability and identity.
Dates:
Undergraduate Exhibition: 13–18 July 2026
Undergraduate Catwalk Shows (livestream): 15–17 July 2026
Location:
London College of Fashion, 105 Carpenter’s Road, Stratford, London E20 2AR
Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL)
Ellie Dowse-Davies, Undergraduate Show, 2025 BA (Hons) Technical Arts for Theatre and Performance, Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL Photograph Orlando Myxx.
Performance, theatre, costume, and production design-led work.
Date:
Undergraduate Show: 13–20 June 2026
Location:
Wimbledon College of Arts, Merton Hall Road, London SW19 3QA
UAL Creative Computing Institute (CCI)
Campbell Docherty, 2025 Shows, UAL Creative Computing Institute
Focus on the intersection of computing, design and creative practice, including coding, artificial intelligence, data, interaction design and digital media.
Date:
Summer Festival 2026: 26 June – 27 June 2026
Location:
The Hub, 42 Bonar Road, London SE15 5FB
Royal College of Art (RCA)
Image courtesy of Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art’s summer showcase, RCA2026, runs from 18 June to 19 July across its three London campuses. It will present the work of around 1,600 postgraduate students. Across Architecture, Arts & Humanities, Communication, Design and Intelligent Mobility, the shows will feature a wide range of emerging ideas and experimental work that explore possible futures for creativity and innovation.
RCA Battersea Campus
Date: Arts & Humanities Show: 18–21 June 2026
Location:
Battersea Campus, 1 Hester Road, London SW11 4AY
RCA Kensington Campus
Dates:
Architecture Show: 3–5 July 2026
Design EXPO (Fashion): 16–18 July 2026
Design EXPO (Design Futures, Design Products, Innovation Design Engineering, Intelligent Mobility, Service Design and Textiles): 17 - 19 July 2026
Location:
Kensington Campus, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU
RCA White City Campus
Dates:
Festival of Communication (Digital Direction and Visual Communication): 3–5 July 2026
Festival of Communication (Animation, Communication & Information Experience Design): 10 - 12 July 2026
Location:
White City Campus, London W12 7FN
Goldsmiths, University of London
Degrees Show 2025, BA Fine Art, Ash Jo. Image courtesy of Goldsmiths
The 2026 degree shows at Goldsmiths, University of London mark 120 years of the institution and will take place across June and July. The annual exhibitions highlight final-year student work across Fine Art as well as music, photography, theatre, design and computational arts.
The showcase also reflects Goldsmiths’ strong influence in contemporary art: nearly a quarter of winners of the Turner Prize since 1984 are graduates, and two of this year’s four nominees are Fine Art alumni.
Dates:
The Undergraduate Art Degree Show: 18-22 June 2026
The Postgraduate Art Degree Show: 16-21 July 2026
Location:
Goldsmiths, New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Kingston School of Art
Kingston School of Art. Image credit HaworthTompkins
The 2026 degree show at Kingston School of Art takes place in June and presents work by graduating students from Foundation, Undergraduate, Grad Dip Creative Practice, MFA Fine Art and MArch Architecture programmes. It will also feature “Work in Progress” from several postgraduate courses, offering insight into developing creative practice across the school.
Date: 6–12 June 2026.
Location: Kingston School of Art, Knights Park, Grange Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2QJ. Discover more.
Royal Academy Schools
Alex Margo Arden, Royal Academy Schools Show 2025. Image credit MTotoe/ FLO London
The Royal Academy Schools Show 2026 opens in June and takes place in the historic studios and Weston Studio on The Julia and Hans Rausing Campus at Burlington House. The free exhibition presents new work by graduating students from the Royal Academy Schools’ postgraduate contemporary art programme, featuring sculpture, painting, installation, moving image and print.
Exhibiting artists are Lolly Adams, Mohammed Adel, Maya Gurung-Russell Campbell, Dwayne Coleman, Katrina Cowling, Vitaliia Fedorova, Rahima Gambo, Georgia Kerr, Djofray Makumbu, Robert O’Leary, Francisca Pinto and Zachariah Riley.
Date: 12–28 June 2026
The show is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am–6pm, with late opening on Fridays until 9pm, and no booking is required.
Location: Royal Academy Schools, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
Slade School of Fine Art (UCL)
A Tree Grown from Our Edges, Minkyung Sung, 2026, mixed media installation, metal, wood, acrylic, soil, wax, salt, cement, plant, linseed oil, painting (oil on acrylic), dimensions variable ©the artist
Slade is one of the UK’s most prestigious fine art schools, known for its emphasis on critical thinking, experimental practice and rigorous studio-based work. Its 2026 degree show will take place across May and June, showcasing the graduating work of BA/BFA, MA/MFA and PhD students.
Dates:
BA/BFA: 22–28 May 2026
MA/MFA/PhD: 13–21 June 2026
Location:
Slade School of Fine Art, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
City & Guilds of London Art School
City & Guilds of London Art. Image courtesy of City & Guilds of London Art
The City & Guilds of London Art School Degree Show 2026 presents the outstanding work of graduating students from the undergraduate Fine Art, Conservation and Carving programmes. The exhibition showcases the culmination of students’ training across these specialist disciplines, highlighting skill, craft and contemporary practice.
Date: 18–26 June 2026
Location: City & Guilds of London Art School, 124 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4DJ
