Ticketed

Essential information

Type Talks and tours
Location
Date and times Friday 28 March 2025 | 6.30pm-9pm l SOLD OUT
Prices Free for Members – booking required

Member exclusive. Not a Member? Join now

Please note this event is now sold out

This event is now sold out, should you wish to be included on our waiting list, please email the Membership team at membership@rmg.co.uk with your name and the number of tickets you wish to reserve. 

Pirates at the National Maritime Museum traces the changing depictions of pirates through the ages and reveals the brutal reality behind the fiction.

The exhibition explores the perception of piracy in popular culture from comical characters like Captain Pugwash and Captain Hook to anti-heroes like Long John Silver and Captain Jack Sparrow  and examines why the idea of a pirate’s life still fascinates us today.

While often portrayed as swashbuckling scoundrels, the real history of pirates is far more complex. 

Pirates follows the global history of piracy from the South China Sea to the coast of North Africa, and explores the issues of modern piracy facing seafarers today. The exhibition illuminates real-life figures, including Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach, William Kidd, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and reflects on how perceptions of pirates, both past and present, are shifting.

The exhibition opens on 29 March, but we are excited to invite our Members to a special preview evening prior to the public opening. Enjoy a drink and view this brand new exhibition alongside fellow Members.

Recommended for ages 7+

 

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