Tickets are now on sale for a special Astronights in August which extends our popular children’s sleepovers to 7-17 years olds and their parents, giving more families the chance to spend the night at the museum. With live science shows, stellar workshops, and space-themed activities, it will be a night to remember for the whole family.
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Extended throughout this summer due to popular demand, Turn It Up: The power of music, invites visitors to explore how music shapes our lives in this smash-hit exhibition until Sunday 1 September 2024. Gaming experience Power Up also has a new addition to its 160 consoles: an exciting 8-player version of the beloved arcade game Pac-Man.
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Visitors have until this Sunday 12 May to visit Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, a free exhibition exploring the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed. It’s also the last chance to catch Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City, a major exhibition featuring the intricate design and technical innovation of beautiful 300-year-old clocks, and The Secret Life of The Home gallery, which both close on Sunday 2 June 2024.

Visitors can also secure their tickets to the Great Exhibition Road Festival, returning to South Kensington from Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 June. The packed weekend of free events for all ages celebrates how science and the arts can help people, communities and nature to flourish. As part of the festival, the Science Museum will be hosting a range of free hands-on workshops and fascinating talks.

Additionally, summer tickets are now on sale for Science Museum favourites, including Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery and stunning 3D documentary films in IMAX: The Ronson Theatre.

The Science Museum is open 10.00-18.00, seven days a week. To pre-book a free ticket to the Science Museum, please visit this link. For further details about other galleries and exhibitions, please visit our See and Do page.

EVENTS   

Astronights
Fridays 17 May, 21 June and 12 July 2024
Standard tickets: £70; VIP tickets: £100
Age: 7-11 

Younger campers can experience a sleepover like no other at the museum, with a night full of activities. Astronights include exciting science shows and hands-on workshops, as well as the chance to see the museum after dark. This year’s Astronights programme is supported by official sponsor TEMPUR®, who will be gifting all campers a travel pillow.

L-R: Visitors at a science demonstration at Astronights © Science Museum Group; Visitors in Exploring Space at Astronights © Science Museum Group.
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Whole Family Astronights
Saturday 10 August 2024
Standard tickets: £75; VIP tickets: £115
Age: 7-17

An extension of our popular children’s sleepover, this special Astronights is an opportunity for families with children aged 7-17 to experience a night at the museum. Older children, including those who might have missed out during the pandemic, can join their families and do something unique together for this special Astronights. With workshops, live science shows, activities, a visit to our interactive gallery Wonderlab, and more, it will be a night to remember.

Create Lates
Thursday 9 May 2024, 18.30 – 22.00
General admission: free; VIP tickets: £12

Science Museum Lates are adults-only, after-hours theme nights. This May, visitors will be invited to explore the incredible creativity of people working in science and tech. There will be hands-on crafting workshops, plus all the regular Lates highlights, from dancing the night away in our silent disco under real rockets or (re)discovering the galleries after dark.

Great Exhibition Road Festival
Saturday 15 – Sunday 16 June 2023
Free

The Great Exhibition Road Festival returns to South Kensington for a weekend packed full of free hands-on workshops and illuminating talks for all ages exploring how science and the arts can help people, communities and nature to flourish! As part of the festival the Science Museum will be hosting the Next Gen Zone for young people aged 13 – 25, who can try their hand at beating an AI trained arcade game, escape the clinic in a drug trial escape room and more. Be sure to register to receive the latest updates.

Journey of Life Lates
Thursday 4 July 2024, 18.30 – 22.00
General admission: free; VIP tickets: £12

Science Museum Lates are adults-only, after-hours theme nights. This July, Lates explores the enormous progress we’ve made in health around the world and how we might tackle the next big challenges, highlighting cutting-edge scientific research and technological innovations of people aiming to improve our health and well-being. Plus, enjoy regular Lates activities including our stellar silent disco and your chance to see our galleries after hours.

TICKETED EXPERIENCES

Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City
Until 2 June 2024
Pay what you can, £1 minimum per ticket (ages 11 and under go free)
Recommended ages: 12+

This exhibition showcases a unique collection of 23 ornate clockwork automata known as zimingzhong, collected by China’s Emperors, and on display in the UK together for the first time. These opulent treasures take visitors on a journey through the 1700s to explore the technical expertise, creativity and international trade behind these centuries-old zimingzhong. Visitors are invited to discover the outward beauty and inner workings of these centuries-old timepieces, and their historic role in early cultural exchanges between Britain and China.

L-R: Visitors looking at the 铜镀金象驮水法表 Gilt-metal zimingzhong with rich decoration in Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group; Gallery view of Zimingzhong 凝时聚珍: Clockwork Treasures from China’s Forbidden City at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group.

Turn It Up: The power of music 
Until 1 September 2024
Ticketed: £10 (Ages 7 and under go free)

Visitors can get hands-on at Turn It Up: The power of music and play with beat, melody and harmonies in a musical playground. This exhibition explores the science of music’s mysterious hold over us and how it drives us to create, perform, feel and share. From why certain music can make us feel different emotions to how it might influence what we buy, Turn It Up: The power of music illustrates how profoundly music affects our lives. It explores the technological advancements pushing the limits of music while showcasing weird and wonderful instruments like the Pyrophone, an organ powered by flames.

L-R: Visitors enjoying the Musical Playground at Turn It Up: The power of music at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group; Visitors with BeatBlocks at Turn It Up: The power of music at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group.

Power Up
Ticketed, daily pass: £12, annual pass: £18     
Age: 5+ 

In Power Up, the hands-on gaming experience, visitors can experience the evolution of gaming from the past five decades – from classics such as Pong and Mario Kart to the latest PlayStation and Xbox – while discovering the science and history behind gaming’s most iconic developments. With an annual pass, visitors can receive unlimited access to over 160 consoles all year long and battle it out with multiplayer Super Smash Bros, or create their dream team for ultimate victory in FIFA. A new exciting Pac-Man Battle Royale Championship DX allows up to eight players to battle against each other in the beloved arcade game.

Visitors enjoying a game in Power Up at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group.
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IMAX: The Ronson Theatre
Ticketed, from £10  

The Science Museum’s IMAX is one of only two screens in Europe to bring together IMAX 70mm film and next-generation IMAX with Laser.  Visitors can catch Antarctica 3D (U), featuring footage from the filmmakers of the iconic Planet Earth II; A Beautiful Planet 3D (U) which showcases the tasks of crew onboard the International Space Station; Under the Sea 3D (U), following an expedition investigating the mysteries of oceans and the threats they face from climate change; and Ocean Odyssey 3D (U), which embarks on a journey with a baby humpback whale to uncover the secret of ocean currents.
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L – R: The Ronson Theatre at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group; Cameraman Rolf Steinmann filming king penguin chicks on South Georgia for Antarctica 3D © BBC NHU. 

Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery
Ticketed, from £12 (Ages 3 and under go free)  
Recommended ages: 7–14  

Visitors can explore Wonderlab, the museum’s popular interactive gallery, be amazed by live science shows and enjoy demonstrations led by a talented team of Explainers.  The gallery’s hands-on activities will inspire visitors to engage with the science all around them, through exhibits including a giant friction slide, live lightning demonstrations, a large rotating model of the solar system and more.  

L-R: A young visitor is reflected inside the Infinity Boxes in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery © Science Museum Group; Visitors play with Flowing Mist exhibit in Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery © Science Museum Group 

FREE DISPLAYS, EXHIBITIONS AND GALLERIES

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine
Until 12 May 2024
Free

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine explores the history and science behind the international coronavirus vaccination programme, telling the story of the global effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed. This free exhibition unpacks the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and explores the logistical challenges behind one of the fastest and largest immunisation programmes in history. It considers how the response to the pandemic is being built upon for future preparedness and the realities of a future with COVID-19, whilst also providing a moment for visitors to reflect on their own experiences.

L-R: Visitor in Injecting Hope looking at a COVID-19 vaccine vial © Science Museum Group; Visitors in the Injecting Hope entrance tunnel with Angela Palmer’s Sphere that changed the world © Science Museum Group.

The Secret Life of the Home
Until 2 June 2024
Free
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After 29 years of delighting visitors with everyday domestic objects, The Secret Life of the Home gallery will permanently close on 2 June. The gallery tells the story of how domestic appliances in our homes have evolved over time, displaying some of the earliest household inventions alongside more recent tools and technologies which might not look out of place in our homes today. From a motorised flock of hot water bottles to an interactive washing machine, the gallery is packed with bespoke and whimsical interactive exhibits, which are now unfortunately showing advanced signs of wear and tear. Visitors are invited to see this this quirky and delightful gallery one last time before it closes, and can find more information about the future of the objects on the Science Museum blog.
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L-R: WCs display in The Secret Life of the Home at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group; Teasmade display in The Secret Life of the Home at the Science Museum © Science Museum Group.
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Energy Revolution: The Adani Green Gallery
Ticketed; free
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Energy Revolution: The Adani Green Energy Gallery invites visitors to explore how the world can generate and use energy more sustainably to urgently decarbonise global energy systems and limit the impacts of climate change. Looking at the past, present and future of these systems, this new free gallery displays both recognisable and surprising objects alongside interactive exhibits to highlight how we can journey together to a more sustainable, low carbon future.