Kicking off on Saturday 26 November 2022, the Museum of London will mark its closure at London Wall after 45 years with two festive free weekend festivals on 26 – 27 November and 3 – 4 December.
The museum will remain open for 24 hours for the first time in history on Saturday 3 December, allowing visitors to come in throughout the night for a last chance to see the museum’s star objects such as Oliver Cromwell’s death mask, Tom Daley’s swimming trunks and Selfridges Art Deco lift before they get packed away for the move to the new museum site.
The museum will close on Sunday 4 December at 5pm, before moving to West Smithfield where it will reopen as The London Museum in 2026.
Closing Weekend Programme:
Family Weekend (26 – 27 November)
The Museum’s Family Weekend on 26 & 27 November will kick off with London’s biggest table football competition, inspired by the museum’s free display Harry Kane: I want to play football and the 2022 World Cup. The competition will run across both weekends and winning teams will be entered into a raffle to win an England shirt signed by Harry Kane.
This first weekend festival will also offer families lots of creative fun, with arts and crafts, face painting, theatrical performances, immersive tours, and pop-up musical performances to bring the museum’s galleries to life.
Music Weekend, Cinema Festival & 24-hour opening (3 – 4 December)
The Museum’s Music Weekend on 3 & 4 December will celebrate London’s funky beats over five decades from music genres such as disco, punk, dub, and grime. Visitors will be invited to dance to DJ sets and can attend a free but ticketed DJ workshop.
Leading visitors into the night, a late-night cinema festival will showcase two London films: serial killer drama Tony (2009), including a discussion with director Gerard Johnson, and gangster movie The Long Good Friday (1980).
Night owls who dare to tread the museum’s galleries after dark will be able to come in until early morning, when they can wake up with yoga. The museum’s final day will bring rap and rhyme and a final goodbye ceremony with London’s legendary historical characters to kickstart the museum’s journey to its new home
