Bright and Early Relaxed Opening @ Horniman Museum, London

Bright and Early Relaxed Opening
Back to What’s On
Free, booking needed
A special early viewing for neurodivergent families or families who need a quieter environment when visiting the Museum.
A last chance to see The Robot Zoo exhibition during this accessible, relaxed event.

You will also have a chance to explore some of our other galleries.

The main doors open at 9am. In case you arrive a little early, our Gardens are open from 7.15am.

More detailed information will be in the Social Story, coming soon.

If you have any questions, please contact communitylearning@horniman.ac.uk

About The Robot Zoo
This family-friendly exhibition features larger-than-life animals that have been innovatively recreated using a variety of familiar machine parts and gadgets to reveal how their real life counterparts see, eat, hunt and hide.

Interactive exhibits also give you the chance to try jet-propelled squid racing and shoot a chameleon’s ‘tongue-gun’.

Other galleries
The World Gallery and the Music Gallery, as well as the Aquarium, will be open for this Bright and Early session. Please note the Natural History Gallery is currently closed for redevelopment and won’t be reopening until late 2026. There is a pop-up nature space in our Studio, which is opposite the Robot Zoo exhibition.

Booking
If you would like to book please email communitylearning@horniman.ac.uk or call 020 8291 8690.

Tickets are free, but we welcome donations once – we hope – you’ve had a lovely time.

Please note, companions of disabled visitors, Under 3s, Members and Benefactors always go free.

Information for parents and carers in advance
Welcome to the Horniman. Here is some more information about our Twilight relaxed opening.

What time is the event?
The event will run from 9am-11am. The Museum will open to the general public at 10am but Robot Zoo and the Aquarium will remain exclusively reserved for Relaxed Opening families until 11am.

Please note that the Aquarium will open exclusively for the Relaxed Opening at 10am.

The Café will also be open from 9am.

Interactives in some of the main galleries will be turned off or down until 11am. Hand dryers in all of the toilets inside the Museum will also be turned off until 11am and paper towels will be available instead.

Which spaces will be open?
This is a special opening for The Robot Zoo exhibition located on the Lower Ground Floor. We will also be opening some of our main galleries, details of which to be confirmed shortly.

The Gardens are open from 7.15am daily and are a nice place to relax in good weather. There is also a toilet block in the garden which is open until the Gardens close at 8.30pm.

The Museum and Café are open to everyone during the day until 5pm.

A Chill Out space in our Education Centre will be open during the event. Although there is no eating or drinking allowed in the Galleries you can eat and drink in the Chill Out space.

How do I get there?
Please take a look for directions on our website. There are also some handy videos online that give more details about arriving on site and finding your way around.

If there is anything else we can help you with in advance, please get in touch at communitylearning@horniman.ac.uk or on 020 8291 8690 – we are very happy to help.

Please note, we often get deliveries in the morning, so you might notice big vehicles on the Horniman site when you arrive.

Feedback
It would be great to get your feedback. Please talk to a member of staff or fill in the e-mail survey which we will send you shortly after the event.