Relaxed Hours, Late Opening @ Imperial War Museum, London

Relaxed Hours
Late Opening
29 October 2025
5pm to 7pm
IWM London
Everyone
Free event
Booking required
Book Tickets
The Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries at IWM London
IWM
Join us for a relaxed late opening of IWM London. This is a sensory-friendly event for families and individuals. The event is suitable for individuals or families with members who may have sensory processing differences, autistic spectrum conditions or would otherwise benefit from a quieter environment to explore IWM London.

As part of our late opening, you will be able to explore all our current exhibitions and have the opportunity to participate in family-friendly activities.

There will also be quiet rooms for those needing to take a break, a breakout space, and an indoor eating area for anyone wishing to bring their own food.

To help ensure a smooth entry to the museum, we kindly ask visitors to book a free ticket online in advance. However, we will still have capacity available onsite for those who are unable to book tickets.

We will send all visitors an email around a week before the event with more information and a visual walkthrough to help you fully plan for your visit. Please be aware, the museum will be open to the general public for the first hour of your visit.

Access
We ask those attending the Relaxed Hours event to please use the West Entrance, which can be found by following the path along the right side of the museum’s main entrance. There will be staff in the surrounding park to help direct people to the entrance. A map can be downloaded here, or use What3words: ///dairy.chef.full. See IWM’s Accessibility Page for more information.
Tickets are limited to 6 per group
IWM London is fully accessible by wheelchair. There are manual wheelchairs available for loan on a first-come, first-served basis. These are provided free of charge and are located at the West Entrance.
There are some limited designated disabled parking bays available (located off Brook Drive, behind IWM London). Any visitors wishing to use these bays must book them prior to the event by contacting us at RearYard@zeglobal.com or calling 020 7416 500. Please provide your vehicle model and registration number, your expected time of arrival and a contact number when requesting a space.
If the museum is busy, there will be one tannoy announcement during this event at 5:45 pm, alerting existing visitors that the museum will be closing to members of the public not in attendance for the Relaxed Hours session. There are no other planned announcements. Fifteen minutes before closing at 6:45 pm, you will be approached by staff to let you know about the upcoming closure.

A visitor walks through the Second World War Galleries at IWM London
Exhibition Information
There will be a temporary exhibition running called Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, exploring the wave of independence movements that followed the end of the Second World War, as many of Britain’s former imperial territories gained independence.
Please be aware that areas of our galleries can be dark and contain loud noises and potentially distressing images. Details of where these areas are located can be found in the visual walkthrough. There will be signage at the event.
The exhibitions are designed to encourage visitors to consider the experiences of people during conflict. In our First World War Galleries, there is a short, optional section that takes visitors through a replica trench. The floor in this area is textured, with low lighting and sound effects. Visitors using mobility aids, with mobility impairments, sensory processing differences or with buggies may wish to take extra care in this area or take an alternative route that avoids this experience.
Facilities
· The café will be open for hot drinks and cold snacks.

· Accessible toilets and baby change facilities are available throughout the museum and are signposted.

· There are a small number of ear defenders and sensory backpacks containing items that may help your visit. They are available upon request on a first-come, first-serve basis and are free to use. Examples of what they may contain include:

Ear defenders
Sunflower lanyard.
2x fidget toys.
A simple map.
Magnifying glass.
Cuddly toy.
Pencils and grips.
Emotions fan.
Reading overlays.