SOLD OUT: Bright and Early Relaxed Opening – Voyage to the Deep @ Horniman Museum and Gardens, London

Bright and Early session which is happening on Saturday 21^st March 2026 from 9.00am – 11.00am. This is an early viewing for families who are unable to visit when the Horniman is busy, including children with autism spectrum conditions or neurodiverse families.

This will be a relaxed opening for our new exhibition Voyage to the Deep https://www.horniman.ac.uk/event/voyage-to-the-deep-underwater-adventures/

The Museum will be open exclusively for families booked onto the Relaxed Opening from 9.00am – 10.00am. The Museum will be open to the public from 10am but Voyage to the Deep and the Aquarium will be reserved just for Relaxed Opening families until 11am.

In the Music Gallery Performance Space we will also have a temporary display on the day:

Autism Circle of Support – Inclusion Art Competition display

Hosted by Autism Circle of Support (ACS) https://www.autismcircleofsupport.com/ , this display features artwork created by students across Lagos, Nigeria, exploring the theme “What Belonging Means to Me.” The competition was designed to celebrate neurodiversity, amplify young voices, and encourage families and schools to reflect on inclusion within their communities. Each piece offers a powerful and personal interpretation of belonging through colour, creativity, and imagination. We are proud to showcase this inspiring collection as we continue Lighting the Way for Autism Inclusion.

You can book free tickets by emailing communitylearning@horniman.ac.uk. Please let us know how many adult and child tickets you need. It also helps us if you let us know in advance what access requirements you or your children have and if you can include the age of your child/children.

Which spaces will be open

Voyage to the Deep is in our Temporary Exhibitions Gallery, and the Natural History Pop-up is in our Studio Gallery. Both are located on the Lower Ground Floor.

If you’d like a bit of rest at any point, there is a Chill Out Space, located in the Education Centre. The Gardens are also a nice place for some peace and quiet.

There are toilets on the Ground Floor, past the Shop. There are more toilets downstairs in Gallery Square, near the Natural History Pop-up exhibition. Please note, some cleaning might sill take place when you first arrive.

The toilets in the Gardens are open before 9.00am. The Aquarium will be open from 10.00am. The Natural History Gallery is currently closed for redevelopment and is due to reopen late 2026.

 What time is the event on?

The main entrance, the Voyage to the Deep and Natural History Pop-up exhibitions, the Music Gallery, the World Gallery, the Chill Out Space, the Museum’s shop, and the inside toilets all open at the earlier time of 9.00am.

 At 10.00am the Museum opens to the public. The Aquarium and Voyage to the Deep will not be open to the public until 11.00am.

 The Chill Out Space is only available to Bright and Early visitors and will be open until 12.00pm. There is no eating or drinking allowed in the Galleries but you can eat and drink in the Chill Out Space.

 The Inclusion Art Competition display will be on display in the quiet room at the rear of the Music Gallery which will only be available to Bright and Early visitors and will be open until 12.00pm. Unfortunately, eating and drinking is not allowed in the 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 0208 291 8725 – we are very happy to help. We will send out a Social Story along with further information closer to the date to everyone who is booked onto the event.

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