Entry at busy times
Our temporary exhibitions can become crowded at times, so to keep the galleries safe and comfortable, we may manage numbers with queuing or free, timed tickets.
When we’re busiest
The busiest times of the week are usually Saturdays and Sundays, when we often have queues for temporary exhibitions.
Thursday evenings (when we’re open until 20.00) vary depending on events: you can usually go straight into the exhibitions without waiting, but sometimes you may need to queue.
When in-gallery performances are taking place, the gallery will probably be busy. You are likely to need to queue to enter the exhibition space.
On Sunday and weekday mornings (except Mondays, when the galleries are closed), you can usually go straight in.
Late Spectaculars can get very busy.
If you have any access requirements, or queuing is not accessible for you, please speak to a member of staff.
Timed tickets
On occasion, when queues get too long, we introduce free, timed tickets. We only give tickets to visitors who are already in the building - there’s no booking in advance or by phone. We only do this at the very busiest times.
The Reading Room and Being Human
You can usually get into our permanent galleries without waiting, even at busy times of the week.
Café
Our café can sometimes get busy around lunchtime.