Exhibitions Relaxed Opening Hours

Exhibitions Relaxed Opening

Join us for a Relaxed Opening of our exhibitions, suitable for people who might find visiting museums overwhelming. A limited number of tickets will be offered, along with tactile materials and sensory maps.

A dedicated team will welcome visitors with a neurodivergent profile, sensory processing differences, SEND, neurological conditions, or anxiety and their families, companions, and carers.

What to expect

The Relaxed Opening allows you to visit our exhibitions with fewer people in the gallery, a more relaxed attitude towards noise and movement, and additional support.

Special adjustments will include:

  • Fewer tickets are available per time slot, so the galleries will be less busy than usual

  • A small Chill Room will be available on Level -1, near the gallery entrance and exit

  • A selection of tactile materials from the exhibition will be available to touch during the relaxed opening

  • You can download a Sensory Map and a Large Print Guide for each exhibition space from our Access Information webpage, and also on this page (please scroll down to find out more)

  • A print copy of the Sensory Maps and Large Print Guides will be available onsite during the Relaxed opening. Please ask a member of staff for assistance

Please note:

  • You must purchase a ticket to each exhibition

  • The museum’s cafés, shops, and other displays are also open to the public from 10:00am

  • You can use the museum's free Wi-Fi during your visit by setting up a free account

  • The recommended time to see the exhibitions is approximately one hour for each gallery space, but this really varies from visitor to visitor


How to book your ticket:

  • Pre-booking online is required as spaces are limited

  • Ticket sales are limited to 50% capacity, so we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment

  • Tickets are non-refundable. If you cannot make it to the event, please contact the team via the email bookings@designmuseum.org as soon as possible, and we will get in touch to exchange your ticket for another time.

  • After your booking, you will receive an automated email to confirm your purchase. And, 4 days before the event date, you will receive an email with further information to help you prepare for your visit

  • Suitable Age: 12 +. Children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible, ticket-holding adult

Scroll down for more information and booking links.

More than Human Relaxed Opening

Wednesday 17 September 2025, 10:00 – 12:00

Featuring art, design, architecture and technology, this thought-provoking show will present visitors with radical ideas on how to design with — and better understand — the living world. By bringing together over 140 works spanning contemporary and traditional practices, fine art, product design, architecture and interactive installations, the exhibition will explore how humans can relearn to design with and for the natural world in the face of climate emergency.

Open from July 2025.

Location: GALLERY 1 – Ground Floor

Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s Relaxed Opening

Wednesday 29 October 2025, 10:00 – 12:00

Open from September 2025.

Location: GALLERY 2 - Level -1 (wheelchair entrance via Level -2)

Wes Anderson: The Archives Relaxed Opening

Wednesday, 21 January 2026, 10:00 – 12:00

This landmark retrospective exhibition will chart the evolution of Wes Anderson’s films from early experiments in the 1990s to recent productions as well as collaborations with key long-standing creative partners. Explore the design stories behind award-winning and iconic films such as ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘Isle of Dogs’, and more.

Open from November 2025.

Location: GALLERY 1 - Ground Floor

Design Museum Members Booking

Our members enjoy unlimited free entry to all our exhibitions at anytime without the need to pre-book, however, due to limited capacity, all members must book a ticket for this Relaxed Opening view.

Members can book a place for free via the link below and must present their digital membership card at the gallery entrance.

Maps and guides

More than Human Sensory Map

Download a digital PDF of A Century of More than Human Exhibition Sensory Map below, or ask a member of staff for a printed version when you visit.

More than Human Large Text Guide

When you visit, you can ask one of our Visitor Assistants for a printed large print guide for our exhibitions. Alternatively, you can download a digital guide in PDF format directly on your phone via the link below.

Other resources

Please note:

A Large Print Guide and a Gallery Sensory Map for 'Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s' will be added to this page in September 2025.

A Large Print Guide and a Gallery Sensory Map for 'Wes Anderson: The Archives' will be added to this page in November 2025.

For questions, please get in touch with the team via email: bookings@designmuseum.org

Plan your visit

Access information

For additional information about accessibility at the museum, please visit our Access page via the link below.

This page also includes instructions on how to book a parking space or wheelchair.

Plan your visit

Visit this page for more details about the museum, including location and our facilities.

Getting to the museum

For directions to the museum, please see our Getting Here page.

Background image: More than Human exhibition space photographed by Luke Hayes.