You can buy gift vouchers for both adults and children to attend Astronights, including VIP tickets. Gift vouchers for other museum favourites, including annual passes to our interactive galleries Power Up and Wonderlab, are also available.
Please ensure you check restrictions for Astronights before purchasing any gift vouchers.
We want to make your night as relaxed as possible. Email us to discuss how we can support you and your group.
We run a SENsory Astronights once a year so that children with special educational needs can enjoy a night at the Museum in a quieter and less crowded environment.
Astronights is for families and groups including schools, Scouts, Girlguiding and other organisations. Children must be aged 7-11.
Astronights starts at 18.45, and groups enter at this time through the Science Museum’s Main Entrance on Exhibition Road.
The nearest tube station is South Kensington (Piccadilly, District and Circle lines). More information about getting to the museum can be found on our Visit Us page.
A typical Astronights programme looks like this:
18.45 Doors open and registration
19.05 Set up camp and welcome talk
19.50 Activity 1
20.40 Snack break
21.20 Activity 2
22.10 Activity 3
23.10 Get ready for bed
23.40 Lights out, time to sleep
06.15 Wake up
06.45 Move sleeping gear
07.00 Breakfast
07.45 Wonderlab and IMAX
09.40 Goodbye
10.00 Astronights finishes; museum and shop open
You are welcome to stay in the museum for as long as you wish after your Astronight.
- If you need to reduce the number of attendees or cancel your booking, you must tell us at least 28 days before the date of your booked Astronights. Cancellations and reductions in numbers need to be made through our Contact Centre. Please call 033 0058 0058.
- We do not offer refunds for reductions in numbers or cancellations made within 28 days of your booked Astronights. If you have not paid you will still be liable for the cost.
- Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds if fewer people attend on the night.
Please see full booking and cancellation terms at Astronights tickets terms and conditions.
Additional children or adults can be added to your booking until the Tuesday of the event week if tickets are available. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
VIP and Standard tickets have separate activities and sleeping areas. To upgrade to VIP, please contact us with your order number to check availability and upgrade.
To ensure adequate supervision overnight, your group will need at least one adult.
Your group will remain together for the whole event. The galleries are mixed-gender sleeping areas with both male and female staff supervising overnight. Some lights will remain on throughout the night for your safety.
Astronights is supervised by experienced staff; however, as a group leader you are responsible for ensuring everyone in your party has a safe and enjoyable experience. We ask that you:
- Ensure all children are the correct age
- Ensure your group adheres to the Astronights rules set out in the Health and Safety Talk on the night.
- Keep your group together and under control always
- Address the behaviour of children in your group if they are impacting on the enjoyment of other campers
- Ensure your group doesn’t disturb those who are sleeping
If our staff think you may be causing unreasonable offence to other visitors, impacting on the enjoyment of other campers or are endangering yourself, others, our property or our collections, they will ask you to stop. Our staff have the authority to escort you from the museum if necessary.
For some children this will be the most exciting night of their lives so far. As a result, it is very difficult for them to get to sleep. We encourage groups to keep noise to a minimum, but please don’t expect to get your normal quota of beauty sleep.
Our Campers’ Survival Guide and Group Leader Survival Pack will give you lots of the information you’ll need to prepare for the night. We will also email you closer to the time so please keep an eye out for that.
You'll also need to complete a registration form for your group and present it to staff at the beginning of the night.
Unfortunately, we do not allow inflatable mattresses at Astronights, as they cause a trip hazard. However, we do provide you with camping mats to sleep on to make you a little more comfortable.
Campers need to bring a packed evening snack with them. We advise having an evening meal before arriving at the museum.
We supply breakfast, which typically includes a croissant, cereal bar, fruit, and juice, with tea or coffee for the adults. Some alternatives are available for those with dietary requirements. Please mention this at the time of booking, and get in touch with any questions. Unfortunately, we are unable to cater for every dietary need.
Only children aged 7-11 can attend Astronights. This helps us to both make our activities engaging and appropriate for all our campers, and to maintain our health and safety and safeguarding standards.
You can see our full range of activities for all age groups on our See and do page.
If you anticipate being late, please send us an email with your arrival time and order number. Late arrivals may miss scheduled activities, and refunds are not provided.
