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East London culture vultures – the time has finally come. Yep, after a decade-long development, the V&A East is officially launching in Stratford this month.
The Victoria and Albert Museum, an essential institution of art, fashion, culture and history in the heart of Kensington, has been building up its presence in the capital in recent years. The Young V&A opened in Bethnal Green in 2023 after a major £13 million revamp, while last year the V&A East Storehouse opened to wide acclaim. Stacked with more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books from the V&A’s archives, the Storehouse recently featured on TIME’s World’s Greatest Places for its ‘radically different approach’ to museum-going experience.
V&A East will consist of both the storehouse and a new museum, with the opening date for the latter revealed last November. The eastern outpost of the V&A was originally conceived in 2016 as part of the Olympic legacy plans, and it featured on Time Out’s preview of the most exciting new things to see and do in London in 2026.
Now, we’re just days away from the launch of the project’s second stage, which the V&A says is rooted in east London heritage and has been created with the help of young people. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of V&A East Museum’s grand opening:
Opening date
The V&A East Museum opens on Saturday April 18 2026.
Location
Built into what was once the site of the 2012 London Olympics, the V&A East Museum is located at East Bank, 107 Carpenters Rd, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, E20 2AR.
Its main entrance is located on Aquatic Walk, just an 8-minute walk from Hackney Wick Overground station, 17 minutes from Stratford International or a brisk 20-minute stroll from Stratford station.
It’s also accessible by bus, as the 388 stops outside Here East. Here East bus shuttles run from Stratford stations Monday-Friday, every 10 minutes 6:30am to 9pm.
Or, in true Hackney style, you can hop on a two-wheeler and take the bike lanes throughout the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. There are cycle racks and Santander Cycle docks on Parkes Street.
Exhibitions
Kicking off the calendar at the new V&A museum is The Music is Black: A British Story. Opening on Saturday April 18 after members’ previews on the Thursday and Friday evenings, the exhibition reveals how Black British music has shaped British culture for 125 years.
Split into four acts, more than 200 objects make up the show, including Winifred Atwell’s piano, Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar and the Nintendo that Jme used in his first music experiments. Expect to see newly acquired photographs of Kemistry and Storm, Mis-Teeq, and Skepta. Plus, it wouldn’t be the V&A without a nod to iconic fashion looks too, and clothing worn by the likes of Little Simz, Dame Shirley Bassey, Skin and Sade add another element to the exhibition’s rich narrative of Black British history.
As for events, V&A East Museum is hosting a talk on ‘The Visual Cultures of Black British Music’ on April 23 and experimental vocal collective NYX is marking the opening of the new space with an event inviting visitors to ‘sound the new museum into being’ on April 25.
How much will it cost to visit?
Admission to V&A East Museum is free, but some exhibitions and events will carry a separate charge.
Weekday tickets for its inaugural exhibition cost £22.50, going up to £24.50 on weekends.
Discover more of London’s greatest museums here.
Did you see that a beloved Walthamstow museum will finally reopen after a major £4.5 million renovation?
Plus: the 10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026.
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