New museum set to open in London this week

The new V&A East Museum, situated in the east of London, will officially open its doors to the public on Saturday 18 April 2026.

The museum features exhibitions and galleries that explore art, design, fashion, music, and performance, and is situated in a new five-storey building near Stratford station.

The VA& East Museum is next to the London College of Fashion, UAL, the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East, and UCL East. A monumental 18-foot bronze sculpture towers over the entrance to V&A East, created by Thomas J Price, depicting a young person in casual clothing and conveying a place beyond the screen and everyday life.

It is the sister site to the V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May 2025 and operates as both a working storehouse and visitor attraction, housing thousands of objects and books.

The museum will offer two free permanent ‘Why We Make’ galleries that spotlight global culture and tell the stories of creatives from a range of cultures, countries, and times.

Exhibits will be varied, with Italian Renaissance paintings and 18th-century Spitalfields silk dresses displayed alongside works by Leigh Bowery, Althea McNish, Maud Sulter, and others.

The first landmark exhibition at the V&A East Museum is ‘The Music is Black: A British Story’, which tells the story of how Black British music has shaped British culture and features Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar, fashion worn by Little Simz, and photographs by Jennie Baptiste, Dennis Morris, Eddie Otchere, and Sam White.

The exhibition opens on Saturday 18 April and runs until 3 January 2027. Tickets for students and those under 26 are priced from £10 and full-price tickets are £20.

“We have created V&A East Museum with and for our audiences, as a welcoming space for all, embedded in east London and with a global outlook, that reflects the multiculturalism of this incredible place that has been the beating heart of creativity for centuries,” said V&A East Director Gus Casely-Hayford.

“V&A East Museum is for you– my hope is you’ll find joy, something of yourself and a sense of belonging the moment you walk through the door.”