British Museum hosts Big Bayeux Bash on 10 and 11 October

The British Museum and the Big Bayeux Bash bring a weekend of medieval-inspired activity to London on 10 and 11 October 2026. The event marks the museum presentation of the Bayeux Tapestry, which is on loan from France for a major exhibition running from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027.

The Big Bayeux Bash brings workshops to London

The Big Bayeux Bash takes place at the museum on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026. The programme is built around free activities, workshops and drop-in sessions inspired by the medieval world of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Activities are intended for children aged six and over together with accompanying adults. The event listing gives the daily programme as 11am to 4pm, with the same hours on Saturday 10 October and Sunday 11 October. Its location is the museum at Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG. The Big Bayeux Bash listing identifies both the venue and the two dates.

The museum's medieval programme meets a long history

The weekend is linked directly to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition rather than being a general family programme. That connection gives the workshops a place within the museum's current response to a loan that has brought the medieval embroidery to London.

The museum was founded by an Act of Parliament in 1753 and opened its doors to visitors in 1759. Its collections were first housed in Montagu House, a seventeenth-century mansion on the site. As the holdings grew, Montagu House was replaced by the larger Greek Revival building designed by Sir Robert Smirke. The building was completed in 1852, and its colonnaded entrance remains a defining part of the Bloomsbury site. These milestones are recorded in the museum's official history of the museum.

The Big Bayeux Bash therefore places hands-on activity beside an institution whose present building was created during the same broad period in which public museums were taking shape in Britain. Visitors encounter a contemporary programme at a site that has welcomed the public since 1759.

What the Bayeux Tapestry adds to the weekend

The tapestry provides the subject for the event's creative work. Its embroidered scenes tell the story of the Norman Conquest and have made the museum's autumn programme unusually focused on medieval making, storytelling and historical interpretation.

The exhibition itself is presented as a long-term loan, while the weekend programme offers a separate way to engage with its themes. The distinction matters for visitors planning an October visit: attending the Big Bayeux Bash means joining the workshops and drop-in activities, not assuming that an activity listing is an exhibition reservation.

Visiting British Museum: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Big Bayeux Bash takes place on 10 and 11 October 2026, from 11am to 4pm on both days.
• The event consists of free workshops and drop-in sessions for children aged six and over with accompanying adults.
• The venue is the British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, in Bloomsbury.
• The museum's public setting combines modern activity areas with a Greek Revival building completed in 1852.

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Frequently asked questions about British Museum

When does the Big Bayeux Bash take place at the British Museum?

It takes place on 10 and 11 October 2026, from 11am to 4pm on both days.

What activities are offered at the Big Bayeux Bash?

The programme includes free workshops and drop-in sessions inspired by the medieval world of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Where is the British Museum and how do you get there?

The museum is on Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG.