Astronights at the Science Museum
What are the Science Museum’s Astronights?
For whatever reason, the idea of sleeping over at a museum sounds absolutely amazing to the average child. To capitalise on that, the Science Museum’s Astronights is in a very literal sense a sleepover at the museum, synonymous with the Natural History Museum’s probably slightly better known Dinosnores.
What happens on an Astronight?
Aimed at children aged seven to 11, the nights take place once a month, typically on a Friday and are essentially divided into three bits. In the evening there’s a programme of activities between 7pm and 11pm, taking in a series of craft workshops, fun science lectures and other activities. The sleepover takes place between lights out at 11.30pm and lights on at (gulp) 6am. And the next morning there’s a light breakfast followed by access to two of the museum’s most popular attractions, the IMAX and the Wonderlab.
How much do Astronights cost?
Tickets are relatively pricey at £75, given that normally the museum is free admission, though another way of looking at it is that it’s pretty storming value for a night’s B&B in Kensington plus a host of additional activities. You can pay £100 for a slightly comfier VIP option, and as a bonus the 2024 nights are being sponsored by Tempur, who are providing a free pillow to each camper.
Are they any good?
There is zero getting away from the fact that sleeping on a museum floor is deeply, deeply uncomfortable - you’re provided with a thin sleeping mat, and it’s BYO
