V&A East Museum to open in April 2026

V&A East Museum is housed in a brand-new five-storey building in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and it will open on 18th April 2026

The V&A has announced that V&A East Museum, designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, will open on East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 18th April 2026.

V&A East Museum includes galleries, exhibitions, creative commissions and events “spotlighting the people, ideas and creativity shaping global culture right now”, plus a café by restaurant group Jikoni, known for its “cooking without borders”.   

V&A East Museum is housed in a brand-new five-storey space right next to East Bank Partners London College of Fashion, UAL, the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East and UCL East. V&A East Museum is the sister site to the V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May 2025.   

Gus Casely-Hayford, V&A East director, said: “In today’s world where we’re facing down challenges from the climate crisis to increasing polarisation, museums and the creative industries have a vital role in bringing people together, celebrating communities, sparking conversations and spotlighting the many ways that global artists, designers and makers are using their creativity to change the world for the better.

“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. 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.”  

Jen McLachlan, V&A East project director, said: “We’re proud to see V&A East Museum take its place within the dynamic landscape of East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Our design is driven by the idea of openness – a building that welcomes its community, celebrates creativity, and frames the exchange between art, people, and place. It’s not just a museum, but a civic space for dialogue, discovery, and shared experience.”   

On V&A East Museum’s opening, V&A East will debut a new six-monthly rotating creative commissions programme. Eight new artworks by Tania Bruguera, Es Devlin, Lawrence Lek, Turner Prize-nominated artist, Rene Matić, Shahed Saleem, Justinien Tribillon, Carrie Mae Weems, and Laura Wilson will be unveiled across V&A East’s two sites – V&A East Museum and Storehouse, each responding to the history and future of east London’s creativity. A monumental new work by Thomas J Price, A Place Beyond, will welcome visitors into V&A East Museum on opening. 

V&A East Museum will also open with exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story, with a sound experience by Sennheiser. The exhibition spanning 1900 to the present day reveals how Black British music has shaped British culture – and its global impact – to tell a “long-overdue story of Black excellence, struggle, resilience, and joy”.

Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar goes on display for the first time, alongside fashion worn by Little Simz and newly acquired photographs by artists including Jennie Baptiste, Beezer, Dennis Morris, Eddie Otchere, Sam White and more. 

Displays at the museum will also highlight local making communities and initiatives, with zines by collaborative publishing collective One of My Kind, who founded Rabbits Road Press in Old Manor Park Library, and a 2023 Walthamstow FC shirt developed by Wood Street Walls, with Admiral and William Morris Gallery, using a print by William Morris’ first apprentice, John Henry Dearle. 

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