Bayeux Tapestry tickets: 230,000 in online queue as Hastings residents miss out

A second release draws a huge queue

The British Museum put a second batch of tickets for its Bayeux Tapestry exhibition on sale on Wednesday, 21 October, for visits between 1 January and 31 March 2027. Several tens of thousands of people logged in when sales opened at 10:00, and many waited more than an hour. When MyLondon joined the queue, 89,000 users were already ahead of it, while other users reported more than 230,000 people in front of them, a figure that kept rising. The release reportedly sold out within three hours. The 70-metre embroidery, on loan from France, retells the Norman conquest of England and is on display in Britain for the first time in almost 1,000 years. Adult tickets cost £33 at peak times and £27 off-peak, students aged 16 to 18 and jobseekers pay £25, and National Art Pass holders pay £16.50.

Hastings residents locked out of early access

Residents of Hastings and the surrounding area were promised a chance to buy before the general sale, but they had to call the box office and show proof of address. Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore called the process 'shambolic' and blamed a 'glitchy and shambolic' phone system. One resident said the line was engaged when they dialled at 10:00 on Monday, 19 October, and that after an hour they were kept on hold for two hours before being cut off. Dollimore said her constituents were unable to get through or were left on hold for hours, and she argued that a publicly funded museum should make the arts accessible to the many, not the few.

The museum said residents were offered early tickets on a first come, first served basis and confirmed that they can still book in the general sale.

All residents are still able to book tickets as part of the general sale on the 21 October.

The museum added that a third opportunity will come when the next round of tickets is released in the new year. It also said an online platform for residents would not be financially feasible, and it argued that access codes could be passed on beyond the people they were issued to.

Visitor complaints and museum changes

Visitors have complained about long waits to enter the gallery and too little time with the tapestry. Director Nicholas Cullinan apologised in early October for these experiences and said he wanted to fix them quickly. The museum has banned photography to keep people moving, and it has announced extended opening hours, an audio guide, clearer signage and additional seating. Visits are meant to last around 40 minutes. After a partially sighted visitor threatened legal action over alleged discrimination, the museum also introduced an audio-described guided tour. Visitors turned away when the gallery closed despite holding paid tickets have been offered refunds and priority booking slots.

VIP access draws criticism

The Guardian reported that VIP guests, including Maya Jama, Mick Jagger and senior staff at Samsung and Bloomberg, have attended star-studded balls and dinners held in the tapestry room since September. At a ball on Saturday, 17 October, guest of honour Igor Tulchinsky posed beside host Rosanna Konarzewski, a communications executive whose ballgown was made from a replica of the tapestry. The Guardian also revealed that tech billionaire Peter Thiel received a VIP tour before the exhibition opened to the public, and that guests of the One Aldwych hotel can view the tapestry if they book a room at £1,000 a night. Dollimore asked why her constituents had to rely on a faulty phone line when online booking was clearly possible for others.

Why do my constituents have to work on a glitchy phone line when online booking is clearly possible for others?