Victoria and Albert Museum
/ About
The V&A opened in South Kensington in the wake of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and is the national museum of art and design. Its Grade I listed galleries are let in the evenings, once the public has gone: a museum address that is genuinely available for a party, and one of the few in London that will let one run late.
The Dome is the room that matters for music. Marble floors, a classical ceiling and Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture overhead, with a central bar and space for a stage. The museum's conservation rules permit dancing in the Dome, or at a seated dinner, and nowhere else in the building; the hire brochure calls it an ideal after-party space, citing the dancefloor and the late finishes. Elsewhere the register changes: the Raphael Court seats 400 beneath the Raphael Cartoons, the Hintze Sculpture Galleries open onto the garden for receptions, and the John Madejski Garden holds 600 around its lit fountains on a summer evening.
The V&A is a dry-hire venue. Catering, production, entertainment and flowers are all drawn from the museum's approved supplier list, a condition of working in a Grade I listed building full of the collection. Set-up begins only after the doors close to the public at 17.45, evening hires start at 18.45, and Friday evenings are not offered. Finish times can be extended to 2am.
/ Rooms Available
John Madejski Garden
PrivateThe museum's courtyard garden, enclosed by the 19th-century terracotta facade, with a paved ellipse and fountains that are illuminated after dark. There is a paved terrace and space for seating, and an indoor space is included in the hire as wet-weather contingency.
The Dome
PrivateThe museum's central space beneath a soaring classical dome, with marble floors and Dale Chihuly's glass sculpture hanging overhead. It has a central bar and room for a stage. Under the V&A's conservation rules, dancing is permitted here or at a seated dinner and nowhere else in the building, which makes the Dome the room for an after-party.
Raphael Court
PrivateThe largest of the museum's event spaces, home to the Raphael Cartoons and a gilded Spanish altarpiece. It comes with in-house lighting and has room for a stage even at full capacity, and it takes a dinner of 400 or a much smaller one under the same ceiling.
Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre
PrivateThe museum's lecture theatre, seating 300 in rows and equipped with basic AV as part of the hire. Used for presentations and awards ceremonies, generally alongside a reception in one of the galleries.
Dorothy and Michael Hintze Sculpture Galleries
PrivateLong galleries lined with classical sculpture from the V&A's collection, leading directly onto the John Madejski Garden. Suited to receptions and smaller dinners, and well placed for private views.
Gilbert Bayes Gallery
PrivateA first-floor gallery devoted to the making of sculpture, set on a mezzanine above the Cast Courts with views across casts of Michelangelo's David and Trajan's Column. A room for a smaller dinner.
Edwin and Susan Davies Paintings Galleries
PrivateSecond-floor galleries holding 200 works from the V&A's paintings collection, among them Constable, Turner and Gainsborough. Quiet, and close to the permanent galleries, which makes it a natural room for a dinner that includes a look around the museum after hours.
Gamble Room
PrivateThe largest of the museum's Victorian refreshment rooms, tiled in Maw and Minton ceramics with stained glass carrying the Royal Arms. Two adjoining rooms come with it, including the Morris Room, completed in 1868 in William Morris's early domestic style. Available for morning and evening hire; catering here is handled by the museum's in-house caterer rather than the approved list.
/ Perfect For
/ Features
AV Equipment
- – Stage
Catering
- – External Catering Allowed
Licensing
- – Late Licence until 2am
- – Music Licence
- – Full Alcohol Licence
Venue Specs
- – Dedicated Events Team
- – Outdoor Terrace
/ Getting Here
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