V&A East Museum

V&A East Museum opens on 18 April 2026 as a cornerstone of the East Bank cultural development at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Developed over more than a decade, the museum occupies a purpose-built building designed to make a substantial portion of the V&A’s collections available in a deliberately accessible East London setting.

The opening programme centres on two permanent free galleries, Why We Make, which draw on over 500 objects spanning global art, architecture, design, performance and fashion. The inaugural temporary exhibition, The Music Is Black: A British Story, explores how Black British music has shaped the country’s cultural identity since 1900, reflecting a curatorial approach committed to expanding what a design museum can address.

For architecture and design professionals, the new museum adds a significant institutional presence to a part of the city that has already attracted the London Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Here East campus. The V&A East Storehouse, offering full collections access and research facilities, is due to open in the adjoining building at a later stage.