Bayeux Tapestry ticket sales trigger nine-hour online queues as 80,000 people scramble for access

Ticket frenzy

The British Museum saw overwhelming demand when public ticket sales for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition began at 10am on Wednesday, July 1. Within 20 minutes nearly 40,000 people had joined the online queue, a figure that swelled to 65,000 by early afternoon and approached 80,000 later in the day. The booking page warned of waits up to nine hours and urged patience, calling the museum's phone lines and email inbox "exceptionally busy."

The rush has been likened to the annual scramble for Glastonbury music festival tickets. British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan had anticipated the pressure, telling BBC Radio 4 the museum was "expecting huge demand."

Like any hot ticket, think Glastonbury, for example, there can be long waits.

Two further ticket releases are planned, for October 2026 and January 2027, to cover the remainder of the exhibition's run.

A priceless arrival

The 70-metre-long embroidery, which dates from the 11th century and depicts William the Conqueror's victory at the Battle of Hastings, will travel from its permanent home in Bayeux, Normandy, to London via the Channel Tunnel. The precise date of the transfer is being kept secret. Two dry-run transports were conducted earlier this year to ensure the 350kg artwork can be moved safely.

It will travel through the tunnel, and it will be with us fairly soon. So it's very exciting.

The tapestry will be displayed flat in a specially made case, which Cullinan described as "the world's longest showcase." The glass vitrine was manufactured in Belgium. The loan is covered under the UK's Government Indemnity Scheme, with the artwork insured for £800m.

Diplomatic exchange

The exhibition, which runs from September 10, 2026, to July 11, 2027, marks the first time the tapestry has been on British soil in almost 1,000 years. It has left Normandy only twice before: Napoleon displayed it in Paris in 1804, and it was briefly moved in 1944.

The loan was agreed between French President Emmanuel Macron and the British government and is seen as a gesture of cultural rapprochement following Brexit. In return, four British treasures (the Lewis chessmen, the Sutton Hoo helmet, the Mold gold cape, and the Dunaverney flesh hook) will travel to Normandy.

Ticket prices and availability

Peak-time tickets cost £33, more than double the €12 (£10) charged at the Bayeux Museum. Off-peak adult tickets are priced at £27, while students, 16-18-year-olds, and jobseekers pay £25. Children under 16 enter free, and National Art Pass holders can access reduced rates of £12.50 to £16.50.

The majority of tickets are off-peak, so they're less and all children under 16 will see it for free. We felt it was very important to make this something that all young people have access to.

The British Museum estimates it could generate more than £8.6m from the exhibition.