The London Museum has been granted a 24-hour drinks and entertainment licence by the City of London for its new Smithfield home, the institution has confirmed. The decision clears the way for late-night activity at parts of the museum when the permanent galleries open on 28 November 2026.
The application covers the museum’s event spaces, cafes, bars and restaurants, and sought permission for plays, films, live and recorded music and dance, as well as late-night refreshments between 11pm and 5am. The application went before the City of London licensing hearing sub-committee on 28 October, which said at the hearing that it would write with its decision. The museum has now said the licence has been granted.
A museum spokesperson said the ambition was to be “just like London”, adding that extended hours were fitting for a 24-hour city and citing nearby markets, a hospital and a nightclub as context for the application. The spokesperson also confirmed the museum already plans to remain open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
What the licence allows and what it does not
The licence covers a wide range of licensable activities across the museum’s hospitality and event areas, including hosting plays, screening films and providing live and recorded music and dance. It also permits the sale of late-night refreshments between 11pm and 5am, according to the details of the application. The museum has not published a full overnight programme and a 24-hour licence does not necessarily mean every part of the building will be open around the clock.
The restored Temperance Cocoa Room will host an all-night alcohol-free coffee bar, the museum said, operating from Thursday to Sunday. That provision forms part of the museum’s wider plan for a varied offer outside standard opening hours. The permanent galleries in the General Market are due to open on 28 November 2026, and the museum said free tickets are sold out until 30 November. The temporary exhibition space, a learning centre and an interactive collections store are scheduled to follow in 2028.
Details about the licence conditions, any capacity limits and noise restrictions were not confirmed directly from the City of London licensing register. Those specifics are typically set out in the formal record of a licence, but were not available to be quoted in the museum’s announcement. The licensing sub-committee said it would communicate its decision in writing following the hearing on 28 October; the museum has since confirmed the outcome.
The move comes as the museum prepares to occupy the Grade II listed General Market building at Smithfield, part of a broader redevelopment of the site. The museum has presented its extended hours as consistent with the surrounding area’s mix of uses and activity at different times of day and night. The institution has highlighted nearby late-night amenities and a hospital as reasons why flexible opening hours would reflect the neighbourhood.
Observers should note that the licence is limited to licensable activities rather than implying constant public access. The museum has not released a detailed overnight schedule, and specific late-night events and opening times are likely to be announced closer to the public opening or as part of future programming updates. The museum has provided confirmed plans for weekend late openings and the alcohol-free night-time coffee bar, but broader overnight offerings were not specified.
On 28 November the museum will open its permanent galleries to the public, fulfilling a long-planned element of the Smithfield development. Programming for the temporary exhibition spaces and educational facilities will follow in 2028, according to the timeline set out by the institution.
For now, the granted licence establishes the legal basis for a wide range of evening and overnight activities at parts of the museum, while leaving details of timings, capacities and controls to be clarified in the written licence record and in future public announcements from the museum.
