Birthday parties

You can book your party online using the booking form below and we’ll contact you within five working days to confirm everything.

Bookings can be between three weeks and three months ahead. If you can’t select your preferred date, this means it’s already booked.

Booking Mudlarks only

Once everything has been agreed and confirmed with us we will ask the Box Office to contact you by phone arrange payment.

Booking Mudlarks and party lunchroom

1. You will reach an agreement with Bovingdons on the food and drink offer
2. All party details will be confirmed with us
3. We'll ask the Box Office to contact you by phone to arrange payment

Once you’ve booked your party, you’re welcome to arrange some time with us to see the party rooms. Please book this in advance to make sure we’re available to show you around.

Up to a maximum of 20 children between 0–16 years old.

Up to 30 adults can come along for free. We ask that there’s a minimum of one adult for every three children.

A member of staff is included for the entirety of your party and is there for health and safety purposes only.

Parties can held either in the morning or the afternoon.

Morning slot (11am – 2.35pm)

Mudlarks: 11am – 12.35pm
Party lunchroom: 12.35–2.35pm

Afternoon slot (12.20–3.55pm)

Party lunchroom: 12.20–2.20pm
Mudlarks: 2.20–3.55pm

Food and drink is only available from our caterer, Bovingdons, but you’re welcome to bring in your own birthday cake.

Children’s offer – £6.50 per person

Includes a fresh homemade sandwich, Pom-Bear crisps, a banana and a Pip Organic apple juice.

Adult offer – £17 per person

Includes tea, coffee, soft drinks, crisps, a fruit bowl and a selection of fresh homemade sandwiches:

• egg and cress with creamy mayo (v)
• chicken and smashed avocado
• Applewood smoked cheddar and Branston pickle (v)
• roasted topside of beef, rocket and horseradish
• chargrilled peppers marinated in basil, garlic, balsamic and extra virgin olive oil with tzatziki (v)

Jugs of tap water, paper plates, napkins, plastic cutlery and paper cups are provided by us. Drinking glasses are not allowed.

Please inform us of any dietary requirements or allergies in advance.

We offer three party lunchroom themes: pirates, sea animals or mermaids. Just choose one when you book and we'll do all the decorating.

You’re welcome to put up your own decorations, as long as they don’t include anything that’s copyrighted, eg Disney or Pixar characters and don’t require Sellotape, pins or Blu Tack. Masking tape is fine.

We’ll put away decorations and tidy up rubbish, so you can concentrate on enjoying the party!

Yes, you can choose party entertainers for either general entertainment, face painting or balloon modelling.

If this floats your boat, let us know and you can choose from our list of pre-approved party entertainers. Please give us up to three weeks’ notice and we’ll sort everything for you.

You can arrive one hour before the party starts, but note that the party can't start earlier or finish later than stated on the booking.

You're welcome to leave your stuff in the party lunchroom if you’ve hired it. Otherwise, you can bring them with you into Mudlarks. Prams and buggies will need to be left outside the gallery.

We take no responsibility for any lost or damaged items.

Birthday parties must be booked and paid for no less than 14 days before the event date.

Full payment (for child places) will be requested by the Museum once the party has been approved. Until this initial payment has been made, the event remains unconfirmed.

No alterations to the party package can be made 10 days or less prior to the date of the party unless it is to alter the number of children attending the Mudlarks family gallery and party lunchroom up to a maximum of 20.

Museum management reserves the right to terminate a booking/party without prior warning if deemed necessary.

Museum conditions of entry apply to all guests during the period of the party.

Health and safety

Children attending the party remain the responsibility of the adults in the party; we require at least one adult for every three children in the party group.

For fire safety reasons, the Museum cannot allow the following within the building:

• helium balloons
• lit candles
• your own electrical equipment to be used with museum’s electric sockets
• damages

The named person who makes the booking is responsible for equipment and room condition during the period of the party. If loss of equipment or damage to the room occurs during the course of the party, the person who has made the booking will be liable for the cost of repair or replacement.

Food and drink

No food or drink may be brought into the Mudlarks family gallery (play area).

The consumption of alcohol is not permitted within the London Museum Docklands during the birthday party.

Smoking is not permitted within London Museum Docklands at any time.

Cancellation policy

Box office will ask for full payment to be completed at least 2 weeks before the date of the birthday party event. If you cancel less than 2 weeks in advance you will lose the full payment, other than in special circumstances outlined below where they would be refunded in full (eg the museum closes due to a storm).

Cancellation by us:

We will use best efforts to make the party venue and premises available to you on the agreed party date.

We will not be liable if the party booking is cancelled for the following reasons:

If we believe the party booking is somehow of an illegal nature or immoral or would be harmful or prejudice to the reputation of the London Museum Docklands;

We reserve the right to close off any part of the facilities, party venue or the premises for technical, operational or health and safety issues. We will not be liable to you should any foreclosure occur. 

If we need to amend the party booking in any way, we will offer alternative facilities of a reasonable fit, status and comfort to the original party booking. If the alternative arrangement is not deemed fit by you, you will have the right to cancel the party booking in writing with our Box Office on [email protected]

You and your invitees must comply with all the rules and regulations in operation at the premises. We reserve the right to deny admission or to require a person already admitted to leave the premises without refund or compensation, for failure to comply with any of the London Museum Docklands rules for unsafe, illegal or offensive behaviour, to ensure safety, security and order, or if we consider that the circumstances so require.

Force majeure

We will not be liable or responsible for any failure to perform, or delay in performance of, any of our obligations under these conditions that is caused by a Force Majeure Event.

A Force Majeure Event means any act or event beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation: strikes, lockouts or other industrial action by third parties, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack, war (whether declared or not) or threat or preparation for war, fire, explosion, storm, flood, earthquake, subsidence, epidemic / pandemic or other natural disaster, or failure of public or private telecommunications networks and transportation.

If a Force Majeure Event takes place that affects the performance of our obligations under these conditions:

We will contact you as soon as reasonably possible to notify you; and our obligations under these conditions will be suspended and the time for performance of our obligations will be extended for the duration of the Force Majeure Event.

In the event that the contract still cannot be performed or any of the obligations be fulfilled within a period of three months, then either party can terminate the contract by notice in writing.