Scramble for Bayeux Tapestry tickets: Hours-long online queue for chance to see once-in-a-generation exhibition at British Museum
The world-famous 70-metre long tapestry has not been seen in England since its creation in the 11th century.
Online queues for tickets to the Bayeux Tapestry are up to nine hours long, following the launch of the exclusive viewing on Wednesday morning.
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The world-famous artwork is heading to the British Museum, resulting in overwhelming interest from history lovers who scrambled to the museum’s ticketing website today.
Around 40,000 people were queuing for tickets online by mid-morning, and by the afternoon, that figure doubled to 80,000.
Those waiting for a ticket were told, “We’re currently experiencing high levels of demand. Booking online is still recommended; however, wait times may extend up to nine hours.
Ticket hopefuls were told to “be patient” and warned against contacting the museum’s “exceptionally busy” phone lines and email inbox.
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The tickets on sale today are for the show’s opening between September and December.
The two following releases will come in October and January for the remainder of the exhibition, which runs until July 2027.
Tickets are set at £33 during peak times, marking a huge increase on the £10 standard charge, where it is normally held in Normandy. For off-peak tickets, adults are still looking at paying £27.
The revenue the museum is expected to generate from the exhibition is expected to be around £8.6m.
The 70-metre long tapestry, which is almost 1,000 years old, depicts William the Conquerer’s triumph over King Harold II of England at Hastings in 1066 and has not been seen in England since its creation in the 11th century.
It has been insured for £800m ahead of the exhibition at the British Museum.
The highly anticipated arrival of the historic artwork reflects soft-power relations between Britain and France.
The tapestry will be exchanged for the Lewis chessmen, the Sutton Hoo helmet, the Mold gold cape and the Dunaverney flesh hook – which will head to Normandy.
Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has been met with criticism for permitting the exchange to go ahead – with critics saying he has ignored advice from experts who said the artwork was too fragile to be transported to the UK.
Campaigners have worked to stop the loan from taking place by bringing their case before the Conseil d’État, one of France’s highest courts.
Those efforts have proved to be unsuccessful – and the tapestry will head to Britain between September 2026 and July 2027 – marking one of the most high-profile loans ever, after France’s 1963 loan of the Mona Lisa to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.