Royal Academy – We are reopening
We’re opening our doors again
I am so pleased to announce that next week we will reopen the doors of the RA for you, our loyal Friends. We are enormously grateful for your continued support and we can’t wait to welcome back.
To start with, things will look a little different. Here are a few things you need to know about planning your first visit back to the RA.
Opening dates and times
To thank you, Friends of the RA will have first access from 9 July, followed by the public reopening on 16 July.
To begin with, our opening hours will be:
Thursday–Sunday, 11am–4pm
Advance booking is required
Visiting our exhibitions will be carefully managed, to ensure everyone’s safety and create the best possible experience.
Everyone is required to pre-book an exhibition ticket, including Friends.
Tickets for Picasso and Paper are available to book now – for dates up to 26 July. More dates will be available to book soon. We’ll let you know about these, and when other exhibitions are available to book, in upcoming newsletters. You can also check our website or follow us on social media.
Our annual Summer Exhibition has been rescheduled to the autumn. Find out more about our rescheduled programme.
I’ve included a few more details below about how to book, and what you can expect when you visit us on site.
Please be patient with us as we open our doors again. We are so excited to welcome you back, but we are also managing a brand new way of welcoming visitors. We will monitor how things go, adjust as we need to, and keep you informed all along the way.
Thank you again for your support. We really couldn’t do this without you.
I hope to see you soon!
Clare Taylor,
Head of Loyalty and Partnerships
How to book
Visiting Picasso & Paper
We are reopening our 5-star exhibition Picasso and Paper. This really will be your last chance – the exhibition must close on 2 August.
To book your free Friends tickets, please login with the email address associated with your membership. If you are unsure which email address you have used, or have any questions then please email us or call 0207 300 8090.
Book tickets
Visiting
Help us keep you safe
Visiting the RA will look and feel a little different to start.
We’ll open with reduced hours and a number of new measures in place to make sure staff and visitors remain safe, including one-way systems, foot-pump operated sanitisation stations and more. Face coverings are required.
What to expect
Cafés and facilities
Our Courtyard Café and Bar will be open with social distancing measures in place, including a cashless payment system, so you can enjoy refreshments during your visit.
Toilets in Burlington House will be open as usual, with close monitoring and extra cleaning procedures in place.
Plan your visit
A space for Friends
The Keeper’s House will be closed during this initial reopening period, however we’ll be opening the Fine Rooms exclusively for Friends as a members’ only lounge. Pop in for a relaxed cup of tea or coffee to celebrate the reopening!
Find out more
In case you can’t visit
Enjoy the very best of the RA from home
If you can’t visit us just yet, you can now experience the RA like never before as we share our art and architecture, spaces and stories on Google Arts & Culture.
Get up close and personal with The Last Supper or use the Art Projector to project Constable’s clouds on your ceiling. In some ways, you might say it’s better than a ‘real’ visit!
