More than 50,000 people have rushed to get tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry as it is set to come to Britain for the first time.
The British Museum opened ticket sales to the public on Wednesday to see the 11th century tapestry which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
While the tapestry has lived in Normandy for nearly a century, it was loaned to the museum from September 2026 to July 2027 following a historic agreement with France.
It marks the first time the iconic artwork has been displayed on British soil in nearly 1,000 years.
As the museum opened its ticketing service at 10am, thousands of people imminently joined the virtual queue in a Glastonbury-style frenzy. Members of the British Museum were given priority access on 16 June to see the tapestry which has only left Normandy twice: once in 1804 when it was displayed in Paris by Napoleon and again in 1944.
Those in the queue can expect to wait up to nine hours, according to the booking page, which has an estimated wait time, estimated time of arrival, and tells you the number of users in queue ahead of you.
A message on the booking page reads: “We’re currently experiencing high levels of demand. Booking online is still recommended however wait times may extend up to 9 hours. At this time we still have good ticket availability.”
People hoping to buy tickets can expect to pay more than double what is charged in the Bayeux Museum in Normandy, where tickets are €12. Adults can expect to pay £33 at standard times between £25 and £27 off peak, while students, 16–18 year-olds and jobseekers will get a discounted rate of £25. Those under 16 will have free entry and those with National Art Passes can expect to pay between £12.50 and £16.50 depending on what time they go.
Dr Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the British Museum, explained that the pricing was a chance for the institution to “recoup those funds” due to the expensive nature of the exhibition.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well, £33 are the peak tickets.
“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.
“If people can’t get tickets [on Wednesday] there’ll be two more chances to buy tickets for 2027 and those will go on sale in October and January, so there’s more opportunity to get tickets to see this incredible event.”
While many may see the tapestry’s visit to the UK as a homecoming, as it was believed to have been made in Canterbury, the decision to transport the piece of embroidery to London has been met with outrage among the art community.
The late British painter David Hockney exclusively wrote in The Independent that moving the 70-metre tapestry rendered it vulnerable to damage. French art experts said it would be a “crime against our heritage” to see the medieval masterpiece leave their country.
Writing for The Independent, Igor Tulchinsky, the founder and chief executive officer of asset management firm WorldQuant, who are sponsoring the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, said: “History, I came to believe, is most honestly told not through textbooks but through objects and decisions, and the records left by human hands. Bringing young people face to face with this extraordinary artefact will create a lasting impact.”
The Independent has contacted the British Museum for comment.
