What Hackney families have said:
“Hackney Museum gets 5 stars from us for being super child-friendly!…it feels very roomy with tons of interactive sections balanced with ample written info, guaranteeing to keep the whole family busy!” Feb 2023
Hackney Museum is the perfect place for a fun and relaxed family day out. There are plenty of hands-on activities to keep children engaged while you are visiting: a 38 red bus, an Anglo Saxon boat, Victorian dressing up and much more!
What’s on
May half term holiday – Celebrating Hackney’s Adventure Playgrounds
To celebrate the final week of the adventure playgrounds exhibition we will be making badges! It’s also your last chance to have fun in the exhibition with our loose parts play and den. We will be saying goodbye to the loose parts play items when the exhibition closes on 1st June.
Drop-in badge making activity:
Saturday 25th May and Tuesday 28th May – Saturday 1st June 10am to 1pm
To make sure everyone gets to make a badge with the badge machine, we will be limiting them to one per visitor.
There will also be a range of colouring and drawing activity sheets available throughout half term.
Free. All children must be supervised by a responsible adult.
Photobooth with Heather McDonough
To celebrate the final day of our adventure playgrounds exhibition and the final fortnight of the At Home in Hackney exhibition we will be joined by local photographer Heather McDonough and her Photobooth.
Come and have your portrait taken:
Saturday 1st June 12pm to 3pm
Drop-in or let us know if you’re planning on coming by booking on Eventbrite
Free. All children must be supervised by a responsible adult.
Fun Fridays and Super Saturdays
Learn about life in Hackney with our fun hands-on activities every Friday, Saturday and school holidays. Live like Anglo-Saxons and load the Saxon boat; learn about Victorian toys and try on historical costumes or find out how people travelled in and around Hackney by being a bus driver on a number 38 bus.
During the school holidays there will also be items for loose parts play, inspired by the Celebrating Hackney’s Adventure Playgrounds exhibition. We will be saying goodbye to the loose parts play when the exhibition closes on 1st June.
All children must be supervised by a responsible adult.
Available on:
Fridays: 9.30am-5.30pm
Saturdays: 10am-5pm
These activities are also available throughout school holidays.
Plan your day out
Getting here
See the Visitor Information page to get more information on how to get here.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking (except bottled water) are not allowed in Hackney Museum. We do not have a cafe, however there are many cafes, restaurants, pubs and world kitchens nearby.
Buggy parking
Hackney Museum is on the ground floor and has automatic doors, making it easy to move around the space with your pushchair. We also provide a sign-posted buggy parking space inside the museum so you can leave your buggy to one side if you would like to during your visit.
Baby changing
Baby changing facilities are available. Breastfeeding/nursing is welcome.
Family newsletter
Subscribe to our families newsletter to stay up to date with our family and school holiday activities.
Nearby things to do with your children
Hackney Central Library – the library is located on the first floor of the museum’s building and has a whole section dedicated to children’s books. It regularly hosts storytelling sessions on Friday mornings.
More information here.
London Fields – this beautiful and popular park offers play areas, a lido, outdoor gym and accessible toilets.
More information here.
Hackney Empire – the theatre runs family-friendly shows throughout the year, and is extremely popular during Christmas for its pantomime.
More information here.
Hackney Picturehouse – the cinema’s programme includes films and animations.
More information here.
Hackney City Farm – children will love to see and pet the farm’s animals, and learn how to plant vegetables.
More information here.
