Birthday party FAQs

We offer both private and public sessions in our AHOY! Gallery as well as reservation of a space in our picnic area on the Great Map. 

For private hire the AHOY! Gallery costs £210 per 45-minute session. There is a £60 per hour charge for reserving a space in the picnic area, which includes the set-up of furniture based on your requirements and the availability of one of our expert Birthday Hosts to ensure the smooth running of your event.

Please arrange payment through the Bookings team. All payments must be made by no later than 7 calendar days before the event. 

The AHOY! Gallery is suitable for children under 7 years old.

Capacity in the AHOY! Gallery is limited to 70 people per session. The picnic area space can accommodate slightly more but this will need to be agreed in advance with the National Maritime Museum Visitor & Sales team.

The earlier the better! To ensure you can book a private session in the AHOY! Gallery we require as much notice as possible to ensure your preferred session is fully available.

Each AHOY! Gallery session lasts 45 minutes. Picnic area reservations can be booked in blocks of 60 minutes. If you wish to book two consecutive gallery sessions, you will receive an additional 15 minutes of play time in the gallery (1 hour 45 minutes in total).

Yes, members receive a 10% discount on both the AHOY! Gallery sessions and picnic area reservations. 

If you wish to have food catered for you then you can get in touch with rmgevents@benugo.com for more information as well as any dietary requirements you may have.

Yes, all children must be supervised by adults at all times. We recommend a ratio of at least 1:5 (1 adult per 5 children).

We do offer parties during the week, but these are subject to availability.

We are open 10am-5pm with AHOY! Gallery sessions starting on the quarter hour. Parties must be finished and all visitors off site by 5pm.

Yes, but there will be an additional cost depending on your requirements.

All reservations will need to include setup time. For example, if you book the AHOY! Gallery from 10.15-11am and wish to set up the picnic area in advance of 11am, you will also need to book the 10-11am picnic area slot.

Our Birthday Host will be on hand to greet you on arrival at the National Maritime Museum and will have organised the reservation of the picnic space. They will be able to assist with any queries or issues you may have on the day to ensure your party is a success.
 

These can be left at the picnic area space and will be looked after by the Birthday Host. Alternatively, we have a cloakroom in the Sammy Ofer Wing of the National Maritime Museum which can be used free of charge.

Yes, but for personal use only.

We would be very happy to see children (and adults!) in fancy dress.

You can bring your own cold food and cake, but please be aware that there is no refrigeration available. Please be aware that knives are not allowed on site and so cakes will either need to be pre-cut, or taken away for cutting by the Birthday Host.

Both our Great Map café and Parkside café are open during normal hours, subject to staffing on the day.

Yes, this can be requested from either café.

Alcohol cannot be brought on site. However if you do wish to have alcohol at the party, this can be arranged with our caterers Benugo and must be consumed within the designated picnic area space. For more information please contact Benugo at rmqevents@benuqo.com.

Regrettably not, as the smoke from the candles may trigger our smoke detection system and require a full-site evacuation. We recommend LED candles which can be 'blown out' and these have been used by previous party hosts to good effect.

Yes, though we will need to discuss details with you in advance to ensure they are all appropriate for the space.

Regrettably, no balloons of any kind are permitted on site. Party poppers are also not permitted on site.

Our Birthday Host will make sure your picnic area space is clear and reserved for your arrival. Additionally, we always have a Visitor and Sales Assistant on the Great Map and in the AHOY! Gallery at all times.

Yes! Examples of our two options can be found here. These are free of charge with your booking and will be personalized and emailed to you once payment has been confirmed.

Not yet, but we intend to do so later this year.

Yes, but please be aware that some items, such as bubbles, are not permitted. Please check with a member of the Visitor & Sales team for advice on whether your planned party bag contents are allowed.

No.

Yes, though we ask visitors to kindly consider others with regards to the volume used when playing music.

We have a buggy park located close to the AHOY! Gallery, one in the Sammy Ofer Wing and another on the Great Map.

We ask that all guests be considerate when it comes to leaving the space clean and tidy.

Please contact the Bookings team no later than 10 working days before the event.

Unfortunately, AHOY! Gallery sessions have set time limits and we are unable to transfer bookings to another session.

Parking is not included in the booking. You can arrange parking for yourself and guests through our Bookings team or by booking online here.

Please arrange payment through the Bookings team. All payments, including for any catering, must be made by no later than 7 calendar days before the event.

The Museum has completed a risk assessment for birthday parties in the AHOY! Gallery and picnic area. As a non-departmental Government body we are required to have sufficient public liability insurance to carry out all of our activities and we can confirm this is in place.

Currently we only offer the AHOY! Gallery daytime package.

Your booking needs to be finalised and paid for by no later than 7 calendar days before your event.

This would need to be requested in advance but will only be permitted in rare circumstances due to the busy nature of the National Maritime Museum site.

Through one of our providers we can secure a pirate character actor for a two-hour session on the day of your event, subject to availability and advance notice.

Benugo can provide a cake but this will need to be arranged in advance. Please contact rmgevents@benuqo.com for assistance.

Currently we only offer the AHOY! Gallery sessions and picnic area sessions.

Yes.

Any arts and crafts for the birthday party will need to be approved in advance by our Visitor & Sales team. If approved, we ask that you bring covers for both the floor and the tables to protect them from any damage.

We do not provide themed parties, but if you have ideas on how you would like to theme the spaces then please discuss with us and we will consider how to support your event.

All birthday parties will have a contract signed by Royal Museums Greenwich and the hiring persons. Any such issues will be covered under the terms of the contract.

Yes, entry to the National Maritime Museum is free.

No, but all payments must be made no later than 7 calendar days before your event.

Yes - we would strongly encourage all visitors to do what they can to help support Royal Museums Greenwich in its sustainability aims. This could include things such as no single use plastic or using recycled wrapping.

Regrettably not: characters, mascots, live animals and all other outside entertainment are prohibited.