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Dino Snores at the Natural History Museum London

I am not sure how I found out about Dino Snores for kids at the Natural History Museum London. But I know as soon as I did that I wanted to take the boys. The only thing I had to wait for was for Harry to turn seven. Randomly while we were in London at the beginning of the year for Charlie singing at the O2 I received an email to say that the tickets for the Natural History Museum sleepover 2023 had been released. Not wanting to run the risk of it selling out I booked it there and then for the four of us since tickets are like gold dust. If you are also planning a night at the museum sleepover and trying this unique sleepover then this post contains everything you need to know.

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Where is the Natural History Museum?

The Natural History Museum is located in South Kensington and is easily reached by the London underground. South Kensignton tube station is only a few minutes walk and serviced by the Circle and District line. Which is just as well with the amount of stuff you need to take with you (see below). The entrance for Dinosaur Snores, when we visited, was by the Darwin entrance. This is not the main entrance instead it is off Cromwell Road, just head for the glass building you will not miss it.

What is NHM Dino Snores?

The Natural History Museum sleepover is exactly as it sounds. You get the chance to stay in the Natural History Museum overnight for children aged between seven and eleven years old. There are two main types Kids’ Dino Snores and Adult Dino Snores. I have also noticed in 2023 they are running a special event around the Titanosaurs Exhibition. This is one-off event in October and is already sold out. The grown ups event involves food, drinks (bar), a silent disco and a pub quiz. While the Kids Dino Snores adventure which we did creates a night of fun around evening activities suitable for the whole family.

When does Dino Snores Run?

There are several dates throughout the year. Normally tallying with a school holiday on a Friday or Saturday night. But with only a handful they sell out really quickly. At the time of writing this, there were no spaces for the six events running for the rest of 2023.

How much does it cost to go to Dino Snores at the Natural History Museum?

Ticket prices when we booked were £75 per child and £75 per adult. Children have to be accompanied by an adult and you are only allowed a maximum of two children per adult. They have also got a special VIP experience – their new Camp Stegosaurus experience. The tickets for this is £125 per person. For the extra £50 you get a special designated sleeping area with a camp bed in the Earth Hall. There is also an extra animal handling show. For the rest of the experience, you are part of the rest of the large group. The Dino Snores for grown-ups is £220 per person.

What should I do in advance of visiting Dino Snores Natural History Museum?

You will get an email a week before your Dino Snores event telling you what to bring (see below). But it is worth thinking about this well in advance to ensure you have everything you need to make the overnight stay as comfortable as possible. As we are not regular campers there were a few things that we wanted to buy to take with us. If you are visiting with friends as we were you also have the opportunity to give the Museum the booking numbers so that you are placed into the same dinosaur group to do activities. However, if arriving separately then you will need to indicate this to the Dino Snores Team so that you all sleep together.

The other thing you will want to do is eat ahead of your visit. There is no opportunity to buy food items in the museum until the following day. And although there is an evening snack break built into the schedule where you can bring your own food there is no fridge available. When we visited it was 27 degrees so this limited the light snacks we could take with us. The good news is that there are lots of restaurants around South Kensington. So you should not have any trouble finding something. If you are looking for a recommendation we had a lovely meal in Pappa Roma ahead of our visit.

What do I need to take with me to night at the Museum London Natural History Museum?

You need to take sleeping bags and although one thin camping mat is provided per person. I would also recommend taking self-inflating mats with you when staying at the Natural History Museum sleepover When we visited these had to be 5cm or less in depth. We also took some camping pillows with our own sleeping bag.
We also took everything you need overnight, a change of clothes to sleep in. As I mentioned it was very hot when we visited but the Hintze Hall where the main sleeping areas are located is lofty. Therefore I would recommend layers where possible.
A snack for the evening, refillable water bottle, and tea bags if you want a hot drink at snack time as they only provide hot water in the evening. Although there is milk and a small selection of milk alternatives. We also had our reusable coffee mugs which were particularly helpful the next day and at breakfast.
We also took a torch for each of the boys for the torch-lit trail and a battery pack to charge mobile phones overnight.
If you are a particularly light sleeper then you may want to consider bringing ear plugs and an eye mask
Although we saw plenty of them we left the kid’s tablets at home and did not take any valuables which we couldn’t carry with us in a small handbag.
You will also need photo ID for the lead booker.

The Natural History Museum will send you a week before list of everything you need to bring. Please do refer to this list in addition as the requirements may change since our visit.

What to expect when visiting Dino sleepover Natural History Museum

This is not a small event. For some reason in my head, I expected that a night of exploration at the museum would be a small affair. But it is not! At registration, you are split into large groups. We were Blue Stegs. The adults are given a wristband and the children a sticker. The queue moves quite quickly. The next stop is to drop off your snack and pick up your breakfast vouchers. You are not allowed food in the museum galleries.

Then you go into the main hall to be shown a sleeping area. From what I could tell is that this was predominately the only sleeping area and it was full of mats laid out in rows. There were a number of Scout groups and youth groups and these were located up on the first floor galleries. As a small group of eight our member of staff put us all together in one of the alcoves. Once we had a chance to set up our camp as such we had a welcome briefing. The communication about what you were doing and when was very good throughout.

The activities at Dino Snores for kids

The standard Kids Dino Snores is made up of four activities and a bedtime story. Three activities in the evening and one in the morning.

First activity – dinosaur deigns

Our first activity was a Dinosaur t-shirt workshop which you do with the rest of the Blue Stegs group. Before the children are let loose on designing their own T-shirt there is a short presentation about the different dinosaurs they can trace. Harry opted to add Dippy and a Steg to his T-shirt while Charlie a T Rex. After this, we headed to the dinning areas for our snack.

Second activity – torch lit trail

Before heading to the second activity which was a torch-lit scavenger hunt around the Dinosaurs gallery. Torches were available for those who did not bring any but I would recommend bringing your own if you can. Or use your mobile phone. This was the boy’s favourite activity, there was something special about seeing the dinosaur bones lit up and casting shadows around the room. Although they lost interest in the scavenger hunt pretty quickly and were more excited about being in the museum at night and seeing the dinosaurs. Especially the T-Rex who is a particularly popular exhibit.

Third activity – science show

Our final activity for the evening was an educational science show. This was presented by a museum scientist and focused on Octopuses. Although it was not as much of a science show as I was expecting having seen pictures of dry ice elsewhere. By this time everyone was flagging a bit and so it was nice to sit down and listen rather than do. We had around fifteen minutes to get ready for bed before the bedtime story took place at 11.10 pm. Then it was lights out by 11.30 pm.

The next morning we had one final activity which allowed us to explore areas of the museum before it opened to the public.

How did we sleep at Dino Snores for kids?

We were all so exhausted by the time the activities were done. That the boys and we fell off to sleep quickly despite the heat. I think at one point the front doors were opened to try and let some air in. Although parts of the museum do have aircon the main hall did not have any on during our stay. If you are visiting in the cooler months then I can understand why they suggest layers. I did not sleep brilliantly but that could be because I had a wriggly seven-year-old next to me. But there is something very special about sleeping under blue whale skeletons.

The lights are all turned out which means that it is pretty dark although the toilet area is still lit if needed. Although it is not pitch black so you may want to consider bringing an eye mask. As the main event takes place in a giant atrium then it gets pretty light early. Especially the time of year we visited. We woke around 6.30 am and many people were already up and moving around. One of the staff came over around seven to tell us the run down and suggest we start packing up for breakfast.

Although it was not a perfect night’s sleep we actually slept better than I was expecting us to.

Breakfast at Natural History Museum Dino Snores

A hot breakfast is served in the T-Rex Restaurant. Before you arrive you can indicate from a selection of options including a bacon bap, sausage bap, porridge or a vegan sausage bap. Then you are presented with vouchers which you exchange. There was also tea, coffee, apple juice and fruit. It was exactly what we needed after spending the night on the floor!

You can of course also bring your own food for breakfast although there is nowhere to store things that need to be kept cold. In previous years I do not think that the museum offered a hot breakfast. It was a great way to start the day before heading off and exploring the museum further.

Access to the Natural History Museum out of hours

The last activity took place after breakfast and meant that we had free access to the museum to explore. Although not all the galleries were open. Most of the ones on the ground floor were. Along with the Volcano and Earthquake area. For me, the Natural History Museum is one of the best museums in London. But it is so popular that we decided to head to the areas that get the most footfall in an attempt to see them before opening. This has got to be one of the benefits of spending the night sleeping in the museum. Our first stop was the Dinosaur Gallery as it is one of the most popular. As fun as it was seeing it by torchlight the night before

Top Tips for your visit the Museum of Natural History sleepover

Sign up for the emails to get notified of when the Dino Snores tickets go on sale. When we booked it was the beginning of the year with dates for the rest of the year all being released at once.
Do not plan masses for the next day both you and the children will be shattered.
If you don’t want to queue for breakfast – it was a long queue. Then pack up early as you need to clear the hall completely before eating.
You can leave your bags in the picnic area until midday allowing you to enjoy the museum further the following day. After this bags are removed to lost property.
If you are looking for a little memento to remember your stay then the gift shop by the entrance has the widest selection of pocket monkey souvenirs.
Take something to sleep on, you do really need them.

Have you visited Dino Snores at the Natural History Museum in London? I would like to hear about your kids experience in the comments below. The adults are considering giving the Natural History Museum sleepover adults a go. As a family we can not wait for our next adventure having such an unforgettable experience this time around. Apparently, the science museum also does kids events and a Science Museum sleepovers…

If you are looking for a hotel locally – Family Friendly Hotel near the Natural History Museum.