V&A East opens in Olympic Park as ‘Civic Space’ for creativity and community

London: V&A East Museum, a new major branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, opened in London’s Olympic Park on April 18. It aims to serve as both a cultural landmark and a community hub.

The museum offers free, permanent galleries alongside major temporary exhibitions. Local young people helped shape its vision and design, reflecting its focus on community involvement.

V&A East joins its sister venue, V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May 2025. Together, the two sites form one of the UK’s most ambitious new museum ventures of the last decade. Both are located on East Bank, a new cultural quarter in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park created as part of the Mayor of London’s 2012 Olympic legacy.

The opening was marked by an exclusive viewing, followed by a star-studded launch event for its landmark exhibition, The Music is Black: A British Story. The exhibition traces the global impact of Black British music.

Artists including AJ Tracey, Beverley Knight, and MNEK attended the launch. Performances and DJ sets were part of the celebrations, highlighting the museum’s emphasis on living culture and creative exchange.