Best immersive museums and art exhibitions in London that you must see in 2024

With the influx of multisensory exhibitions, how can we separate the Michelangelo from your seven-year-old self's drawing of a dog? That's where we come in. A lot of the experiences we recommend to you are tried and tested by RadioTimes.com's very own Going Out team. In the last year, we've been lucky enough to visit Frameless, The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks, the Balloon Museum, Dalí Cybernetics, just to name a few.

We also keep an ear to the ground for the latest things happening in London, whether that's limited time experiences such as Romeo and Juliet starring Tom Holland, activities which extend throughout the whole year like the best London escape rooms, or trending experiences — did you know the Balloon Museum featured in Emily in Paris?

Without further ado, here are the best immersive museums and exhibitions that you won't want to miss in 2024.

Looking for things to do in the capital city? Take a look at the best London experience gifts.

Jump to:

• Best immersive museums in London at a glance
• Best London immersive museums and art exhibitions 2024
• What's the difference between an immersive experience and immersive exhibition?

Best immersive museums in London at a glance:

• Science Museum Lates, free
• Tate Lates, free
• Bubble Planet, from £15
• Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, from £15.90
• Art of the Brick, from £16
• Illusionariess, from £17.90
• Twist Museum, from £19
• Frameless, from £27

Best London immersive museums and art exhibitions 2024

Illusionaries

Coming to Canary Wharf in London for a limited time only, this next immersive art experience promises to evoke your senses and encourages you to think deeply. 'Entheon', A Sanctuary of Visionary Art is the third installation by art hub Illusionaries, and it was created by internationally celebrated artists Alex Grey and Allyson Grey.

Each room at Entheon explores a different narrative which blends art, technology and spirituality, and, like we mentioned earlier, it encourages visitors to explore the depths of their consciousness. Rooms at this immersive experience include 'Entheon: A Place to Discover the Creator Within', ‘Progress of the soul’, 'Steeple Head'.

Travelling to Illusionaries is super simple: the experimental art hub is located at Crossrail Place, Canary Wharf, and the nearest stations are Canary Wharf (for the Jubilee line) and West India Quay (for the DLR), both are just minutes walking distance away.

Buy Illusionaries tickets from £17.90 at Ticketmaster

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience

He’s one of the most influential artists in the modern world, and now you have the chance to see Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork in a 260 degree digital exhibition. When we think of the original immersive experience, we can't help but imagining this Van Gogh one; this Digital Writer saw the multisensory exhibition in Manchester, and it's since found its home in London.

Immerse yourself in the Dutch post-impressionist painter’s artwork, such as The Starry Night and Café Terrace At Night, with huge digital installations. Plus, travel through eight of Van Gogh’s works and their inspirations with a one-of-a-kind VR experience complete with a headset.

Buy tickets for Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience from £15.90 at Fever

For more immersive experiences, take a look at the best VR experiences, The Moonwalkers with Tom Hanks, and best London immersive experiences.

Twist Museum

The aim of Oxford Street's Twist Museum is to disrupt what your brain knows to be true: can you see colours that aren't there? Can you always tell which way is up? Could a corridor go on forever? The museum was developed in collaboration with artists, neuroscientists and philosophers to put the power of your mind to the test. Inside the museum, you'll get up close and personal with interactive exhibits and illusions.

Buy Twist Museum tickets from £19 at See Tickets

For the latest experiences and ticket releases, such as Childish Gambino tickets, Europa Conference League tickets, Royal Ascot tickets and Strictly Professionals tickets, stay up to date with our free Going Out newsletter.

Frameless

Frameless is the hottest new digital art experience located in central London. Like all immersive events, Frameless gives the visitor the experience of actually being inside the artwork, and with classical and contemporary music playing throughout the galleries, you'll feel fully immersed in the work. Step inside the pieces from famous artists such as Cezanne, Kandinsky, Monet, Dalí, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Klimt, plus many more.

We were lucky enough to not only experience Frameless but also Frameless Lates: a newly-launched late-night session which takes place every Friday and Saturday, and allows you to explore the four galleries with a drink in hand. Frameless Lates will also have the occasional artist in residence, too, for example, Maliha Abidi exhibited last October.

Buy Frameless tickets from £27 at Ticketmaster

For more information about Frameless, take a look at our guide.

Bubble Planet

For an immersive museum which is perfect for the whole family, look no further than Bubble Planet. This surreal and colourful exhibition explores the world of bubbles through interactive rooms: from the LED Room and Cloud Room to Bubble Ocean and Bubble Bath environments, there's endless fun to be had.

The Going Out team likes Bubble Planet as it encourages people to share photos and videos of the experience on social media (namely through the Selfie Room), which opens the door for many people to discover immersive exhibitions.

Buy Bubble Planet tickets from £15 at Fever

Art of the Brick

When Paramore wrote the song Brick by Boring Brick they certainly must not have been familiar with LEGO — from building incredible models in our own home to a worldwide LEGO exhibition, is there anything these colourful bricks can't do?

Art of the Brick showcases 150 sculptures made by artist Nathan Sawaya, and these include original works such as a six-metre dinosaur skeleton alongside life-size human figures, as well as re-imaginings of iconic masterpieces we all know and love such as Michelangelo's David, Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

This incredible exhibition is made up of one million LEGO bricks and has had 10 million visitors across exhibitions in 100 countries, and it's settled in Brick Lane Boiler House — which keen immersive exhibition goers will recognise as the previous home of Dalí Cybernetics — for a limited time only.

Buy Art of the Brick tickets from £16 at Fever

If you're a fan of the cinema, take a look at the best luxury cinema experiences and be sure to read how to get cheap cinema tickets for tighter months, too.

Science Museum Lates

Lates at the Science Museum offers the opportunity to explore the galleries after hours and take part in activities such as the silent disco, and, this month, love is in the air at the Science Museum Lates.

The next Science Museum Lates experience will take place on Thursday 4th July, and the theme is Journey of Life.

Utilising talks, activities, games and workshops, the Journey of Life exhibition addresses some of the biggest questions in global health: How do we ensure everyone gets the best start in life? How can we ensure equitable access to healthcare, particularly for women? What do we need to guarantee good food for everyone? How can we continue to fight the deadliest infectious diseases? and so on.

This insightful experience makes for a brilliant mid-week activity and, best of all, it's free!

Book free Science Museum Lates tickets at the Science Museum

As well as immersive experiences, we've also narrowed down the best art exhibitions in London.

Tate Lates

This month's Tate Modern Lates celebrates Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider, an exhibition which explores how this circle of friends and collaborators transformed modern art.

If you're not familiar with Tate Modern Lates, each month the gallery hosts a late-night event with food, drink, DJ sets, drop-in workshops, and talks. The content varies each time, and at Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and The Blue Rider you can take part in a collective canvas workshop which will form part of Oscar Murillo’s The Flooded Garden, a collaborative artwork launching in summer, plus, there's still chance to add a personal wish for peace to Ono’s installation Wish Trees for London.

Be sure to check out the Tate Modern Lates site to book your free ticket to selected talks and workshops.

This month's Tate Late will take place on Friday 31st May.

Book free Tate Lates tickets at Tate

What's the difference between an immersive experience and immersive exhibition?

As immersive experiences and exhibitions have been mainstream for only a short while, defining the characteristics of the two isn't too clear cut. However, we like to think of immersive exhibitions as art-led, and immersive experiences as pretty much everything else.

An immersive experience is the idea of being surrounded by a reality or environment which is different to your day-to-day, for example, a Virtual Reality (VR) experience, or attractions with multi-media components such as audio, illusions, scent, and touch. An example of this would be The Gunpowder Plot, which uses VR to create the legend of Guy Fawkes.

In comparison, an immersive exhibition is an experimental art installation which presents art using multi-sensory techniques, like sound, video, textures, and touch. An example of an immersive exhibition would be the David Attenborough-narrated BBC Earth Experience which showcases videos of animals and nature on giant screens, and gives you the opportunity to interact with virtual bugs and sea creatures.

Other exciting activities to do in the Big Smoke include the best London walking tours.