Pokémon at the Natural History Museum: Dates, tickets, and how to get the 'Pikachu at the Museum' card

The time has come, Pokémon fans, for that long-awaited trip to the Natural History Museum in London!

Announced a few months back, the Pokémon pop-up at the museum consists of a shop (filled with exclusive merch) and a little bit of artwork to look at on the way there.

The tickets are all sold out, but we were lucky enough to get a little look before the experience opened. Check out the video above to see what's included at this special event. How about that exclusive plushy? Pretty cool, right?

No doubt, the crowd at the event will be massive, but it's a perfect opportunity to meet other trainers on Pokémon Go. Be sure to check out what's included in the Spotlight Hour for January, as you could pick up some extra Pokémon on top of any goodies you bag at the museum.

But, as for all things Pokémon at the Natural History Museum, read on! we've got everything you need to know about dates, tickets and how to get the 'Pikachu at the Museum' card explained.

When is Pokémon at the Natural History Museum? 2026 Dates

The Natural History Museum's Pokémon pop-up shop opened on Monday 26th January 2026, and it is running until Sunday 19th April 2026 — giving you the chance to get the Pikachu at the Museum card.

Within that period of almost three-months, ticket-holding fans will be able to attend and enjoy the shop's unique theme of 'Pokécology', inspired by the real-life book: Pokécology: An Illustrated Guide to Pokémon Ecology.

This original Japanese publication by Yoshinari Yonehara and Chihiro Kinoshita also has an English version launching on 21st April 2026.

How to get tickets for Pokémon at the Natural History Museum

To get tickets for the Pokémon pop-up shop at the Natural History Museum, and get the exclusive Pikachu at the Museum card, you need to claim them from the Natural History Museum website.

The link to the page can be found below:

• Book Pokémon x Natural History Museum tickets

However, at the time of writing, all tickets have long since been claimed.

Although, if you're really keen on getting that Pikachu at the Museum card and all of the pop-up's other merch, you can keep checking the website for any tickets that have since been cancelled and relisted; to do this, just click the ticket link above and then, on the NHM Pokemon page, click the "check back for any relisted tickets" option.

No tickets will be available at the door, either, so this is your only option left. If you happen to be planning on going with a larger group, you will need to make separate bookings.

How to get the Pikachu at the Museum card

An exclusive part of the Pokémon × Natural History Museum collaboration, the oversized Pikachu at the Museum card can be obtained by attending the event's limited-time pop-up shop as a gift with purchase — with only one being allowed per customer.

If you're unable to get a ticket and make it to the museum, the Pokémon website's news post featuring the card says that Pikachu at the Museum will also be "available at select UK retailers as a gift with purchase on 30 January".

Exactly which retailers this pertains to remains unclear, though we assume one will be the UK Pokémon Center website. Nevertheless, we'll update this page as soon as we know more.

That said, it's also important to note that Pikachu at the Museum is indeed an "oversize" jumbo card, meaning it's much larger than a regular Pokémon card and can't be used in the Pokémon TCG (or fit in most binders).

Where is the Pokémon Natural History Museum pop-up shop?

The Pokémon Natural History Museum pop-up shop will be in the Cranbourne Boutique at the Natural History Museum in London.

The museum itself is in South Kensington, just south of Kensington Gardens, with the closest Underground station being South Kensington, which is just a few minutes' walk away.

There are plenty of bus services too, and it is within walking distance of many other sights and attractions, such as the aforementioned Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace, and the V&A Museum, which is right next to it as well.

That’s not even mentioning the Natural History Museum itself, which you could easily spend an entire day (or days) in.

What else to expect from Pokémon at the Natural History Museum

Along with allowing you to get the Pikachu at the Museum card as a gift with purchase, the Pokémon x Natural History Museum event will transform the museum's Cranbourne Boutique into a fully themed Pokécology pop-up shop for you to enjoy.

The Pokémon pop-up shop will be stocked with an exclusive collection that features "artwork, stationery, clothing, pins, bags, posters, and plush"; the latter refers to the amazing Pikachu Museum plush, where our favourite electric mouse Pokémon is hugging the NHM itself.

Other pieces we've seen from the collection so far include the above Pikachu tote bag, a poster themed around some of the franchise's fossil-based Pokémon, and a special set of pins.

For those who've been unable to attend the exhibit due to not getting a ticket, the Pokémon Company's most recent news announcement encourages you to sign up for the Pokémon Center newsletter to be notified when "select items" from the collection will be made available online; that's along with being made available at the Natural History Museum's Shop.

If you do manage to snag a ticket, your expected time slot will be around 30 minutes, which should leave plenty of time to explore the rest of the museum.

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