Name: Electric Late
Start: 2022-11-11T18:45:00+00:00
End: 2022-11-11T22:00:00+00:00
Location: London Transport Museum

May Half Term: Routes and Roundels

Fuel your imagination at our Festival of Curiosity this half term as your family enjoy curious and creative problem-solving challenges and meet real-world engineers. Follow our STEAM-inspired family trail, join an interactive workshop or storytelling session, and much more!

Down Street: Churchill's secret station

Experience the Railway Executive Committee’s bomb-proof headquarters during World War II, the warren of tunnels where Churchill sheltered.

Plan your school visit

Find the information you need to plan and book your visit to London Transport Museum in Covent Garden or the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton, west London.

Power up for an electrifying night of interactive science experiments, talks and creative workshops. Explore the galleries, grab a drink, and discover how electricity has shaped London and its transport system through the ages - from fantastical futuristic inventions in the early days of electric travel to the oyster card revolution; art and design; and visions of London’s electric future. Spark your curiosity about how electricity revolutionised our city!

You’ll discover what a glowing gherkin has to do with the early days of electric innovation at a lively science show from the Royal Institution’s demonstration team. Then get creative: experiment with DIY snap circuits, try your hand at coding, and make something sparky to take away.

Delve into the ways electricity has shaped life in the capital, through talks exploring everything from the expansion of the London Underground network to art and design, station architecture and sustainability.

All this will take place to a dynamic electronic soundtrack, while you and your friends enjoy sipping on electric blue cocktails and more themed drinks throughout the night.

18+ only

Two people in a lit up tunnel installation

Two people drinking cocktails in front of a golden bus

People in a museum gallery lit up with pale glowing cubes

Event programme

Short talks to spark your curiosity

All talks will take place on the Ground Floor in the Transportorium, located next to the Elizabeth line display, close to the black taxi cab.

19:10-19:40: London’s Electric Past

Head Curator Matt Brosnan explains how electricity allowed for the massive expansion of the London Underground, innovations such as the oyster card and contactless payments, and why electric vehicles were taken off the road in the 20th century.

19:50-20:20: London’s Electric Future

How will electricity continue to transform our city and help us achieve our sustainability targets? Judith Hayton, Strategy & Planning Manager at TfL, looks ahead.

20:30-21:00: Is electricity the answer? Electrification and other strategies for sustainability

Krishna Desai, Senior Global Marketing Manager at Cubic Transportation Systems unpacks how the electrification of ticketing revolutionised how we use public transport, and asks whether electricity is the only answer for a sustainable future.

21:10-21:40: Power! Design and Electricity

Curator Georgia Morley shares the evolution of designs of lamps and station lighting, and electric themes in historical London Transport posters.

Entertainment

19:15, 20:15 and 21:15: Royal Institution Electric Science Demonstration

How did a glowing gherkin influence the early days of electronic innovation? Discover this and more with a lively electricity-themed science demonstration by the Royal Institution! The Electric Science Demonstration will take place in the Cubic Theatre, situated down the staircase immediately on your right as you enter the Museum.

Hands-on activities

18:45-21:45: Power Play craft activity

Spark your creativity as you transform one of Transport for London’s iconic posters using an LED circuit. Decorate your poster and take it home with you as a souvenir! This craft activity will take place in front of the Connexions Board on the ground floor, close to the red Routemaster bus and the toilets.

18:45-21:45: Coding the Capital with model trains

Try your hand at coding model trains to build a transport system for one of the busiest capital cities in the world! Coding the Capital will take place in the Canteen, located on the Mezzanine directly above London Transport Museum’s Shop at the visitor entrance.

18:45-21:45: Grid and Bear It!

Amp up the competition in our Grid and Bear It snap circuit challenge! Don’t worry if you haven’t had hands-on experience of electronics building before - these easy-to-use circuit kits make experimenting with electrical engineering simple and fun. This challenge will take place on the ground floor in the Transportorium Garden, next to the black taxi cab.

18:45-21:45: Abellio London electronics station

Investigate a collection of objects that represent Abellio London’s electric bus fleet and electric infrastructure in London, alongside objects from Navaho, RGI Bus and Coach and Enel-X. The Abellio London electronics station will be located in the Lower Deck on the ground floor, next to the All Aboard Playzone and the B3727 Battle Bus.

18:45-21:45: Electrifying gallery trail

Watt will you discover in a self-led trail around the Museum? Find electric vehicles, station lighting and roundels and explore electric-inspired poster design. Complete the trail’s quiz questions in the right order for a chance to win an iconic London Underground lightbox! The self-guided Electric Trail spans the ground floor and Level 1.

Refreshments

18:45-21:30: Electric blue cocktails

The Crafty Caravan Drinks Bar will tempt you with themed cocktails - how about sampling a Blue Hawaiian, Blue Lagoon or an Electric Blue Margarita? Aperol, lager, ale, ciders, wine, Prosecco and non-alcoholic options will also be available. The bar will be located in front of the Leyland Bus on the ground floor, close to the red Routemaster bus and the toilets.