OVERVIEW
i've always had a soft spot for the Tate Modern and love to visit it. From the awe-inspiring Turbine Hall (I'll never forget Olafur Eliasson's Weather project with its humungous glowing sun from 2003) to it's thought provoking temporary exhibits and family friendly vibe, the Tate Modern has continued to delight and surprise me for over 20 years.
Since having the boys I pay much more attention to the family programmes that galleries provide, and I have been impressed by the Tate. It generally teams up with a corporate partner to offer fun and inspiring art actiities for families during the school holidays and some weekends.
In 2024 we joined in with Blue - an immersive experience painting huge canvases with shades of blue in the Turbine Hall. It ran over the whole holidays so kids were adding layers of paint over time. It was great fun, free and just right kind of messy - even our youngest joined in which doesnt often happen.
Previous years have seen lego tie ups as well as kids being supported by B&Q experts to build a giant play space in the Turbine Hall from real timber using proper saws, hammers and nails - our eldest ADORED doing this. I make sure to always check out what their latest offering is, it rarely dissapoints and is often one of the best free things to do in South London. My only tip - arrive early to avoid the queues!
There is also a digital art space called TATE Draw. Here kids can use digital sketch pads to create art and see their images come to life on the walls of the gallery space (this is my eldest favourite activity and we are not allowed to miss it out!).
For more information on its family programme visit the TATE website.
If you are considering a visit then read on for our autism / adhd specific round up of this famous London attraction.
Photo Gallery
OUR EXPERIENCE
Did we feel welcome?
The staff on the information desks are very approachable and were keen to help us with any questions. They often have some really great art packs for encouraging kids to look and engage with the artworks and the gallery. I am always very impressed by the quality and design of these - they are bright, engaging and thoughtfully put together.
Across the many different gallery spaces (turbine hall, cafe, cloak room, galleries, shop) the assistants were welcoming and on the whole very patient with our two boistrous sons.
The general vibe is one of inclusion, for babies, children and neurodivergent families. It is a relaxing space to visit from that point of view, and no-one has ever made us feel uncomfortable when our youngest runs around the main hall barefoot and (occassionally) shouting!
Did we have to queue?
The Tate Modern opens each day at 10am. Depending on when you visit there is likely to be a queue to get in. Security staff check the bags of all visitors entering the building, so there is a natural delay on opening as people are slowly filtered in.
When we visited during the summer school holidays we arrived about 11:40am and the queue to get in was very long. We showed our access card to security staff and we were permitted to join the queue at the front.
Once inside the building you may have to queue to put bags or cases in the cloakroom (which is free, donation requested) but we found the queues to generally be fast moving and not too difficult to manage.
The Tate is a very popular gallery and is busy with both overseas visitors and locals all year round. However it is so vast inside that other than the usual bottlenecks of ladies toilets and cafes around lunchtime, it seems to just swallow the crowds up. It is one of the least busy, busy attractions we've found if that makes sense.
In our experience there is always a seat, bench or sofa to sit on if you need it, and there is good chance there will be a gallery to wander through that is quieter than the others.
TATE PLAY
Often there is a child / family friendly experience to access in the Turbine hall. Both this year and last year the Tate has controlled numbmrs, which while vastly improving the experience within the event, inevitably leads to long queues.
At our most recent visit the queue to enter was around 30 minutes, which is not currently possible for the boys in that environment. I went and quietly spoke to the event ladies at the front, explained that our two boys were autistic, were unable to queue and showed them our Access and National Disability Cards. They were extremely understanding and invited the boys forward, gave them a briefing and let them into the current session although it had already started. We were very grateful, particularly as they boys really did enjoy themselves - despite going in late and exploring everything in their own way we were still done and finished before the official end of the session!
Accessibility
ACCESS EVENTS
The Tate Modern offers a range of different access events, including 'Quiet hours' for neurodivergent visitors. An extract from their website states that their access events are:
Open to anyone who is disabled or neurodivergent and any other visitors with sensory needs who prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers.
Resources will be available on the day including:
Access Station
Ear defenders
A quiet breakout space
Tate staff will be aware that this is an access hour and will take that into consideration as they look after you and the artwork.
UNIQLO TATE PLAY
The Tate offer a relaxed hour session each week for this family friendly immersive experience that takes places in the majestic Turbine Hall. Check website for more information and to book.
TATE MODERN AUTISM VISUAL STORY
The Tate dedicates a page on its website to providing a Visual Story. If you think this would be helfpul for your child (autistic or not) you can view it online using the link above.
BUILDING ITSELF:
The Tate Modern Gallery is designed to be accessible to wheelchair uses and as such has a network of lifts and ramps that visitors can use to get around. This is also very helpful if your child requires the use of a large paediatric buggy. Unfortunately the lifts are quite slow in some areas, which coupled with periods off high demand can make this a time-consuming way of moving around the gallery.
We tend, where possible to take the steps or the escalators.
There are also few dedicated quiet spaces for individuals who need a break away from the other visitors.
Are the facilities neurodivergent friendly?
The Tate Modern offers a range of amenities, including a number of cafes, gift shops and family friendly spaces including baby change and breast feeding facilities.
There is also lots of sofa style seating provided near the cloak room which is very helpful for waiting at if there is a queue to collect belongings. On the upper levels you can also find single moveable chairs that look out over the Turbine Hall and a nice place to sit and take a rest.
FOOD AND DRINK
The cafes at the Tate are my least favourite aspect of the gallery, as they do get very busy and are quite bright and jangly. If sensory aspects are an issue for you or your child, it is probably best to bring a packed lunch and find somewhere inside or outside by the river to eat.
The best bit about our annual membership card was that it granted us entrance to the members only Granville Grossman cafe on the 6th floor. The boys love this space and are always happy to eat lunch in there.
Although we normally sit on the banquette seating inside, it the boys get fidgety there is the option of a really big outdoor terrace with tables that doesnt seem to get much use - perhaps becuase it looks out on boring buildings. On the other side is a small terrace with tables that has a spectaculr view of St Paul's and the millenium bridge - as you would imagine this side is always busy! The cafe also have its own toilets and provides a water station for refills.
Cost / Disabled Concession
The permanent galleries within the Tate Modern, as well as the Turbine hall itself are all free to enter.
The gallery also has numerous termporary exhibition spaces. These host a mix of 'block buster' shows and curated collections of work by lesser known artists. Entrance to these is by paid ticket, with prices rangeing from £8 to £28 per show. The website says that disabled concession for these shows is available and that carers can accompany the ticket holder free of charge.
Entrance to all permanent galleries and the termporary exhibitions is free with a TATE Membership. For more information on membership prices visit the TATE Membership page.
We took out a family membership for 12 months (it includes access to the Tate's three other galleries in St ives, Liverpool and the Tate Britain) and have all enjoyed visiting the gallery throughout the year, especially during the wet winter months! Members dont have to book in advance for the special exhibitions, you just turn up on the day and they scan your card. We really appreciate the flexibility this offers.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Tate Modern offers neurodivergent families a great way to introduce autistic / adhd kids to modern and contemporary art without putting too much pressure on them to have to 'behave' in a particular way. Staff are relaxed and kids have their own ways of exploring the galleries and finding out what works for them.
It is also ideally located on Southbank walkway by the River Thames. This area really comes to life at the weekend, with some brilliant buskers providing music, and lots of tables / food carts popping up so visitors can enjoy al fresco refreshments.
While we normally walk the most direct route through the streets to the gallery from Waterloo station (or you could go from London Bridge) we like to wend our way back more slowly to the station along the Southbank path, soaking in the atmosphere and enjoying the street art and views of the river. Even in Winter this walkway does get busy, particularly at weekends, and there are a few places where the crowds get funnelled through small passages and tunnels, so bear this in mind (although it doesnt seem to overly bother our boys).
The path brings you out near Festival Hall, at this point you can continue on to the London Eye, old fashioned children's carousel and the Jubilee playground which are all family favourites, or cut through to the station. It is always a great end to a fun day.