Excitement is building ahead of the reopening of Hull Maritime Museum, with more than 8,000 people already securing free tickets during the first month. Demand has been particularly high for the launch weekend, with all advance timed entry tickets for Saturday 8 August and Sunday fully booked.
Visitors who haven't reserved a place still have a chance to visit, as a limited number of walk in spaces will be available each day, depending on capacity.
The reopening follows a major £20.4 million restoration project that has transformed the museum over the past six years. The historic Grade II former Dock Offices have been carefully restored while the museum itself has been completely redesigned to offer a modern, interactive experience.
Visitors can explore more than 800 years of maritime history, uncovering stories of trade, migration, fishing, whaling, Arctic exploration and the generations of people whose lives have been shaped by the Humber and beyond. The museum also highlights Hull's role as one of Britain's leading maritime cities and explains why the Humber remains the UK's busiest port complex.
Among the standout exhibits are the impressive 40-foot skeleton of a North Atlantic right whale, rare scrimshaw artworks, artefacts linked to Shackleton's Endurance expedition, Erik the polar bear, and the famous Sirius figurehead from the first steam-powered vessel to successfully cross the Atlantic.
Interactive experiences are a key feature throughout the museum. Guests can crawl beneath the whale skeleton, feel the weight of a traditional harpoon, practise navigation with a compass, operate a working steam engine model and enjoy a variety of hands-on displays designed to be accessible and engaging for visitors of every age.
A brand new planetarium also joins the attraction, giving visitors the chance to discover how sailors once relied on the night sky to navigate long before modern technology. During the immersive 10 minute presentation, the stars above Hull and the northern hemisphere are recreated, revealing the constellations that guided ships across the world's oceans.
The reopening marks another significant step in Hull's ambitious Maritime programme, which is celebrating and preserving the city's seafaring heritage. Alongside projects including the restoration of the Spurn Lightship, improvements to Queen's Gardens, new maritime collection facilities and the future return of the Arctic Corsair, the programme is helping reconnect Hull with the maritime history that has shaped the city for more than 800 years.