The Tank Museum at Bovington now closes at 4pm, and every standard ticket is a free annual pass. Closed days, 2027 Tiger Day and TANKFEST dates, parking, food.
The Tank Museum at Bovington has changed its hours for the winter. Since 9 November 2026 it has closed at 4pm every day, earlier than usual, because of problems with lighting across the site that the museum says it cannot fix itself under its lease. It is open from 10am, and apart from the arena, the whole museum is indoors. It describes its collection as the biggest collection of tanks in the world.
The other thing worth knowing before you go: every standard ticket comes with a free annual pass, so one visit pays for a year of returns, except on the three big event days. This page covers prices, closed days, the 2027 Tiger Day and TANKFEST dates, parking, food and how long to allow. We checked everything on The Tank Museum’s website on 14 November 2026.
The essentials
| Address | Linsay Road, Bovington, Wareham BH20 6JG |
| Opening | 10am to 4pm (temporary winter hours from 9 November 2026) |
| Closed | 18 and 27 November; 24, 25 and 26 December; 6, 13, 20 and 27 January 2027 |
| Parking | Free, on site |
| Nearest station | Wool, 1.5 miles (about a 30-minute walk) |
| How long | The museum says visitors spend four hours on average |
| Dogs | Assistance dogs only; no shade in the car park, so the museum advises leaving dogs at home |
| Phone | 01929 405096 |
Tickets and the annual pass
Book online and you save 20% on adult, child and family tickets. These are the prices the museum listed when we checked:
| Ticket | Online | On the door |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £19.80 | £24.75 |
| Child (4 to 17) | £8 | £10 |
| Senior (65+) | On the door only | £19.80 |
| Family, 2 adults and 2 children | £47.96 | £59.95 |
| Family, 2 adults and 1 child | £42 | £52.50 |
| Family, 1 adult and 2 children | £32.80 | £41 |
Under-4s are free. Booking by phone adds a £5 admin charge.
The annual pass. Every full-price ticket includes an annual pass, so you can return as often as you like for a year. Bring the pass and be ready to show extra ID. It is not valid on Special Event days: in the coming year those are 24 April, 25 to 27 June and 25 September 2027. The museum says that if you lose the pass it will have no record of your purchase unless you Gift Aided your admission, so tick the Gift Aid box. Group, means-tested benefit and complimentary tickets do not include a pass.
Concessions on the door. HM Forces veterans and full-time students pay £12.38. People on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and several other means-tested benefits pay £6.19 for adults and £2.50 for children, which is 75% off, with proof of benefit and photo ID (these tickets carry no annual pass). Serving armed forces, Royal Armoured Corps association members and one carer per visitor who needs one get in free. None of these can be booked online, and none apply on Special Event days.
What is on show
The museum tells the story of the tank from the First World War to now, across several halls. You can walk through its huge Mark IX First World War tank. The best-known exhibit is Tiger 131, the first Tiger I captured by the Western Allies and one of only two running Tiger Is in the world. It runs in public only twice a year, at Tiger Day.
Two changes this winter. The Warhorse exhibition has closed, and a new one, Age of Experimentation, takes its place in early 2027. And the museum’s long project to get its King Tiger, KTV2, running is moving on: it is borrowing a rare original engine and gearbox from Sweden, which we covered in our King Tiger engine loan report.
For children there is an indoor soft play area (open 10am to 4pm), an outdoor play area and a puzzle trail round the museum.
Closures and disruption this winter
The museum keeps a running list of disruptions. The ones that matter most between now and the new year:
- 18 and 27 November: closed for maintenance and staff training.
- 18 to 20 November: the Tamiya Hall, book shop, café and Ukraine exhibition are closed for a private event; other halls and the restaurant stay open.
- 21 November: the Tank Men exhibition closes from 3pm for the museum’s 110th anniversary seminar.
- 2 December, from noon, to 3 December: the Tamiya Hall, Ukraine exhibition, book shop and café close again for a private event.
- 19 December to 3 January: the Vehicle Conservation Centre may close at times; ask staff on the day.
- 24, 25 and 26 December: closed for Christmas, reopening on 27 December.
- 6, 13, 20 and 27 January 2027: closed for maintenance and training.
Tiger Day and TANKFEST in 2027
| Event | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Tiger Day Spring | Saturday 24 April 2027, 8.30am to 5pm | Tiger 131 runs in a Second World War tank display, with talks and living history |
| TANKFEST | Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June 2027, 8.30am to 6pm each day | Three days of arena action with historic and modern armour, including British Army vehicles, plus living history camps |
| Tiger Day Autumn | Saturday 25 September 2027, 8.30am to 5pm | Tiger 131’s second run of the year |
Standard Tiger Day tickets were listed at £34.50 for adults and £12 for children aged 4 to 17, and they include an annual pass. Event tickets must be bought online, and the museum says annual passes are not valid on these days. On Special Event days there is a shuttle bus from Wool station.
Outside those dates, Tanks in Action displays run in the arena at 1pm on weekdays during the Easter holidays, the May half term and the summer holidays, free to museum visitors. In the spring and summer holidays you can also ride in a Cold War M548 tracked carrier for £5, or £15 for four, payable by card on the day; riders must be over 1.25m tall.
Getting there and parking
Bovington is near Wareham and signposted with brown tourist signs from Dorchester, Blandford, Weymouth and Poole, each about 30 minutes’ drive away. Bournemouth is about 45 minutes. Parking on site is free; the museum invites a voluntary £3 donation towards a tree-planting project.
By train, Wool station is on the South Western Railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth, 1.5 miles away. It is a 30-minute walk, or there are taxis from the station. Bus services are seasonal. For other Purbeck days out, see our guides to Swanage Railway and Christmas in Dorset.
Food and drink
The restaurant, overlooking the Tank Story hall, serves breakfast from 10am to 11.30am and hot lunches from 11.45am to 3pm, with daily specials such as lasagne, curry and casserole, plus sandwiches, pasties and cake. The café near the soft play area does drinks, sandwiches, pasties and hot dogs. Both list gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options and use Dorset suppliers where they can. The museum’s food page still gives later closing times (restaurant to 5pm, café to 4.30pm), so with the building now shutting at 4pm, plan lunch earlier.
You are welcome to bring a picnic and eat it on the grass banks by the arena or at the picnic benches.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Tank Museum close? At 4pm, as a temporary change from 9 November 2026 because of lighting problems on the site. It opens at 10am.
Is the Tank Museum ticket valid for a year? Yes. Every full-price standard ticket includes a free annual pass for unlimited returns, except on Special Event days (24 April, 25 to 27 June and 25 September 2027). Concession, group and complimentary tickets do not include one.
When is Tiger Day 2027? Tiger Day Spring is Saturday 24 April 2027 and Tiger Day Autumn is Saturday 25 September 2027, both 8.30am to 5pm. Tickets must be booked online.
When is TANKFEST 2027? Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June 2027, 8.30am to 6pm each day.
Is the Tank Museum open at Christmas? It is closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and reopens on 27 December. It is also closed on 18 and 27 November and on four Wednesdays in January 2027.
How long do you need at the Tank Museum? The museum says visitors spend four hours on average, and almost all of it is indoors, so it works in any weather.
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