Takeover Day is when young people take over jobs normally done by adults at museums and heritage sites. Since Takeover Day began in 2010, over 40,000 children and young people have taken part, from toddlers to university students.

Coinciding with the end of COP26 in Glasgow, this year we themed Takeover Day for the first time to encourage museums to address issues that matter to young people and promote climate action.

At least half of this year’s participating venues joined in the theme of climate action. From Perth to Penzance, young people:

  • acted as sustainability consultants and carried out museum audits
  • created climate themed exhibitions
  • debated whether the Vikings and Victorians were environmentally friendly
  • promoted pollinator friendly gardens and the benefits of houseplants
  • created their own protest signs and slogans
  • considered the impact of space travel
  • carried out experiments with visitors to explain ocean acidification
  • made their own reusable bags and recycling signs
  • became documentary film makers
  • learnt about the impact of climate change on heritage preservation.

View all participating venues on our Takeover Day Map.

We are delighted to see in-person Takeover Days return for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Join in and support the day by following and posting using the hashtag #TakeoverDay. Please do say hello and ask questions to our participants.

Check out the latest #TakeoverDay posts.

Here is a closer look at just a few of the events that happened on Friday 12 November:

  • London Transport Museum
    The museum held a Live Stream where primary school children put their questions to grown-ups in the transport industry to find out what actions they are taking to look after the environment for future generations.
  • Perth Museum & Art Gallery
    Young people curated a local photography exhibition illustrating factors affecting the local environment.
  • National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh
    Pupils attended a film screening of three short films they created on how museums can help tell the story of the climate emergency. They then discussed with senior leadership how the museum can better convey and act on the climate emergency.
  • Head of Steam – Darlington Railway Museum
    This Toddler Takeover featured a range of activities, such as selling tickets for public transport, sorting recycling and running a toy and book swap shop.
  • National Justice Museum, Nottingham
    Young people helped to develop the new Young People and Protest exhibition. They made their own protest placards, working with an artist, and debated climate change in one of the museum’s courtrooms.
  • PK Porthcurno, Penzance
    University students delivered a climate themed workshop for Year 6 pupils, including mono printing and games. They explored the environmental and ethical implications of the use of Gutta Percha to insulate telegraph cables, as well as learning about the effects of light pollution.

We hope you had a brilliant Takeover Day!

You can catch up on the day’s events in our Twitter Moment and Instagram Highlight. Young people’s #TakeoverDay tweets reached over 2 million people.

We expect to announce dates for Takeover Day 2022 early next year.