We’re Good to Go! Opening Safely with Visit England Accreditation

We are now open for small events and to the public. Last week, in support of the events industry and getting back to business, we were proud turn Somerset House red in support of the #WeMakeEvents campaign and show that we are ready for visitors.

We want to raise awareness of the desperate situation for live events, venues and event professionals and the urgent need for our government to provide those unable to work with further financial support. We love making events and want to continue working with all the wonderful people that make our industry great.

We are thrilled to be open again and welcoming people back in a socially acceptable way. It is also important for us to show solidarity with the campaign. At Somerset House we marry art with events so we hope this marks the beginning of some positive return and we can continue to open further.

As we welcome you back, our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our event guests, event organisers, suppliers and venue staff, so we’ve introduced a number of measures across the building to help everyone remain safe while they’re here.

With our estates team working hard during lockdown to ensure the safety of all visitors ahead of our re-opening, our iconic venue has been granted the ‘Good to Go’ Covid-19 Industry Standard Certificate in partnership with The National Tourist Organisations of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This accreditation recognises the measures we have put in place to ensure that our site is safe for all visitors and that Somerset House is following, and will continue to follow, the latest government guidance. We cannot wait to be hosting safe events with our clients, suppliers and agencies again soon! All measures in place will be given to organisers and are available to view here.

It is exciting that visitors can once again meet and enjoy views down the Thames at the River Terrace, splash in our fountains in the Edmond J. Safra courtyard, enjoy artisan coffee at Hej Coffee, plus Skye Gyngell’s Spring Restaurant has created a pop up in the Courtyard and the Mushrooms exhibition has re-opened, though it is essential to book a timed slot online. Full details and times can be found on the website.

With the film industry up and running again and whilst we await the return of large commercial events, don’t forget that we also offer unparalleled locations, both historic and contemporary, with views across the City and river across to The London Eye and Westminster to the east and St. Pauls to the West. Our elegant rooms, sweeping staircases, atmospheric lightwells, picturesque terraces, a spectacular Courtyard and all manner of interesting lesser known spaces are also perfect for film locations and photoshoots. We are always likely to have something that will raise the bar for your brief.