How late can you stay at MoMA?

December 23, 2014 8:25 AM

The museum closes at 5:30pm. Do they begin clearing the galleries then, or do they just stop selling tickets at that point? If you are already inside could you get, say, half an hour more of viewing time before being kicked out?
posted by molla to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (6 answers total)

They clear the galleries then. I have been shooed out many times.
posted by ocherdraco at 8:46 AM on December 23, 2014

I too have been shoo'd. You can't sneak by, either, they will directly speak to you and tell you it's time to go. It might be good to leave slightly earlier than closing anyway, if you've checked your coat. Their coat system is a bit of a mess.
posted by cranberrymonger at 8:52 AM on December 23, 2014

You may know this already but it's worth mentioning that MOMA is open until 8 on Friday nights with free Friday night admission from 4-8.
posted by countrymod at 9:34 AM on December 23, 2014 [2 favorites]

They shoo you out and even switch the up escalators to down to enforce the shooing.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:39 AM on December 23, 2014

No direct experience of MOMA, but I work in a museum (Udvar-Hazy, part of the Smithsonian), and I assure you that 'closing time' MEANS "we're closing NOW, everybody out", not 'nobody else enters'. We have announcements 10 and 5 minutes ahead of time, another announcement AT closing, and Security sweeps the building (including all restrooms!) at closing to make sure anybody who tries to dawdle does leave.
posted by easily confused at 11:59 AM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

I got locked into a room at the Ashmolean before their scheduled closing time and the man who let me out refused to let me use their toilet.
posted by brujita at 12:49 PM on December 23, 2014