CHAPTER 01
Once Upon a Time
Meet the collectors, writers and tellers who carried fairy tales across centuries and cultures.
← Storyland experiencesFairy
NEW FLAGSHIP · CURATED & DEVELOPED BY THE BRITISH LIBRARY
Fairy
Tales
A family adventure through enchanted lands, magical creatures, iconic characters and timeless tales—now ready to travel beyond the Library.
5Story-world chapters
558 m²Reference indoor footprint
3–10Family age range
2Indoor + night formats
THE EXPERIENCE IN ONE MINUTE
Familiar stories become
a shared family adventure.
Fairy Tales was curated and developed by the British Library and supplied to ARTiSTORY as an international touring opportunity. ARTiSTORY holds the rights to tour and adapt the experience as a night trail outside China and the UK.
Books, theatre costumes, puppets, pop-ups, artworks and illustrations are woven together with sensory play—from sitting at the Three Bears' breakfast table to whispering a wish to the genie and smelling the wicked witch's potions.
British Library curationRare literary treasuresFamily co-discoveryIndoor + outdoor potential
OFFICIAL BRITISH LIBRARY FILM · 60 SEC
Open the book.
Enter the world.
See the British Library's original family exhibition in action—from rare collection objects and storybook scenery to sensory encounters designed for children and adults to explore together.
FAIRY TALES · OFFICIAL FILM SUPPLIED BY THE BRITISH LIBRARY
THE NARRATIVE JOURNEY
Five locations.
Endless retellings.
The route moves through the essential architecture of fairy tales—from their origins and creators to forests, palaces, distant lands and the stories families continue to reinvent.
CHAPTER 02
In the Deep, Dark Woods
Enter the forest, encounter familiar characters and discover how danger, courage and transformation shape the tale.
CHAPTER 03
At the Palace
Magic mirrors, wishes, disguises and impossible tests turn the royal court into a world of play.
CHAPTER 04
Far, Far Away
Magical creatures and animals carry visitors beyond the familiar into worlds where the rules can change.
CHAPTER 05
Happily Ever After
A welcoming reading space invites families to revisit, reinvent and carry the stories home.
LITERARY TREASURES
Stories with
real roots.
The experience connects playful environments to significant items from the British Library's collections, revealing how familiar tales were written, illustrated and passed on.
Follow Alice down the rabbit hole through Lewis Carroll's handwritten manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground—the enchanting beginning of a story loved by generations of children.
Enter an enchanted world of courage, kindness and transformation through Walter Crane's richly illustrated 1874 edition—a Victorian treasure for the whole family.
Discover the storytellers behind some of the world's best-loved fairy tales through Jacob Grimm's 1844 letter to his publisher—a rare link to stories passed from generation to generation.
Journey into Hans Christian Andersen's world through The Swineherd manuscript and Edmund Dulac's dreamlike illustrations for The Snow Queen—where wit, wonder and wintry magic await.
Travel to a world of wishes, adventure and enchantment through Edmund Dulac's jewel-like 1914 illustrations of Aladdin and the wonderful lamp.
Meet Mulan, the legendary young heroine whose courage and devotion have inspired families for centuries, through a rare printed edition of her story dating from 1779.
INSIDE THE EXHIBITION
Look closely.
Then step through.
A selection of scenes from the British Library exhibition shows how collection displays, theatrical scenery and hands-on encounters work together.
TWO ADAPTATION ROUTES
Keep the magic.
Change the setting.
The British Library's narrative and collection foundation can be presented as a touring indoor exhibition or translated by ARTiSTORY into an outdoor illuminated journey.
Touring indoor exhibition
A flexible gallery experience based on the 558 m² British Library reference layout, with five narrative sections, interactives, sensory moments and a family reading finale.
Outdoor night trail
Enchanted woods, palace magic, creatures and wishes become a luminous route using lanterns, light, sound, projection and site-responsive scenic moments.
Venue-specific layer
Local stories, collections, planting, architecture and community programming can be connected to the established fairy-tale journey.
Commercial extensions
School visits, family workshops, character-led programming, themed food and beverage and story-inspired retail extend the experience beyond the route.
International touring and night-trail adaptation are available through ARTiSTORY outside China and the UK. Final format, footprint and content are agreed with each host venue and relevant rights partners.
FOR VENUE PARTNERS
Bring an enchanted world
to your audience.
Fairy Tales is suited to children's museums, libraries, museums, botanical gardens, heritage sites and family attractions seeking a recognised, intergenerational story world with indoor and outdoor potential.