Ceremony of the Keys Ticket Release Calendar

A daytime Tower of London ticket is not enough for the Ceremony of the Keys. Historic Royal Palaces lists it as a separate event requiring advance online booking. Tickets release at 13:00 on the first working day of each month for the following month, and the official page warns that they become fully booked quickly.

Build the release date from your visit month

Take the month before the ceremony you want.
Find that month’s first working day, excluding weekends and UK bank holidays.
If the release day falls on a Friday, use the following Monday under the event page’s special rule.
Be ready before 13:00 London time and book only on the official page.

Ceremony month	Calculated release	Adjustment
November 2026	1 October 2026 at 13:00	First working day is Thursday
December 2026	2 November 2026 at 13:00	1 November is Sunday
January 2027	1 December 2026 at 13:00	First working day is Tuesday
February 2027	4 January 2027 at 13:00	1 January is a Friday bank holiday; use Monday

The February calculation uses the official England and Wales bank-holiday calendar, which lists 1 January 2027 as New Year’s Day. Always repeat the calculation against the live calendar because one-off holidays can change the first working day.

What you actually need to buy

The official Ceremony of the Keys page labels the booking a separate ticket. It is not an add-on automatically unlocked by ordinary daytime admission, and a daytime Tower ticket does not reserve a place at the ceremony.

The suggested event-ticket price is £30, but the booking allows a choice from £10 to £50. This is a ticketed nighttime visit, not a way to turn a daytime ticket into after-hours access. If you want both experiences, plan them as two distinct bookings.

Release-day checklist

Create the visit-month calculation and calendar reminder in London time.
Open the official event page before 13:00.
Have every visitor’s date choice and payment method ready.
Check the final date carefully; the official visitor questions page says bookings are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
Save the e-ticket from the booking-confirmation link for arrival.

There is no official waitlist procedure described on the cited event or visitor-information pages. If your date is full, monitor the official booking page, but do not assume a cancellation will return or ask an unofficial seller to bypass the booking system.

Arrival is timed precisely

The ceremony is listed daily from 21:30 to 22:05. Ticket holders are admitted under escort at 21:30 and should arrive at the West Gate by 21:25 at the latest. The official warning says late arrivals will not be admitted. There are no toilet or refreshment facilities available during the event.

Build the evening backward from 21:25, not from the 21:30 start. Leave extra margin for the walk to the West Gate and any transport disruption.

If tickets are already full

Keep the daytime Tower visit only if it is worthwhile on its own. Do not buy ordinary admission expecting it to substitute for the ceremony. Monitor the official page without relying on a cancellation, and make the rest of the London evening viable even if no ceremony ticket appears.

For directions and digital-ticket access in London, compare current United Kingdom eSIM plans and check device support on the compatibility page. Save the e-ticket offline as well; admission depends on the booking, not on mobile reception at the gate.