#MuseumTok: How Museums Became TikTok Stars
Since its inception during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the #MuseumTok hashtag has surged in popularity on TikTok. To celebrate International Museum Day on May 18, TikTok plans to elevate #MuseumTok with a week-long series of global LIVE events, collaborations with institutions such as the Grand Egyptian Museum and MoMA, and the unveiling of its 2026 Museum Insights report. The report reveals a 67% year-over-year increase in #Museum posts, a 48% rise in #MuseumTok content, and nearly one million posts under #HistoryTok. More than one-third of TikTok users in the U.S. show interest in museums, with notable participants including the Cincinnati American Sign Museum, Getty Center, and the Louvre, alongside unique venues like the Disgusting Food Museum.
Key facts
- #MuseumTok hashtag originated during 2020 pandemic lockdowns
- TikTok to amplify #MuseumTok on International Museum Day (May 18) with week-long global LIVE programming
- Partnerships include Grand Egyptian Museum and MoMA
- #Museum posts on TikTok climbed 67% year-over-year
- #MuseumTok posts increased by 48% year-over-year
- #HistoryTok reached nearly one million posts, more than doubling year-over-year
- Over a third of TikTok users in the U.S. interested in museums (2025 GWI Consumer Survey)
- Black Country Living Museum's video got 2.2 million views, grew from zero to 300,000 followers in four months
Entities
Artists
- Tim Pearce
- History Girlie
- Howard the Printer
- Norman Rockwell
Institutions
- TikTok
- Grand Egyptian Museum
- MoMA
- American Sign Museum
- Neon Museum
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History
- Sacramento History Museum
- Getty Center
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Louvre
- Disgusting Food Museum
- Bone Museum
- Black Country Living Museum
- GWI
Locations
- Cincinnati
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Dudley
- England
- London
- Malmö
- Sweden
- Brooklyn
- United States