For the first time ever the V and A museum will open 24 hours a day to accommodate visitor demand to see the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition.

The venue - which previously extended its run from the end of July to August 2 and released another 50,000 tickets - will now remain open throughout the night, adding another 12,000 tickets so more fans can see the late fashion designer's impressive retrospective.

The night time tickets offer entry from Friday 24 July to 22.00 on Sunday 26 July as well as from Friday 31 July until it ends at 23.00 on Sunday 2 August.

The night visits also offer the promise of music in the venue's Dome and the museum will serve refreshments until 6.30 am.

Martin Roth, director of the V and A said: ''We knew that Savage Beauty would be very popular, but the response has been even greater than we imagined. It is an extraordinary exhibition and I urge anyone who has not yet visited, wherever they are in the world, to make a trip to the V&A to experience this very special show.

''It is not going on tour to other venues so our aim is to provide as many people as possible with the opportunity to see it by opening through the night for the last two weekends. This will be the first time we have opened the V&A around the clock and we certainly think it is an event worth getting out of bed for.''

The exhibition - which debuted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York in May 2011- broke the V and A's advance sales records two months before opening in March after which organisers issued another 50,000 tickets.