Museum Night opens the doors of the city’s cultural centres

A new edition of one of Barcelona’s most eagerly-awaited cultural events is just around the corner – Museum Night – an initiative that, thanks to the high level of participation by the general public, has converted visits to cultural and heritage sites into a social phenomenon.

As they do every year, the European Council has united over four thousand museums from forty countries and this, the eleventh edition of an evening and night-time event is designed to coincide with International Museum Day, which take place on the 18th and offers free admission into participating centres. The weekend of the 16th to the 17th of May, then, promises to be a weekend full of culture, activities and open doors.

A total of 81 exhibition centres will open their doors from 7 pm to 1 am, an increase on last year’s 72 participating centres that includes the new incorporations of the Museum of World Cultures, la Torre de les Aigües del Besòs, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona and the Museu d'Història de la Immigració de Catalunya. The success of the initiative has led to an increase of 25,0000 € on the 2014 budget in addition to an increase in the number of participating centres which, in seven years, has risen from 21 to 81. In addition, the initiative increases the entertainment and cultural offering of the metropolitan area via the inclusion of exhibition centres in the areas surrounding the city.

The Museum Night programme combines the entire evening’s offering in six viable routes in terms of geographical proximity and the possibility of using public transport. The first route goes from Montjuïc to L’Hospitalet, the second from Eixample to Gràcia, the third from the Gothic Quarter to the seafront, the fourth from Raval to the port area, the fifth from Santa Coloma to Sant Andreu and the sixth from Horta to Cornellà. In an effort to encourage people to use public transport some metro stations will be transformed into mini-museums by exhibiting pieces from nearby cultural centres. For example, the Universidad station will be decked out with pieces from the Sebald Variations, property of the CCCB.

The open-night also includes a series of parallel activities. It goes without saying that the museums will offer guided tours, but they will also be offering workshops, concerts, performances, culinary activities and activities for the younger family members. For example, Montjuïc Castle will host the Van Van gastronomy and music market, the Cercle Artístic Sant Lluc proposes a night of free drawing and, within the framework of the After Landscape exhibition, the art factory Fabra i Coats will offer Playscapes, in which visitors can create their own landscapes. The MEAM will offer blues at the hands of Casi El Mejor Trío de Tu Vida, the World Cultures Museum will offer a programme of classical music from the north of India, the Refugi 307 space of the MUHBA will open throughout the night and the Torres Bellesguard will offer drinks and snacks in the tower gardens in addition to guided tours.

In parallel to the programmed activities there will also be a Museum Night photography competition in which the general public can document the initiative via images tagged with #bcnesmuseu in Twitter and Instagram. Photographs can be presented from the 12th of May at 9 am to the 19th at 11.59 pm, a minute before midnight. Participants have the chance to win a BCNcultural Card with more than 400 exclusive activities.
The event can be followed on Twitterbcncultura with the tag #bcnesmuseu, via the Instagrambcncultura account, or the Barcelona Cultura Facebook page. A mobile app will also be available for Apple and Android.
 

Museum Night

When: The 16th of May, from 7pm to 1am 

Tickets: Free entrance

Where: Barcelona Museums

More information here