The Night of Museums, one of the most anticipated cultural events of the year, returns this Saturday with a new edition. Museums, castles, cultural institutions & more have prepared something extra for this nationwide event, offering visitors the chance to get their dose of art & culture after dark.

Now in its 18th edition, the Night of Museums has grown bigger by the year. More than 170 museums, galleries, cultural institutes and centres, palaces and castles, theatres, and even city halls have joined the event scheduled for May 14. And they've prepared special programs for this Saturday, from exhibitions, artistic interventions, screenings, performances, workshops, concerts, and interactive tours.

Night of Museums in Bucharest

This year's Night of Museums circuit includes more than 50 museums and cultural venues in the capital city. Opening hours vary from space to space, but most stay open until midnight and beyond. 

Visitors will get the chance to see the collections of some of the capital's biggest museums, such as the Romanian National Museum of Art, the National Museum of Romanian History, the Museum of Recent Art (MaRe), the Romanian Peasant Museum, the Cotroceni Museum, the Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, the Bucharest City Museum – Sutu Palace, or the Cesianu-Racovita Palace, but also smaller but not less exciting venues. 

For example, Casa Experimentelor – Romanian Science Center awaits visitors to try dozens of experiments in the fields of optics and optical illusions, acoustics, electricity and magnetism, fluids, plasma & more. Opening hours: 19:00 - 01:00. 

Rare car fans can make a stop at the Tiriac Collection Gallery, which brings together more than 30 well-known car and moto brands, such as Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, Ford, Chevrolet, Harley Davidson, and Indian Scout. Opening hours: 17:00 - 22:00.

Then, there is also the Perfume Museum, a private collection unique in Romania, which brings together over 10,000 perfumery objects and accessories, original exhibits of world relevance, but also authentic Romanian bottles from different periods. Opening hours: 10:00 - 22:00.

The famous Arch of Triumph in northern Bucharest will also stay open for the Night of Museums. It can be visited free of charge between 11:00 and midnight (the last person will enter the monument at 23:30).

Art fans can also enjoy a Night Tour at the Art Safari this Saturday. Held at the Dacia-Romania Palace in Bucharest's Old Town, the event will present exhibitions showcasing the work of Theodor Aman, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Irina Dragomir, Barbara Klemm, and more. The Night Tours experience includes a guided tour of the exhibitions, drinks and live music. Tickets can be purchased online on the event's website. The tour starts at 22:00.

The National Museum of Romanian Literature will keep its permanent exhibition open between 18:30 and 24:00, while the Theodor Aman Museum, the George Severeanu Museum, or Casa Filipescu-Cesianu can also be visited until midnight. Meanwhile, the "Admiral Vasile Urseanu" Astronomical Observatory will keep its doors open until 02:00.

Meanwhile, the Madrigal National Chamber Choir and the National Program Cantus Mundi invite the public to visit their headquarters on Mitropoliei Hill. The almost 100-year old building keeps its doors open from 18:00 to 22:00. Live choral recitals of over 200 children from the choirs of the Cantus Mundi National Program will complete the visitors' experience.

Families with children can also go to the Comic Opera for Children (opening hours: 19:00 - 24:00) or the Tandarica Theatre (from 19:00 to 22:00).

A map of the venues is available here. 

Night of Museums in other cities  

Elsewhere in the country, more than 100 museums and cultural spaces will stay open on the night of May 14. 

For example, the National Museum of the Union in Alba Iulia awaits visitors between 19:00 and 24:00, while the Maramures County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art in Baia Mare will welcome participants between 18:00 and 23:00. The Evangelical Church and the ASTRA National Museum Complex in Sibiu will also stay open for the Night of Museums, as well as the Stirbey and Pelisor Castles in Sinaia mountain resort.

The famous Bran Castle will offer free tours between 19:00 and 24:00, while the Mogosoaia Palace near Bucharest can also be visited until midnight.

Other venues that joined the event include the Museum of Memories from Communism in Brasov, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania and the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca, the Paper Mill Ensemble - The village of crafts in Comana, and the Roznovanu Palace and several museums from the Moldova National Museum Complex in Iasi.

The complete program of the 2022 Night of Museums in Romania can be checked here.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Albertophotography/Dreamstime.com)