More than 40 museums and cultural spaces in Bucharest will open their doors to nocturne visitors at this year’s edition of the Night of Museums, taking place on May 20. Access throughout the event is free of charge and the perspective a different one, so here are some highlights of this year’s offering

The National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR)

Visiting hours: 19:00 - 05:00

At its main headquarters, across the street from the Bucharest Athenaeum, the Modern Romanian Art Gallery, the Old Romanian Art Gallery and the European Art Gallery are open between 19:00 and 05:00. The Art Collections Museum opens an exhibition with works by contemporary Romanian painter Stefan Caltia between 19:00 and 05:00. At the same time, the historic spaces of the former Royal Palace will open for visitors between 11:00 and 19:00. Guided tours are available at 11:30, 14:00 and 16:30.

The Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum

Visiting hours: 16:00 - 19:00

Besides the regular exhibitions, visitors can attend various crafts workshops, folk music and dance performances, and a fair gathering craftsmen from all over the country.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC)

Visiting hours: 18:00 - 02:00

The museum is open with a schedule of art and film from its archive. Art films will be screened in the space in front of the museum, while MNAC’s exhibition will be open to visitors.

Cotroceni National Museum

Visiting hours: 19:00 - 24:00

The first floor of the Cotroceni Palace, the former residence of the Romanian royal family, and its over 300 year history await the public.

The Bellu Cemetery

Visiting hours: 19:00 - 03:00

The cemetery is where many of Romania’s past political and cultural figures rest. Guided tours of the cemetery are available until 24:00 and an exhibition on the history of the local cultural life will be open until the same hour. Several musical moments will also be available. Sofian Miron will deliver a jazz recital starting 20:00, while Liviu Indricau prepared a classical music one starting 20:30. The Cromatic Quartet will hold an instrumental music recital starting 21:30, and a theater performance of Taxi Blues by Ana Maria Bamberger is scheduled at 22:00.

The Grigore Antipa Natural History Museum

Visiting hours: 15:30 - 24:00

Besides visiting the permanent display, the public can attend screening of documentary films offered by Digi Animal World, help perform an entomological collecting of night insects with the help of special luminous sources or intercept the bats in the museum’s yard with an ultrasounds detector, all under the supervision of the museum’s specialists. During the same event, Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species book will be launched in a new edition, and the temporary exhibition Traces in Time will open. These two events take place from 16:30 to 17:30 and require prior registration at info@antipa.ro.

The National Geology Museum

Visiting hours: 19:00 - 24:00

The highlight is the Dinosaurs World exhibition, opened in a partnership with Dino Park Rasnov. The exhibition brings together several real-size replica of the prehistoric reptiles. Especially for The Night of Museums, an exhibition featuring large-size quartz crystal pieces will open. The central element of this exhibition is a 30 kilogram skull brought from Brazil and designed by means similar to those applied to Maya artifacts.

The National Museum of Romanian Aviation

Visiting hours: 18:00 - 04:00

Members of the Mihai Viteazul 30 Brigade will present a drill-team exercise starting 18:00, while the fanfare of the same brigade will be featured starting 02:00. A presentation titled Mi-8 nr.03 The Dictator’s Helicopter will take place at 20:00, and various films will be screened starting 22:00.

The George Enescu National Museum

Visiting hours: 18:00 - 00:30

The organizers have prepared a program of various music styles, from baroque to tango and jazz. Some of the artists and groups that will perform are Musica Viva Quartet, Sabin Penea, the Playthoven duo, Cristian Soleanu and Albert Tajti, and students of the Voltaj Academy.

This year, a café-type space dedicated to The Night of Museums will be open at the Maps and Old Books Museums in Bucharest, between May 15 and May 20. Besides having a cup of coffee there, the public can also drop suggestions on museums’ life.

The full list of participating museums and their events can be read, in Romanian, here.

editor@romania-insider.com