17th European Night of Museums: Time for a Reunion

If you want to forget the sanitary restrictions for one night, why not participate in the European Night of Museums held “in presence” on Saturday 3 July? In France and in about 30 countries in Europe, a great number of museums will open their doors free of charge during the evening, in specific timetables and/or with mandatory booking. Guided tours, conferences, concerts, screenings, shows and exceptional entertainment will give the public an experience of the museum that is both friendly and fun.

Because of the health situation, the event had to be revamped in 2020 to fit in a fully digital format. But this year, as the French Minister of Culture in charge of the event said, “the museums and the audience will be happy to celebrate this moment of reunion”. Since its launch in 2005, the European Night of Museums, under the patronage of the Council of Europe, the French National Commission for the UNESCO and the ICOM (International Committee of Museums) has attracted a growing number of visitors to a growing number of cultural institutions each year.

Great and Beautiful

“It’s when you’re alone in private that you realize how art, the relation to everything great and beautiful that the past has given us, is necessary”, said the French Minister of Culture in the editorial dedicated to the presentation of this new Night of Museums in France.

For this edition, the organisers of the event could count on “the remarkable commitment of the teams” of each cultural institution. After a year in which “they held their ground”, these teams prepared the reopening with “an incredible efficiency”. The Minister also said that this year, “they showed even more imagination to offer exceptional entertainments that are up to the task”.

Under the sign of renewal

In practical terms, the website dedicated to the Night of Museums offers many events in a programme placed “under the sign of renewal”, updated in real time. Each participating institution designs special events about the pieces exhibited “to unite the talent of artists, professionals or volunteers coming from various backgrounds”.

Each partner tries “showcase in an original way its collections (fine arts, modern art, ethnography, archaeology, popular traditions)” by offering entertainments for all audiences. Many important actions are scheduled in the programme, such as temporary exhibitions, thematic guided tours, meetings with artists and readings, tastings and cocktail parties, demonstrations of craft know-how, historical reconstructions, lightshows and screenings.

Musical night in French regions

Visitors can also enjoy the European Night of Museums “to discover new musical genres, artists or bands right in the middle of art pieces” everywhere in France.

This idea will be implemented in the Hauts-de-France region with three evenings in three atmospheres (rock music, classical music and 80’s music vibes), but also in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (folk, pop and blues music) and the Grand Est, Occitanie, Normandie, Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur, and more. Also note that at the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence, a concert will be given by students and future music teachers at the Institut d’Enseignement Supérieur de la Musique – Europe et Méditerranée (IESM) to discover musical interpretations of collection pieces of the museum.

To know more:

- News articles and programme on the Night of Museums website:

http://traduction.culture.gouv.fr/url/Result.aspx?to=en&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnuitdesmusees.culture.gouv.fr%2Fl-evenement%2Fla-17e-edition

- General presentation on the Ministry of Culture website:

http://traduction.culture.gouv.fr/url/Result.aspx?to=en&url=https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Nous-connaitre/Evenements-nationaux/Nuit-Europeenne-des-Musees