Paris has the White Night event in the autumn and Museum Night in the spring. Both are nocturnal (duh!), both have a sprinkling of culture, and both are free. Get ready for over a hundred special events for the 2009 Museum Night in the city…

© CSI / Arnaud Legrain


Almost all of Paris’ museums will be open until late on 16th May with a huge selection of exceptional events going on: guided touts, readings, concerts, quizzes, shows and light shows, performances, cinema, tastings, illuminations, workshops for kids, dance, conferences and even candlelight visits (and on with miners’ helmets!)

The choice is really enormous and there’s no need to stay up beyond midnight to make the best of it all (unlike the White Night): a lot of events start around 6/7pm (and even in the afternoon for the kids events) with most places closing around 11pm or midnight. Note that two museums that usually take part will be opting out this year: Galliera (the fashion museum) and the Picasso museum. Also, it’s best to reserve for some special events (full details on the official site).

This prestigious night is now sponsored by UNESCO, and to make sure you don’t miss out, be sure to plan your evening by checking out the programme here on the official site. You can also participate via the web in a variety of fashions:

- the Dailymotion and YouTube pages for Museum Night have films that you can watch, rate and comment on. The film below from last year gives an idea of the grand scope of some events…
- a Flickr gallery to check out
- A Facebook group you can join
- a blog (to follow (French only I’m afraid)

The event is also part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Ministry of Culture in France, so expect an extra special effort

All the essential information for the 5th Museum Night in Paris is on the official site here.