WIREDGOV

Night owls can look forward to a weekend of ghostly goings-on as museums unlock their doors for the annual after-hours celebrations. Museums at Night 2010 will run over the weekend from Friday 14th May to Sunday 16th May, announced the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Culture24 today.

After a successful series of events this year which captured the imagination of museums and visitors alike, the MLA has decided again to fund Culture24 to co-ordinate the initiative.

Roy Clare, MLA Chief Executive said: "Our published Action Plan ("Leading Museums") invites museums to share what they have, not merely to keep things forever. Museums are looking for new ways to open their doors; they are interpreting their collections to inspire fresh discovery and provoke more satisfying experiences. The resulting narratives illustrate the stories that lie at the core of our national identity. The ‘nights’ weekend has proved to be an enjoyably original way to extend the reach of museums to more and more people who are eager to engage with the artefacts and the expertise of those who present them. The MLA is delighted to be sponsoring Culture24 in 2010 to build on the success of 2009."

Building on the success of last year, Culture24 will run a national marketing campaign, incorporating PR, online marketing and social media. VisitEngland is already on board as a marketing partner for the event and Culture24 is working to develop further promotional partnerships with organisations across the tourism, media and heritage sectors.

James Berresford, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, is pleased to support the event: "Museums at Night is a wonderful, all-inclusive event which showcases the diversity of England's world-class cultural offer. Great fun and memorable experiences mean loyal and repeat visitors."

This year, over 150 events took place across the UK attracting an audience of over 34,000. Events ranged from torchlit tours, period dances and sleepovers to speed dating and sound installations. The weekend received overwhelmingly positive visitor feedback with over 80% rating their experience as eight or above out of ten. It also attracted a large number of visitors who wouldn’t normally visit.

Visitors questioned in 2009 gave a range of reasons for taking part in Museums at Night. Many enjoyed the experience of visiting favourite venues when they were quieter, others appreciated the opportunity to do something different with their evening and for some it was a chance to discover places on their doorstep.

Many visitors said they found the atmosphere in a historic venue after hours gave them a different experience of the collection. They also enjoyed being able to talk directly to the curators who were on hand to answer questions or run tours.

Comments included: "More of the same please - interactive museum visits where you take part and the past comes to life."

Museums at Night is a great opportunity for museums to work collaboratively. Some of the most successful events, in terms of publicity and audience participation, were where museums came together to offer late night opening across their city or town, such as in Bath, Newcastle (The Late Shows) and Leicester. This year Culture24 are encouraging even more cities or regions to work together to offer audiences the chance to visit more than one venue.

Other successful events included ones where museums simply added an ‘at night’ element to an existing exhibition. For instance, the Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare added an evening event to their existing simulator exhibition, stayed open late and switched all the flights over to night flights.

"As a result of the weekend our museum received television, radio and press coverage and helped to really put us on the map." Lee Mills, Helicopter Museum

A sleepover at the Cabinet War Rooms and a 1940s dance aboard HMS Belfast were also sell-outs.  Perhaps one of the reasons Museums at Night has proved so popular, with both museums and the public, is that it is open to interpretation. The message is simple: open up your museum or heritage site, at night, and do whatever you want to do. 

For more information on plans for 2010, to register an event, or to read the evaluation report about 2009 visit www.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight

ENDS

For more information and images about Museums at Night or Culture24 please contact: Ruth Cobb at Mosaic Communications ruth@mosaicmc.co.uk or call 01273 623 266.

For further information about the MLA, please contact Sunita Sharma on 020 7273 8299, email sunita.sharma@mla.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

Museums at Night 2010

• Museums at Night 2010 is funded by the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and organised by Culture24. For further information visit www.culture24.org.uk
• Museums at Night Weekend will take place over the weekend of Friday 14 to Sunday 16 May and the Europe-wide celebration will be on Saturday 15 May.
• Culture24 is a registered charity and not-for-profit online publisher, working across the arts, heritage, education, and tourism sectors.

MLA is the government agency for museums, libraries and archives. Leading strategically, the MLA promotes best practice to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. Visit www.mla.gov.uk

VisitEngland is the strategic leadership body representing the public and private sector stakeholders of English Tourism.  It works in partnership with VisitBritain, the RDAs and local authorities, and the private sector, creating a national tourism strategy, optimising marketing investment, and developing the visitor experience across England.  VisitEngland uses Enjoy England as its consumer-facing brand in the domestic market and the VisitEngland brand in international markets. More information can be found on www.visitengland.com and www.enjoyengland.com

La Nuit des Musées was introduced by the French Culture Department in 2005 to succeed Printemps des Musées and takes place on the Saturday nearest to International Museums Day (May 18). This event is supported by the Council of Europe and UNESCO. In 2009, over 2,500 museums in 41 European countries took part. For more information visit www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr