On Saturday evening, May 19, some 3,000 museums across Europe will be hosting Museum Night, or La Nuit Européenne des Musées, with free entrance to exhibits, celebratory events and concerts. If you’re traveling in Europe this weekend, don’t miss this continent-wide event, now in its eighth year. In Paris, you can hit up the Louvre, the Petit Palais, the Musée de la Vie Romantique (a lovely gem of a museum in the 9th arrondissement), Victor Hugo’s house on the Place des Vosges, the Musée d’Art Moderne, and more... All free and open until midnight. There will be live music at the Orsay, a Classical concert at the Carnavalet, and a live DJ at the Grand Palais.
In London, visitors can have a sleep-over with the mummies in the British Museum’s Egyptian Gallery, while in Bath, visitors can don a toga, Roman-style, for a night-time visit to the ancient Roman baths- complete with wine and poetry readings. Barcelona will have 74 happenings (including jazz at the CaixaForum), while 70 different events will take place at museums in Rome. For the full program of nighttime events, visit www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr
Photo of the Malbork Castle Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Poland, via www.nuitdesmusees.culture.f.