Museums at Night, the UK’s annual after-hours festival of arts, culture and heritage, will be taking place over four days in May, from Wednesday 13 until Saturday 16. During the festival, hundreds of museums, galleries and historic spaces all over the UK will open up late and put on a dazzling array of special night-time events, many of which are specially family-friendly.
Some of the 2015 highlights for families include:
London and South East
Put That Light Out! Sleepover, Firepower Royal Artillery Museum, London (16 May)
Fun activities such as Military Drilling, Rocket Firing, World Wars Tour and Medal Making Crafts followed by a sleepover in among the guns and exhibits of the Museum plus a traditional military Sunset Ceremony to lower the flag and reflect on the day followed by a campfire sing-along of WW2 favourites & hot chocolate. For ages fice to ten.
Expedition to Iceland Sleepover, The William Morris Gallery, London (16 Ma)
Spend the night camping out in the mysterious landscape of the William Morris Gallery, follow Sigurd the Volsung's brave journey in the Icelandic stories performed by E17 Puppet Project, and take part in art and craft activities. Ticket includes breakfast, hands on activities, prizes, torch tour and puppet show.
For children aged eight to 12 years old.
Murder Mystery at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester, West Sussex (14 May)
Help to unravel a Roman murder mystery. Visit the crime scene, explore the Palace for clues and solve this Roman murder – all ages.
Family Dockyard Sleepover – Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire (15 to 16 May)
Battle your way through Laser Quest, scale the climbing wall, help build a mini dockyard out of Lego and design and wear your own naval style tattoo at the National Museum of the Royal Navy and Action Stations.. The evening will end in a film and sleepover in Action Stations for ages five to 13.
South West
Cabinets of Curiosity – Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery, Devon (15 May)
Find out what happens in the museum when the front doors have closed and see specimens normally kept locked away in the natural history store rooms. There will be thousands of insects, hundreds of pickled creatures and lots of other activities too. Any age.
Secret of the Tomb (PG) – Corinium Museum, Cirencester, Gloucestershire (14 May)
Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled Night at the Museum ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favourite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever. Run time: 1 hr. 30 min. Booking recommended.Any age.
East of England
Escape the Crystal Room – Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge (15 May)
Ever wondered what it would be like to be locked in a museum after dark? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to escape the Crystal Room, an interactive live escape game designed for groups of three to eight people. Following the success of last year, solve puzzles and crack codes as you race against time in order to escape the room you are locked in! Book for all ages.
North Norfolk Stories Festival – various venues across Norfolk (14 to 16 May)
18 free events over three days at museums, parks, libraries and other cultural venues and heritage sites across ten North Norfolk towns. Highlights include: The Screaming Cockler, Sheringham Little Theatre – a ghost story devised and performed by young people about female cocklers in North Norfolk in the 1700s; Curious Creatures, Mundesley and Stalham Libraries – a chance to see live birds and reptiles and learn about the local rehabilitation and conservation work undertaken by The Seal and Bird Trust in North Norfolk; Sheringham Park Bat Walk – explore the world of bats during a stroll through this National Trust park (home to seven types of bat) as night falls, and to listen to them with the help of a bat detector. Any age.
Full listings of all events