The European Museum Day is approaching and Barcelona celebrates the Nit dels Museus, or Museums Night, a cultural event for all audiences. During this day the city’s museums they will open their doors free of charge and visitors will be able to visit their permanent and temporary exhibitions with the aim of raising awareness of the role of museums in society.
Museums that usually offer a kidfriendly program, such as the Museu d’Art Medieval, the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya or the CCCB will have family visits and workshops throughout the day.
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When is the Nit de Museus in Barcelona?
The Nit dels Museus 2024 in Barcelona will take place on Saturday, May 18. Almost 90 institutions of the city and municipalities of the metropolitan area will join this cultural proposal. Thus, towns such as Badalona, Cornellà, Esplugues l’Hospitalet, Sant Adrià, Sant Joan Despí and Santa Coloma will also open their museums.
Although Barcelona is full of free museums and exhibitions throughout the year (especially on the first Sunday of each month) during the Nit dels Museus (Museums Night), the cultural proposals are extended with a special program.
Most museums offer activities, live performances, or family workshops some of them under previous reservation. More than 171 activities have been programmed between 7 p.m. on Saturday and 1 a.m. on Sunday. However, to avoid queues, it is advisable to reserve tickets for the most popular museums to avoid crowds.
Some of the museums and venues you can see for free
During the Nit dels Museus almost 90 museums of the city open their doors. We know there are many and so that you know where to go to look from Barcelona Secreta we have selected some of our favorites:
Museu Picasso of Barcelona: the reference museum of Pablo Picasso, with more than 4,200 works of the author, celebrates the night of the museums with a session of music and party with nature as the thematic axis and opening the doors of its permanent exhibition on the artist and the temporary one, of the French Bernard Plossu.
📍 c/Montcada, 15-23
MNAC: Doors open until 1 a.m. in the morning. With music, dance and gastronomy in a location with special charm. The Stalls/Stands of the MNAC offer a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. In addition, the MNAC allows access only for tonight to the permanent and temporary exhibitions “Suzanne Valadon. A modern epic”, “El Mirall perdut. Jueus i conversos a l’edat mitjana” and “Longaron i Friday Foster. The unexpected heroine”.
📍 Parc de Montjuïc
Maritime Museum of Barcelona: It offers to visit the permanent and temporary exhibitions through guided tours through the Drassanes, the Galera Reial and several special areas of the unique building. There will also be a videomappingshow.
📍 av. Drassanes, s/n
Botanical Garden: Improshow at the Jardí Botànic by Planeta Impro, a show of humor and natural sciences that promises. Tickets are free throughout the venue.
c/del Doctor Font i Quer, 2
Disseny Hub Barcelona: With three free permanent exhibitions and one temporary exhibition. “The clothed body. Silhouettes and Fashion (1550-2015)”, “You Design or You Work” and “Common Objects” will be totally free, as will the temporary exhibition “Pure Gold. Reuse! Revaluate!”.
📍 pl. de les Glòries Catalanes, 37-38
Joan Miró Foundation: The foundation opens its doors (with good views over the city of Barcelona), to contemplate the environment, the exhibitions and admire the architectural uniqueness of the space.
📍 Parc de Montjuïc s/n
Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau: Self-guided visit to the hospital grounds designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner and musical concert by the Joventut Clàssica Orpheus. In addition, there will be a lied jam by the Victoria de los Ángeles Foundation.
📍 c/ de Sant Antoni Maria Claret
Palau Güell: A space where you can contemplate domestic architecture in the context of Modernism, declared of National Interest and UNESCO World Heritage. One of the first commissions Antoni Gaudí received.
📍 c/ Nou de la Rambla, 3-5
CCCB: Open doors of the exhibition “Subúrbia”. The Construction of the American Dream”, which shows us how this lifestyle has been presented in fiction. The CCCB will also present a Poetry Slam Barcelona session during the evening.
📍 c/ de Montealegre, 5
Montjuïc Castle: Guided tour of the different areas of the castle, some of which are normally closed to the public. A mediator will explain the history of the city and discover the memory of the space.
📍 ctra. de Montjuïc, 66
Cornellà Castle: The exhibition “Living Room OM3GA” by three artists with different visual languages (painting, drawing, sculpture and photography) opens free of charge. In addition, the Castell offers a historical tour about the space and the peculiarities of the place.
📍 c/ Jacint Verdaguer s/n (Cornellà)
CaixaForum Barcelona: Free tickets to the exhibitions “Venerades i temudes. El poder femení en l’art i les creences”, “Horitzó i límit” and “Des de la frontera”, with short micro-concert performances and a pre-booked workshop to create an audiovisual piece.
📍 av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia 6-8.
Museums offering children’s programs
In Barcelona Secreta we do not forget the little ones and we have selected some museums with children’s activities.
Museum of the xocolata: A journey through the history of cocoa that is sure to have a happy ending. The chocolate museum is always popular with the little ones, who can see recreations of their favorite chocolate characters.
📍 c/del Comerç 36
Museu de la Música: Do you know what a reactableis? You can see this particular electroacoustic instrument and many more in the music museum.
📍 c/de Lepant, 150
Museum of l’Hospitalet: Between 18 h. and 22 h. in the Museum of l’Hospitalet a big party with the bestiari of the city is celebrated. From 6 p.m. onwards, children’s and family workshop on Kapla construction, a French game made of small wooden sticks.
📍 Masia Can Riera (L’Hospitalet)
CosmoCaixa: Many activities, such as the planetarium, the dinosaur academy and the Espai Acadèmia will be totally free. However, these are activities that are already well attended during the rest of the year, so during the event they are also expected to be very successful among the family public.
📍 c/de Isaac Newton, 26
We recommend you to visit the nit de Museus website to see the complete Program, whether or not it requires prior reservation, and consult the schedules 🕒 Times of the activities and workshops offered in each of them.