More than 217 Latvian museums and other public organizations will welcome visitors free of charge on May 18 for Museum Night, offering a variety of events.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Latvian museums participating in the International Night of Museums, according to the Ministry of Culture.
In Riga and its surrounding area, over 80 cultural sites will open their doors to visitors during Museum Night, up from 57 locations last year.
Across 136 regions, municipalities, private museums, and non-governmental organizations have organized engaging activities. Visitors in Vidzeme can attend events at 38 cultural sites on the evening and night of May 18, while in Kurzeme, 36 places will be open to visitors. In Latgale, there will be 37 locations, and in Zemgale, 25 cultural venues will participate.
“Museum Night has become a beloved and popular event over the past 20 years, with around a quarter million residents in Latvia enjoying the variety of nighttime cultural events in a summer mood. Not only museums, but a wide range of institutions will open their doors to visitors during the evening. The number of participants continues to grow as new organizations join in.
“This year, International Museum Day and Museum Night coincide, offering more opportunities to visit museums without a rush. Many museums will be open for free all day, as is customary on International Museum Day. Museums will announce this on their information channels, so we encourage everyone to check out the offerings and enjoy the events,” said Uldis Zariņš, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture for Cultural Policy.
