Night at the museum

One of the most highly anticipated and popular events in the Moscow art calendar is held on the night of May 16 – May 17, when the city’s museums are open to the late hours and are free of charge.

The annual event is held all across Europe and draws millions of art lovers to some of Europe’s 2,200 museums.

It is conducted in the light of the International Museum’s Day on May 18, when all museums offer free entry.

Over 150 museums, private galleries and parks are involved in the far-reaching cultural event in Moscow, which proves popular especially among young people.

Those who chose to spend a night at the Museum of Modern Art on Petrovka will be able to meet face to face with one of Russia’s most sought-after young artists, Kirill Danelia. The night will turn wild after midnight when Andrey Bartenev’s student Sasha Frolova will present her avant-garde performance.

The Museum of Oriental Art features numerous treasures from Iran, India, Tibet and Mongolia as well as a concert of ethnic music and Indian dances.

It’s never too late to visit one of Russia’s best museums, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. On May 16, it will be open from 6pm to 9pm and, apart from its permanent exhibitions, will offer Renaissance music and dances.

Kirill Danelia, "The Greatest Hits"

The Tretyakov gallery is another must-see museum on the list. Open till 11.30pm it could be your late-night chance to catch on the exhibitions you’ve long wanted to visit but never had enough time to.

An old wine factory turned into an art center, Vinzavod is home to some of Russia’s most sophisticated galleries, such as XL, Aidan, Marat Gelman’s gallery. On May 16, the art area, often referred to as Russia’s Chelsea, features a number of theatrical performances, music concerts and exhibitions with festive celebrations till dawn.

Dasha Zhukova’s ‘Garazh’ is the biggest art gallery in Moscow. Open till 2 am, it is the leader in bringing some of the world’s most trailblazing artists to the capital.

Baibakov Art Projects promises the night of funky performances held in the former chocolate factory ‘Krasny Oktyabr’. You can also visit the so called ‘Sunday Up Market’ which features one-of-a-kind artworks by young designers as well as lectures on music and style. Museum’s night shopping is held from 11pm to 6am.

This will be the third “Night at the museum” to be held in the Russian capital. The very first “night” took place in 1999 in France.