After a successful pilot event in July 2016, Museum Night V&A Waterfront returns on the night of Wednesday 28 June, followed by a spring edition on 25 October, 2017. The event allows the public to access a diverse programme of museums until late, while also experiencing a curated programme of performances throughout the night.
About Museum Night
Museum Night is an initiative that aims to make the city’s cultural institutions more accessible, while developing local audiences for museums, and fostering higher engagement with art and culture. It is also a lively public experience that injects life into the city’s public spaces after hours. Museum Night V&A Waterfront is an initiative of Thursdays Projects, the team behind Cape Town’s popular First Thursdays, and the V&A Waterfront, with Iziko Museums of South Africa as a founding partner of the Museum Night project.
Half price tickets on the night
Most museum sites offer free admission to the public, with the Two Oceans Aquarium offering half price tickets on the night. Participating museums include Chavonnes Battery Museum, Robben Island Jetty 1, Iziko Maritime Centre, Cape Medical Museum, and the Springbok Experience Rugby Museum.
The much anticipated opening of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) will only take place in September, but attendees at the June edition of Museum Night can pre-purchase annual memberships and tickets to the opening.
The museum exhibition programme is supported by a full programme of performances and activities. Attendees can expect performances by members of the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Card on Spokes, Odwa Bongo, Sylvestre Kabassidi, and Angel-Ho, amongst others. Other attractions on the night include WALL Gallery, the Watershed, and half-price rides on the Cape Wheel.
Layered history
Capetonians are encouraged to explore another side of the Waterfront, and to consider its layered history, as well as that of Cape Town. The V&A Waterfront being a working commercial harbour makes it an especially interesting space for Museum Night to take place in.
On Museum Night V&A Waterfront most participating institutions free to the public between 5pm and 10pm. Tickets are not required for museum sites, and attendees simply need to show up. Attendees are encouraged to browse the full programme online before the event in order to decide where to start and what to focus on – www.museum-night.co.za
Museum Night V&A Waterfront is an extension of the Museum Night Cape Town project. The central city event in April 2017 recorded over 17 000 museum visits, with over 6 000 visitors recorded at the Iziko South African Museum alone. The organisers plan to continue developing the event platform into new areas, with an event in Johannesburg in the pipeline.
What: Museum Night
Where: V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
When: Wednesday 28 June, and 25 October, 2017
Programme: www.museum-night.co.za
WS
