The 17th edition of the Brussels Museum Nocturnes begins this evening. It will be held every Thursday evening until the 7th of December, with five to seven museums offering special activities at the same time, from 5p.m. to 10 p.m. either for free or at three euros per person. Sixty-eight museums are taking part, as against 69 last year, when a total of 18,500 persons visited the Nocturnes.
The event kicks off this evening with a free art exhibition at the Fonderie (Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour) and the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA), located on the quays at Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. A village of museums will enable visitors to discover the institutions participating in this edition.
This year’s newcomers are the House of European History, the GardeRobe Manneken-Pis (Manneken-Pis Wardrobe) and the D'Ieteren Gallery. The Wiertz Museum, Jewish Museum of Belgium, Porte de Hal, Brussels Tram Museum and the Museum of Instruments of Music (MIM) are back after a years-long absence.
During the autumn school vacation, on the 2nd of November, the Nocturne will be geared towards children, with the “Hop!” Exhibition at the Ixelles Museum, the cookery workshop at the Musée bruxellois du Moulin et de l'Alimentation, which will be devoted to waffles and potatoes, and the Manneken-Pis Wardrobe.
The Nocturnes will be largely organized within the same neighbourhood, and food and drinks on show will also be available on the margin of the activities. On Thursday 21 September, the evening will take place more specifically on the Ixelles Corner at the D'Ieteren Gallery, Civa Foundation, Museum of Fantastic Art and the Meunier Museum (Royal Fine Arts Museum of Belgium), as well as the Van Buuren Museum and Gardens in Uccle. The Civa Foundation will offer DJ sets to accompany a live stream of concerts held in various emblematic sites in Brussels.
The Nocturnes will close on Thursday 7 December in only four museums so as to bring the public close together. These are the Archives and Museum for Flemish Life, the Belgian Chocolate Village, Librarium and the MIM, which will feature a live concert of popular Estonian music.
The Brussels Times
