For several years, ICOM has been patronizing the European Night of Museums, an event following International Museum Day in the spirit of an all-day and all-night museum week-end.

The European Night of Museums was created in 2005 by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. During a late-night opening, visitors can discover, for free, museums’ collections and all the special events organised for the festival.

The European Night of Museums aims to make museums more accessible to the general public while attracting a new, younger target. This festive and friendly event gathers the European museum community around one motto: museum for all!

The Council of Europe and UNESCO are patronizing the European Night of Museums, and the French Federation of Societies of Friends of Museums and the Réunion des musées nationaux (French National Museum Alliance, RMN) are institutional partners of the event.