International Museum Day (and night) in Madrid

May 18th is international museum day, when museums around the world coordinate with the International Council of Museums to promote art and culture through free entrances and special events.

Here in Madrid more than a few museums have chosen to participate. The official celebration will happen at the Museum of Natural Sciences, which will offer free admission throughout the day. In the evening there will be a conference there at 19:00 p.m. by scientific researcher Pablo Vargas titled ” Biodiversity in the tree of life”.

Other cultural events and performances will take place in some of the city’s main museums: The Thyssen Bornemisza will offer free entrance for all its exhibits; apart from the impressive permanent collection its current temporary exhibit is entitled Monet and Abstraction, which delves into the artist’s role in influencing contemporary abstract art. Meanwhile the Prado Museum has organized two performances of the musical comedy !oh, que mala cosa! by eighteenth century playwright Blas de Laserna, a typical play from Spain’s celebrated Goyesco period. There will be two performances–one at 12:00 p.m. and another at 19:o0 p.m.–for a general admission of 5 euros.

This is not all however, for Madrid has a little tradition of its own: Saturday the 15th is the La Noche de los Museos, this time a night filled with events and free admissions. Among the highlight is the Thyssen, which has confirmed it will be free and open until one in the morning. Also, the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas will hold a Festival de Cosplay, a display of contemporary Japanese costumes (you know those Japanese teens that dress bombastically like dragon ball or final fantasy characters? thats it). It will be open from 20:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. For a complete list of museums participating and their scheduled activities click here.

So if you’re an art buff or have an itch to get into that whole wide world, there are only a few chances one is offered the opportunity for free.

By Daniel Sznajderman