The 19th edition of Museum Night will take place in Antwerp on Saturday 2 August 2025. From 7 PM until 1 AM, 20 museums across the city will open their doors for a curated evening programme of exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and performances. The event offers visitors the opportunity to experience museums in a different context and has become a fixture on the city’s cultural calendar.

Participating museums will offer a single access ticket for €20, or €15 in presale for visitors under 26. Ticket sales begin on Thursday 26 June via www.museumnacht.be. The evening’s programming is developed specifically for the occasion, with activities designed to engage a broad public during summer evening hours.

A myriad of activities

Among the more experimental events on offer, the AMUZ concert hall will host ‘White Flag‘ by Belgian singer Romain Dayez, a performance blending Gregorian chant, electronic soundscapes and classical influences. 

At the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp (M HKA), a full-dome projection will simulate a starry sky on the museum’s rooftop. The dome event is part of a broader space-themed programme featuring theremin music by Geert Hautekiet and a tribute to artist Paul van Hoeydonck’s ‘Fallen Astronaut‘.

Literary institutions are also contributing to the night. At the Letterenhuis, poet Lola Vermeer will lead a writing workshop where visitors create poetic reviews for Google Maps, while old typewriters and theatre costumes will be brought to life by the Dwaas collective. 

Museum De Reede will host a short-form storytelling workshop with author Marieke Van Hooff. At DIVA, stand-up comedian Quinten Friederichs will provide commentary on selected museum pieces.

Other institutions are blending art and culinary experience. The Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library is collaborating with artist Nico Dockx and InstroomArt to create a dish inspired by rare books and art editions. The result will be presented as a performance involving food, narrative and visual elements.

Live music and performance are present throughout the evening. Visitors can attend an intimate concert by LOïS in the Photo Museum (FOMU), take part in a quilting workshop at the Fashion Museum (MoMu), or experience interactive inflatable sculptures at the Red Star Line Museum. These are the work of artists Loulou João and Shirley Villavicencio Pizango, who will also share their stories as part of the installation.

The Museum Plantin-Moretus will offer an outdoor concert on the Vrijdagmarkt, and Het Steen will present a wordless sunset dance party with RADIO KARIBU.

The independent art space Het Bos will showcase young talent with music, theatre driven by artificial intelligence, and a Japanese onigiri workshop. 

Visitors to the Snijders&Rockoxhuis will hear soprano Elise Caluwaerts and harpist Anke de Gersem in a performance of intimate vocal works. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) will host DJ sets by ISIS, Romi Lunas and Ninette, as well as drop-in drawing workshops with live models.

Guided tours and short introductions to artworks — referred to as ‘speed tours’ and ‘blind dates’ — will be available throughout the evening. 

Young artists will also present interventions in the participating museums as part of the AmuseeVous platform. Accessibility remains a focus for organisers, with part of the programme offered in Flemish Sign Language and led by deaf guides, developed in collaboration with the Flemish Sign Language Centre.

Antwerp’s alderwoman for Culture, Lien Van de Kelder (Vooruit), described the event as a chance to experience the city in a unique way: “For me, Museum Night is the moment to dive into the city with friends for an evening full of culture and surprises. Cycling along 20 museums and cultural venues with a free Vélo day pass and entering everywhere with just one wristband — amazing. Our cultural sector in Antwerp is thriving, and you’ll feel it more than ever on this night, with a banging afterparty at De Studio. Food and drink for the mind and body — and when the sun rises again, you get a €5 discount on a Museum Pass to explore our museums all year long. Be there!”

Antwerp Queer Choir and Antwerp Queer Arts Festival

Some museums will reopen temporarily or use off-site locations. The Rubens House, currently closed for renovation, will grant access to its garden during the evening. The programme includes bingo, a ‘lying down concert’ by musician Mattias Devriendt and a performance by the Antwerp Queer Choir. 

The Museum At the Stream (MAS) will also host a collaborative programme with the Antwerp Queer Arts Festival (AQAF), focusing on queer narratives through performance and music.

Butchers’ Hall

Although also closed for renovation, Museum Vleeshuis will convert its vacant offices into a space for live illustration. Local artists Nina Aerts, Auwnanas and Niet Nu Laura will create murals and invite the public to contribute. 

The Mayer van den Bergh collection, including Pieter Bruegel’s ‘Mad Meg’, will be on view at Maagdenhuis, where Zahra and Hind Eljadid will perform a spoken-word piece connecting visual art with literature.

Mobility

Organisers are also working to facilitate visitor mobility. A combination ticket is available for a guided bike tour between museums, led by city guides from Expeditie De Stad. 

Museum Night tickets include a free day pass for Vélo Antwerp, valid for 24 hours, and discounts are available for electric scooter rentals through Bolt and bike rentals via Donkey Republic. A free app, ‘Museumnacht Antwerpen‘, is available on Android and iOS for planning routes, checking crowd levels, and marking favourites.

Practical

Visitors unable to see all venues in one night can return later in the month. A wristband from Museum Night grants free admission to one participating museum or partner discounts through 31 August 2025. It also offers a €5 discount on a new Museum Pass.

The 20 participating venues this year include AMUZ, Cinema Lumière, DIVA, Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library, FOMU, Het Bos, Het Steen, KMSKA, Letterenhuis, M HKA, MAS, MoMu, Museum De Reede, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Museum Plantin-Moretus, Museum Vleeshuis, Red Star Line Museum, Rubenshuis, St. Andrew’s Church and Snijders&Rockoxhuis. 

The full programme can be found at www.museumnacht.be or in the official app.

In short

Museum Night will take place on Saturday 2 August 2025 from 7 PM to 1 AM. The official afterparty will be held at De Studio from 11 PM until 5 AM, with last admission at 4 AM. Tickets go on sale 26 June online and will be available at Het Steen from 22 July, depending on availability.

Art and museums in Antwerp

• ANTWERP | Middelheim Museum celebrates 75 years with a summer full of new ways to experience the art park.
• M HKA 2025 |​ Bruno Zhu – Panamarenko – ‘The Situation is Fluid’ – Today’s Place – Hugo Roelandt.
• FOMU 2025 | Chrystel Mukeba – Katja Mater – Lee Miller – Mashid Mohadjerin.
• ANTWERP | ‘Panamarenko. Infinite Imagination’ exhibition until 4 May 2025 at KMSKA.
• ANTWERP | ‘Compassion’ in the MAS: the many faces of compassion.
• 2025 at the museums of Antwerp.
• 2025 at Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp (KMSKA): René Magritte, Marthe Donas, Panamarenko, Hans Op de Beeck.
• ANTWERP | Graphics Museum De Reede ft. Francisco Goya, Edvard Munch, Félicien Rops and Albrecht Dürer.
• ANTWERP | Rubens Experience and Rubens Garden at Rubenshuis.
• Antwerp will have a new Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp M HKA.
• ANTWERP | Innovations in the Middelheim Museum provide a completely new visitor experience.
• A visit of the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum – Vlaams Tram- en Autobusmuseum (VlaTAM) in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Discovering queer(ed) art with the Queer Tour at the KMSKA fine arts museum.
• REVIEW | Illusion Antwerpen, an active and photogenic museum.
• Antwerp museums and sports facilities team up with European Disability Card for accessible leisure activities.
• Museum Mayer van den Bergh.
• ANTWERP | Inside Rubens House.
• Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp.
• ANTWERP | Museum Vleeshuis up for restoration.
• BOOK | ‘Antwerp. An Archaeological View on the Origin of the City’ by Tim Bellens.
• Red Star Line Museum.
• Paleis op de Meir. 
• DIVA, Antwerp Home of Diamonds.
• ANTWERP | Red Star Line Museum of (e)migration.

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• ANTWERP QUEER ARTS FESTIVAL 2025 | ‘QueerPassion’, inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach.
• ANTWERP PRIDE 2025 THEME | Do Not Just March.
• Antwerp Pride 2025’s theme: “Do not just march! Listen. Understand. Commit.”.
• Antwerp Queer Arts Festival broadens horizon to Bruges and Leuven.
• Antwerp Pride 2025 from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 August.

Darklands 2025-2026

• Darklands organiser calls out unnecessary rules other events aren’t subjected to.
• GAY ANTWERP | Darklands 2026 becomes Beyond Darklands.
• GAY ANTWERP | Darklands 2026 changes name and concept, but keeps Waagnatie as venue.
• Darklands 2025 aims at actively welcoming FLINTA people.
• DARKLANDS 2025 | Programme & schedule highlights.
• Darklands 2025 drops token payment system in favour of top-up Darkband.
• ANTWERP | Darklands to leave Waagnatie after 2025.
• Darklands 2025 from Tuesday 25 February until Monday 3 March.
• Darklands 2025 theme: ‘Darklands Glows’, stays at Waagnatie until 2030.