This year, the international Museum Night event in Liepāja will take place a day earlier than elsewhere in Latvia — on Friday, 22 May — and will surprise visitors with an extensive programme across all branches of the Liepāja Museum: at Kūrmājas Prospect 16/18, the Liepāja 17th–19th Century Interior Museum “Madame Hoyer’s Guest House” at Kungu Street 24, and the Liepāja Occupation Museum at K. Ukstiņa Street 7/9.
The initiative to organise the International Museum Night comes from France. This year, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, in cooperation with the Latvian National Committee of the International Council of Museums, has announced 23 May as the date of Museum Night in Latvia. However, as several major events will be taking place in Liepāja on that day — including the 2nd Latvian Youth Dance Festival, with several thousand participants, and the Līva Village Festival — Liepāja has been granted permission to hold its Museum Night event one day earlier, on 22 May.
On Friday, 22 May, from 17:00 to 01:00, the European Museum Night event “Stories. Night” will take place in Liepāja. It will be dedicated to the theme “The Adventures of an Object”, inspired by Rainis’ observation: “Even a rag was once a fine shirt.”
In Liepāja, this idea will be transformed into a multi-layered story about objects as witnesses to people’s lives, eras, and identities, inviting both Liepāja residents and visitors to experience Museum Night as a full-fledged weekend cultural event — with the opportunity to enjoy both the programme and the urban environment at a leisurely pace.
Over the course of one night, dozens of activities will take place throughout the city — from exhibitions and creative workshops to concerts, performances, and unexpected encounters with history. The programme will involve the Liepāja Museum, the Liepāja Occupation Museum, the Liepāja 17th–19th Century Interior Museum “Madame Hoyer’s Guest House”, educational institutions, and creative spaces, together forming a shared cultural route.
One of the central meeting points will be the garden of the Liepāja Museum, where, alongside free carousels for children, a concert programme will be held — ranging from young musicians to the evening’s highlight performance by the band “Carnival Youth”.
Meanwhile, in museum exhibitions and courtyards, objects will “come to life” in various formats — through stories, performances, music, and workshops. Visitors will be able to experience both reconstructions of historical atmospheres and contemporary interpretations that allow familiar exhibits to be seen in a new light.
For more convenient travel between venues, the night train “Libau Train” will operate, connecting the main stops across the city.
Participation in Museum Night events in Liepāja is free of charge.
More information about the European Museum Night in Liepāja 2026 programme is available.