Museums unite for 2012 Festival of Museums cultural showcase

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This May will see the return of Festival of Museums, one of Scotland’s most innovative and exciting programmes designed to ignite imaginations and celebrate Scotland’s wealth of culture.

This year’s Festival of Museums will be staged over the weekend 18 – 20 May. The Festival coincides with other Europe-wide celebrations of the many eclectic cultural experiences offered to visitors by museums and galleries including Museums at Night.
Last year over 70 museums around Scotland staged daytime or evening events and the Festival organisers, Museums Galleries Scotland, are encouraging more museums to get involved in 2012. Confirmed events so far will see visitors enjoying a rare opportunity to hold some of the most precious items in Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling, including the oldest football in the world. There will be night-time events in Lismore and Kinneil Museum and Aberdeen and following the roaring success of their 1920s inspired event last year, the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum in Dunfermline has lined up a 1950’s inspired event.

With Scotland and the wider UK population continuing to record an upward trend for holidaying at home, the 2012 Festival of Museums promises to once again offer daylight and nocturnal experiences for young and old alike and provide a platform for local, regional and national museums to engage with people across the country.

Joanne Orr, Chief Executive of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “Festival of Museums allows museums and galleries nationwide to collaborate on this celebration of Scotland’s living culture while simultaneously highlighting to people how museums and galleries offer great-value days out, all year round.”

Joanne continued: “We invite all museums and galleries in Scotland to get involved in delivering what promises to be an entertaining and stimulating weekend. Through partnership working we strive to create a packed events-programme that offers something for everyone, and showcases the very best of what our museums and galleries have to offer.”

Malcolm Roughead, OBE, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, added: “The Year of Creative Scotland is a chance to spotlight, celebrate and promote Scotland’s cultural and creative strengths, and this project gives an excellent opportunity for people to get involved from all areas of the country.”

The Festival of Museums events programme will be available to explore online from March at www.festivalofmuseums.com..

If you are from a museum and would like to take part visit our pages on Festival of Museums

Press enquiries to PR & Events Manager

Published
14th Feb 2012

Region
Aberdeen City & Shire
Angus and Dundee
Argyll, The Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling & Trossachs
Ayrshire & Arran
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The Outer Hebrides
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National

Publisher
MGS