Night at the museum: Britain's attractions to open their doors to nocturnal visitors

If you've ever dreamt of creeping into a museum after hours, Britain's best galleries and heritage sites are welcoming visitors to explore under cover of darkness this May.
As part of a European-wide festival celebrating the Continent's best cultural institutions, attractions both large and small will stay open for two nights from May 16 to May 18, allowing visitors to stalk the halls by moonlight.
From observatories to science museums and botanic gardens to stately homes, hundreds of places are getting involved by offering special tours and events and even sleepovers for the whole family.

After hours: Hundreds of museums will stay open in May to offer a unique cultural experience to visitors

Big city museums will be offering family-friendly activities and even the UK's smallest institutions will be getting involved in art trails, bat walks and murder mysteries.
In the Lancashire region, there will be a “Festival of Wonders”, with 20 events across six districts telling the story of the Pennine Lancashire area from medieval times to the Industrial Revolution.
Newcastle and Gateshead will be running their annual culture crawl The Late Shows, with more than 50 museums, galleries and venues hosting events.

Camping out: Young visitors prepare for a sleepover at the John Rylands Library in Manchester

Liverpool will again host Light Night, unlocking the doors of the city’s impressive arts and heritage venues late into the night, and other cities and towns getting involved include Bath, Dorchester, Norwich, Oxford and Grimsby.

 

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London's Design Museum is hosting a Christian Louboutin night, with a retrospective on the famous Parisian shoe shaper, while National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh, hosts a Dino Night with dinosaur themed activities and live music performances.

Set sail: The Golden Hinde, a reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake's galleon, will also take part in the nocturnal event in London

Ten of the UK’s leading contemporary artists, including Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed, Jake and sculptor and installation artist Richard Wentworth have already confirmed they will be putting on unique Museums at Night events across the country.
The whole celebration ties in with the European event La Nuit des Musées, which first started in France in 2005 and has spread to take in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Germany.
The Louvre in Paris will have film screenings and activities for children, while Barcelona's art galleries will be offering free entry over the weekend.