European Night of Museums in Avignon

This national event is organized by the French Ministry of Culture. Every year, the European Museum Night is an opportunity to take part in a host of unique events. The next edition will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Join us at dusk in all the city's museums, for a rich and original program of free admission. The program includes PETIT PALAIS MUSEUM - LOUVRE EN AVIGNON Starting at 7pm "Children's words The class, the work! at the Musée du Petit Palais For European Museum Night, Madame Pons' CE2 class from the Joseph Lhermitte school in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon invites you to discover the "Mots d'enfants" project. The pupils visited the Musée du Petit Palais - Louvre in Avignon on five occasions to discover our collection of Italian primitives, and worked in class to write small labels. The aim of this project is to enable them to approach art in a different way, by developing their sensitivity, observation skills and written expression. Let yourself be surprised and explore the Petit Palais - Louvre en Avignon museum from a child's point of view... Free MUSEE DES BAINS POMMER During your visit, give yourself a friendly break: let your creativity run free and share a moment of exchange before leaving with your "memories of the baths". A cultural mediator will be on hand from 6pm to 9:30pm to guide you through a creative workshop introducing you to postal art - the art of sending decorated letters - and a "special Pommer baths" coloring workshop to share. Free admission. Subject to availability. Open to all. CALVET MUSEUM At 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm, 8:30pm and 9pm Family whirlwind tour A journey through color in ancient Egypt Papyrus, figurines, wooden sarcophagi: a rich palette of colors! On this short tour, you'll discover their use and significance in ancient Egypt. Free Ages 6 and up No reservation required. Subject to availability LAPIDARY MUSEUM At 7pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm and 9:15pm Family workshop visit The Protomagia or spring festival at the Musée Lapidaire Use the museum's collections to discover this Greek festival celebrating rebirth. You'll plunge into a world where symbols and nature were closely linked, and where divinities such as Demeter and the nymphs played a key role. For this celebration of spring, you can create your own flower crowns. Free For 6-12 year-olds accompanied by an adult No reservation required. Subject to availability. PALAIS DU ROURE At 7pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm and 9:15pm Illuminated only by the soft light of lanterns, let yourself be guided into the heart of the Palais du Roure for a unique and unusual visit of the second floor, which will be exceptionally open to you. Free Ages 6 and up By reservation: reservation.palaisduroure@mairie-avignon.com / 04 13 60 50 01 MUSEUM REQUIEN Get out of the mutants in time! For Museums' Night, you're invited to the Requien Museum for an original scientific escape game dedicated to the oddities of zoology. Throughout the game, you'll take a close-up look at specimens with malformations, whose anatomical details - lizard with forked tail, deer with multiple antlers, color anomalies, etc. - become the keys to your puzzles. By carefully examining these organisms, you explore their origins: genetic mutations, developmental disturbances or environmental factors. Your powers of observation and logic will guide you through clues inspired by genetics and embryology within the allotted time! 2 sessions: For 14-17 year-olds: from 7:30pm to 8:30pm For 18-25 year-olds: from 9pm to 10pm Free Reservations required: reservation.requien@mairie-avignon.com / 04.13.60.51.20 COLLECTION LAMBERT - 6pm to 9pm: Opening of exhibitions Kim Gordon - Stories for a body Shilpa Gupta, Geumhyung Jeong, Jumana Manna - Le murmure des Libres Summer antechamber: Melika Sadeghzadeh - Holding on to oneself Intergenerational performance To mark Nuit des Musées, the Collection Lambert hosts a collective, intergenerational performance on the theme of taking care of oneself. The fruit of several workshops with artists Charlie Aubry and Maroussia Rebecq, this project brings together students from the Inspire micro-school and residents of Maison Paisible. Together, they explored the gesture of dressing as a moment of dignity, attention and appreciation of bodies: a way of taking care of oneself and others, celebrating singularities, and transforming the time of dressing into a ceremonial of transmission. ANGLADON MUSEUM From 7pm to 9pm A hanging exercise led by Alexandra Siffredi, Museum mediator, with children from the Atelier, highlights the works of the Museum's founders, Jean Angladon (1906-1979) and his wife Paulette Martin (1905-1988), who were students at the École d'art d'Avignon, artists and collectors. Single admission charge: €3 / Free for under-25s LE GRENIER A SEL Until 11pm * Escape Game "The Price of Salt You've been falsely accused of stealing salt and imprisoned. Can you escape and prove your innocence? At 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 5:30pm Duration: 45 minutes Ages 12 and up 3 per person Reservations strongly recommended * Guided tours of the "Des raisonnements déraisonnables" exhibition Through visual and sound installations, Julien Prévieux explores the question of language as a power structure, particularly in the age of artificial intelligence. At 4:30pm and 7pm Duration: 45 minutes Free, no reservation required * "Chess battle" in the heart of the exhibition spaces Do you dare challenge an artificial intelligence to a game of chess? An event to echo Julien Prévieux's "Des reliquats d'attention". From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm Free, no reservation required LOUIS VOULAND MUSEUM 7pm to 11pm * Heritage ambassadors 7pm to 9pm "The class, the work! For all Tonight, 5th graders from Collège Saint-Michel are ambassadors of culture and heritage at the Musée Vouland. In groups of 2, 3 or 4, they welcome young and old alike, and present the Chinese bedroom, the boudoir, cupboards, sculptures, paintings, Louis Vouland and the garden. Discover the museum, the "On dirait le Sud" exhibition and the garden, with family or friends, with Ilian, Anu, Joe, Lila, Faustine, Marta, Andrea, Daren, Pola, Hanaé, Léa, Léa, Théo, Ara, Baptiste, Gabriel, Agathe, Selma, Naïa, Summer, Valentine, Louna, Ritage, Fares, laida, Iyad, Maëlys, Tom, Eugénie, Elliott, Evalyne, Giosue, Darren. * at 9pm flash visit (approx. 15 minutes) Lina Lajoinie, civic service volunteer mediator In the 18th century, exotic hot drinks were appreciated by high society. We'll be looking at cups, pourers and other porcelain and silverware objects that reflect this new taste (without offering a tasting!). * Preventive conservation? At 9.15pm flash visit (approx. 15 minutes) Thomas Rumeau, trainee mediator Discreet but essential, preventive conservation silently watches over museum works. Controlled light and humidity, careful handling... everything is designed to slow down the effects of time... * A taste for China At 9.30pm flash visit (approx. 15 minutes) Lina Lajoinie, volunteer mediator An astonishing collection of objects from Asia is on display at the museum! Visitors will discover porcelain, vases with phoenix or dragon motifs, and delicate floral sculptures brought over from China on the sea routes of the East India Companies, before marvelling at the furniture in the Chinese Chamber. This tour explores the themes of trade and cultural exchange with the Far West, while evoking unique materials and techniques. * Museum professions At 9:45pm flash visit (approx. 15 minutes) Thomas Rumeau, trainee mediator What are the jobs in museums? Who works to preserve, study, welcome and bring heritage to life for the public? A behind-the-scenes look at the museum... * In the boudoir... At 10pm flash visit (approx. 15 minutes) Odile Guichard, Director Based on the model of the boudoir created by Anna Berdnikova in 2025, we'll take a look at Joseph Chinard's late 18th-century modello of the monument to Bayard. Participation free & in solidarity.