On Saturday night, May 14, Rigans and visitors to the city went out to enjoy the annual Night of Museums together with their family and friends, alone or in small groups. Various museums and other cultural venues were open to the public well into the night. 

The long and winding lines in front of museums became a meeting point. You could take a slow walk through forty museums and dozens of other cultural venues. In Riga, the Night of Museums attracted 178,714 visitors, which beats last year's record by about 10,000.

Museums had various entertaining programmes, along with their regular exhibitions on display and narration by staff members. In the Menzendorff's House you had a chance to find out about the origin of coffee and taste the most delicious ones. The Latvian Fire-Fighting Museum introduced fire-safety rules. The Latvian National Museum of Art presented its history and rich permanent collection. The Porcelain Museum held porcelain painting workshops while the War and History Museum offered a unique chance to go underground and see what Riga looks like beneath the streets. Each museum had a special attraction for the Night of Museums programme. 

The Night of Museums 2011 saw not only museums but also other cultural venues unlocking their doors for special evening events: jazz and electronic music performances at Spīķeri,  free entrance to President's residence Riga Castle, Latvian Parliament Saeima building, Bank of Latvia and more. 

The Night of Museums will also be held in Riga next year, so come and enjoy this historic-cultural event in contemporary atmosphere!