Lleida will host its 18th annual Night of Museums on Saturday, 16 May, with twelve museums and cultural institutions opening their doors until midnight and offering various activities across the city.
This year's event includes a full programme of activities for all ages and open house sessions, according to the Paeria (Lleida city council). The Night of Museums is a European initiative, supported by the French Ministry of Culture, ICOM, and the Council of Europe, which sees museums open simultaneously at night to promote a shared international cultural experience. Lleida joins a network of nearly 3,000 museums in around thirty countries through this initiative.
Over the years, the event has offered hundreds of activities and exhibitions, attracting many visitors. It has allowed residents to rediscover the city's heritage and enjoy diverse, original, and creative cultural proposals, officials said.
Morera Museum and Lleida Museum Highlights
The Morera Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Lleida will be open from 8pm to midnight. Visitors can see the exhibitions “Contrapastoral. Art and Peasantry” and “Roots and Horizons. More than a Century of Art.” The museum will also feature Mónica Rikić's large-format immersive installation Psychoflage in El Pati, and Alba G. Corral's audiovisual piece Bernat pescaire listening to Suso. At 8.30pm, Pep Aymerich will present the artistic action CADIRA. From Nature to Measure, an artwork where the artisanal process becomes a harmonious experience uniting nature and craft.
The Museum of Lleida will also open from 8pm to midnight, offering access to the temporary exhibition “Instruments of the Soul. Matter and Spirit in Medieval Catalonia.” Guided tours are scheduled for 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm, requiring prior booking. At 6pm, the exhibition “Mascançà: Checkmate at the Border” will open, a project developed with INS La Serra de Mollerussa. A live chess game with students from the institute will take place at 7pm in the Museum Square. A family workshop, The Power of an Amulet, will run from 8.30pm to 10.30pm in the audiovisual room. Ponent Roots will perform a concert at 10.30pm in the Museum Square, where a food truck from La Gorgona will be available from 7pm.
Art, Automotive, and Water Museums
Centre d’Art La Panera will be open from 5pm to midnight, featuring exhibitions such as “Cristina Mejías. Learning by Ear: Silent Singers,” “Joan Pallé. The Unhappy Young,” “Oscar Holloway. Atlas,” “Gemma París. On the Margins,” and “Julia Ocker. Hello, Animanimals!” A family activity, Where Play Intertwines, is scheduled from 5pm to 7pm, proposing exploration, creation, and transformation of the Centre's outdoor space into three large participatory installations, which requires prior booking. Roser Sanjuan, director, and Antoni Jové, exhibitions coordinator, will lead guided tours from 8pm to 10pm. At 8.30pm and 9.30pm, the artistic action What Vibrates Between Us will take place, a performative act with five voices, including Fito Conesa, focusing on the body as a site of vibration.
The Roda Roda Lleida Automotive Museum will open until midnight, showing its permanent collection and “A Car Made in Lleida,” about the artisanal construction of a new van from a 1968 Siata Ebro. At 8pm, Xavi Jiménez will give a talk explaining the van's construction process, its origin, current status, and completion timeline, followed by a practical demonstration of the bodywork.
The Water Museum will be open from 8pm to midnight. At the La Canadenca Camp, a talk titled Let's Prepare for the Eclipse! will be held at 9.30pm, followed by astronomical observation from 10.15pm to 11.45pm, with telescopes set up in the museum garden. Both activities are organised by the Lleida Astronomical Society. At Molí de Sant Anastasi, a storytelling session, The Mill Goblin, will start at 8pm, in collaboration with the Bordeta Neighbourhood Association, and a guided tour at 10pm. The Pla de l’Aigua Reservoir will also open its doors, allowing visitors to discover the impressive 18th-century water reservoir at night.
Historical Sites and Other Cultural Venues
La Seu Vella will offer open access from 9pm to midnight. At 9.30pm, it will host the concert Sounds of Peace by the Cor Jove de l'Orfeó Lleidatà, directed by Bernat Giribert. This musical proposal aims to build bridges between global communities by promoting a culture of peace.
The Templar Castle of Gardeny will offer guided tours at 7.30pm, 8pm, 8.30pm, and 9pm, exploring the history of the castle and the Order of the Temple. Prior registration is required by calling 973 700 319 or emailing [email protected].
The Lleida City Council Exhibition Hall will be open from 8pm to midnight for the exhibition “Footprints. Sculptures by Miguel Ángel González.” His sculptures reflect the relationship between body and soul and a love for humanity and knowledge.
CaixaForum Lleida will be open from 5pm to midnight. Visitors can explore “Talking Brains,” an interactive journey into the brain to understand the origin and evolution of language, advised by experts. A family visit to the exhibition is at 5pm, and a guided tour at 6pm, both requiring prior registration. Iscle and Magalí Datzira will perform a jazz-inspired concert at 7pm, 8pm, and 9pm.
Fundació Sorigué will open from 8pm to midnight for the exhibition “Fundació Sorigué Collection,” featuring works from its collection, many shown for the first time. In the library space, The Times of Colour, a video by Patricia Gómez and María Jesús González, will be screened every 30 minutes, collecting stories linked to abandoned farmhouses in Córdoba province.
At the Lleida Provincial Council's Graphic Arts Thematic Room, guided tours of the exhibition “The Origins of Graphic Arts” will be held at 6pm, 8pm, and 10.15pm, requiring prior registration. A combined visit option for the Graphic Arts Thematic Room and Espai Porta will be available. Espai Porta will offer guided tours at 6.45pm, 7.45pm, 9.45pm, and 10.45pm to its permanent exhibition, showcasing the photographic work and methods of the Porta photographers, who were key figures in Lleida's professional photography for over sixty years. Prior registration is also needed for these tours.
