International Museum Day 2023

Do you like going to the museum? Or maybe you only associate this place with boring school trips? Nowadays there are more and more interesting museum exhibitions on a number of topics available. Some of the most unusual museums in the world are for example: Museum of Bad Art, The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, International Spy Museum, The Mummy Museum, or Cancun Underwater Museum. There are many more interesting museums to visit, and the best time to do that is International Museum Day.

The day is observed annually on May 18 and since 1977 it is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The event is very interesting because it invites all of the museums in the world to take part every year, and the main theme of the observance also changes each year. For example, in year 2011 the theme was: Museum and memory; in 2016: Museums and Cultural Landscapes; and in 2020: Museum for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. Depending on the theme the museums are always trying to create unique activities connected with it, and to promote the role of all museums around the world. These activities may last one day, one weekend, or the whole week. The observance is obviously becoming more and more popular, because there are more museum visitors around the world right now than ever before.

How can you celebrate International Museum Day? Most importantly, try to visit as many interesting museums as you can. Take your friends or children with you. Show them, that museums do not have to be boring – you can learn a lot of interesting things! Even though nowadays you can find a lot of interesting historical facts online, you never know which of them are completely true. In the museum you can be sure. Share your visit reflections in the social media with appropriate hashtags and encourage everyone to visit a musem nearby or take a trip to some other interesting museum. All of these actions allow to raise general awareness about the importance of museums around the world. Without them, what would we know about the past and the present?

Did you know?

International Museum Day in 2020 was special. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many museums around the world were shut down on May, so it was impossible to celebrate the day as usual. For this reason, ICOM has created a special website dedicated to IMD 2020 to ensure the safety of the public and the staff. There were a lot of digital activities available to promote the theme: Museum for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. Digital banners and posters were also included.