Five ways to celebrate International Museum Day in the UAE

Museums and attractions will offer free entry and special activities to mark the occasion

Louvre Abu Dhabi will be offering free entry on International Museum Day. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Entry to the Mobility pavilion at Expo City Dubai will be free on Friday. Ruel Pableo for The National

Terra, The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo City Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Night view of Terra - The Sustainability Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai. Photo: Expo 2020 Dubai

Al Shindagha Museum in Dubai will offer free entry on Thursday. Pawan Singh / The National

Entry to Etihad Museum will be free on International Museum Day. Photo: Dubai Culture & Arts Authority

International Museum Day is on Thursday and many institutions will be offering free entry for visitors.

The event, co-ordinated by the International Council of Museums, first took place in 1977 with tens of thousands of museums across more than 140 countries participating. Each year a different theme is highlighted that reflects upon issues that museums face globally.

Since 2020, the focus of the day has been Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting the role of cultural institutions in shaping green futures through educational programmes, exhibitions, community outreach and research.

The theme for this year’s iteration is Museums, Sustainability and Well-being. To mark the occasion, here are five museums in the UAE celebrating International Museum Day.

Louvre Abu Dhabi

Louvre Abu Dhabi will be offering free entry to UAE residents on Thursday. Located on Saadiyat Island, the museum has a permanent collection featuring the likes of Edouard Manet, Paul Gauguin, as well as artefacts that are thousands of years old, including the Ain Ghazal statues from Jordan, which are the oldest large-scale human statues ever discovered.

The museum also has on loan several landmark pieces from art history, including Leonardo da Vinci’s St John the Baptist. The galleries, exhibitions and boutique will remain open until 8.30pm. The restaurants and dome will close at midnight.

www.louvreabudhabi.ae

Expo City Dubai

Expo City Dubai is offering visitors free entry to all of its flagship pavilions on Friday. The celebration includes curated educational programmes and a treasure hunt across seven attractions.

The offer also encompasses Alif – the Mobility Pavilion, Terra – the Sustainability Pavilion, The Women's and Vision Pavilions, as well as the three Stories of Nations Pavilions.

Activities planned for the day include climate-focused film screenings and informative tours at Terra, as well as a Lego workshop at Alif where participants can build robot hands to learn about motors, sensors and engineering principles. Craft activities will be available for all ages at the Women's and Vision Pavilions.

www.expocitydubai.com

Al Shindagha Museum

Located in the Dubai Creek area, Al Shindagha Museum offers insight into the city’s history, charting its many transformations over the centuries.

The museum is a celebration of Emirati heritage and culture. It features interactive videos, touch displays and photographs to give visitors a deeper, layered understanding of the city.

The museum is offering free entry on Thursday.

alshindagha.dubaiculture.gov.ae

Sharjah Museums

Sharjah Museums will be holding several workshops across its venues to celebrate the sustainability-related theme. The activities will be held from Thursday until May 25. Furthermore, all museums across Sharjah will be free to enter on International Museum Day.

A paper windmill workshop will be held at Al Mahatta Museum at 5pm on Friday. Participants will learn how to make paper windmills to help them determine the direction of the wind. Another workshop will detail how to build a car model powered by hydrogen and charged by solar energy. The workshop will be held at the Sharjah Science Museum on Thursday at 5pm, as well as May 22 and May 23 at 10am.

There will also be several recycling workshops held in different locations across Sharjah Museums, each dealing with different materials, including paper and fabrics.

www.sharjahmuseums.ae

Etihad Museum

Originally named the Union House, Etihad Museum is located in Jumeirah where the founding fathers of the UAE signed the declaration that marked the country’s formation in 1971.

The manuscript-shaped building has eight permanent pavilions, which employ interactive technology to narrate the UAE’s foundational history.

The museum is free for visitors on Thursday.

etihadmuseum.dubaiculture.gov.ae