Head out on an atmospheric after-dark adventure with the family at this fun-packed annual event
Do you have a child who loves adventure and discovery?
Make a beeline for Twilight at the Museums, Cambridge’s evening of exploring museums with the family. Running during half-term on 15 February, the event offers a fun and inspiring journey through some of Cambridge’s world-class museum collections from around the globe.
Between 4.30pm and 7.30pm on the day, families can drop in and enjoy a huge range of activities and themed trails. There are 13 museums and collections to choose from, plus outdoor entertainment and pop-up food stalls – so plenty to sustain your curiosity!
With low lighting and a few surprises along the way, you’ll be in for a night of torch-led wonder, as event co-ordinator Susan Miller explains. “This year’s Twilight at the Museums is all about spending time in exciting new places and discovering family activities, many of which are available all year round.
“We hope that families see it as an opportunity to have fun together with the collections in an atmospheric dark setting. Everyone loves exploring with a torch!”
You could take a trip to the Museum of Classical Archaeology to uncover The Secrets of the Statues, or go to the nearby University Library where visitors become Explorers of the Curious, tasked with finding mysterious objects in the dark and discovering the magical stories behind them.
Downing Street offers a number of happenings, from MAA versus the Wild at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to a hunt for objects of strange shapes and sizes at the Whipple Museum of the History of Science.
The Fitzwilliam Museum combines with Kettle’s Yard to create a treasure box of Twilight delights including live art with light, pop-up creativity and special performances in the galleries.
For those in need of some tropical warmth, take a stroll to the Botanic Garden’s dramatically lit glasshouses, where visitors can make their own mandala to take home.
Beyond the University Museums, All Saints Church will be turning visitors into gruesome gargoyles, the Museum of Cambridge will be offering Victorian storytelling and candle-making workshops, and Cambridge Museum of Technology needs help solving a terrible crime.
You can pick up or download a copy of the Twilight at the Museums what’s on leaflet at the website.
www.museums.cam.ac.uk/twilight
Twighlight Highlights
Gruesome Gargoyles
All Saints Church, Jesus Lane
Become a bizarre beast for the night. Make a mask and search the church on a trail.
www.visitchurches.org.uk/cambridge
Victorian Twilight
Museum of Cambridge, Castle Street
Join History off the Page for candle-making and storytelling. Make a traditional dipped candle 4.30-5.30pm and 6-7pm. Storytelling is 5.30pm and 7pm. Drop in, but there is a limited capacity.
Fabulous Fossils and where to Find Them
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Downing Street
Uncover finds under special light and see what else is lurking in the dark showcases. Queues are likely.
MAA versus the Wild
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing Street
MAA will show you how humans have survived and even thrived. See ancient weapons, clever tools and canoes that have travelled miles.
Polar Nights
The Polar Museum, Lensfield Road
Experience the darkness of a polar winter and discover amazing objects.
The Curious Affair at the Pumping Station
Cambridge Museum of Technology, Cheddars Lane
Can you prevent a fiendish crime? Hunt down and solve the clues before it’s too late!