Alkmaar’s first museum night a great success: “Museum Night 2023 will come anyway”

The 24-year-old organizer Zilver Dirks is still recovering from the ‘fantastic’ night, she tells NH Nieuws. “Unreal that it is now over. We have been working on this for a year.” In October last year the idea arose: Alkmaar, like every big city, needs a museum night!

The Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar immediately wanted to participate. After the financing by various funds had been completed, three more locations were sought.

For five euros and with a wristband you could visit the Kunstuitleen, the Grafisch Atelier and Hal25. “And everyone is really enthusiastic. It was busy in all places, but it was pleasantly busy,” says Zilver.

With the programming of exhibitions, music and activities, the twenty-something, together with Benjamin Hulsman (31) of the youth organization STAD, managed to sell 1,050 tickets and fill the Alkmaar museums with young people.

“Groups of young men in their twenties, young girls, thirty-somethings, alternative people, but also a slightly more Waagplein audience: the visitors were very diverse and we saw people we had never seen here before,” says Eva Groentjes of the Stedelijk Museum. know.

But the familiar faces were also present. One man in his eighties who comes to the museum every Sunday for coffee with his wife had bought a ticket on his own. “And he really participated in everything. Also with the young people. He thought it was fantastic. We are completely in the glory and nothing has broken at all.”

Throughout the Stedelijk Museum there was plenty to do from seven o’clock in the evening until midnight. All exhibition spaces of the Stedelijk Museum were open to the public. Here you could experience Virtual Reality, participate in ‘drawing under the influence’, view light installations and find a naked dancer. There was live music in the foyer.

Our media partner Alkmaar Centraal visited the four locations and made images.

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Artists such as North Hollander Thijs Boontjes, Goldkimono and Prins S. en de Geit played Hal25 on the Pettemerstraat yesterday. That was a bit of a stress in the run-up to the museum night, because these performances would actually be in the Grote Kerk.

“In the end, the sound requirements of the artists did not match the possibilities in the church,” says Benjamin van STAD. A few days before Museum Night, the decision was therefore made that he had to act quickly. “I called Ervin van Hal25 and he immediately said: let’s do it.”

In the Kunstuitleen, just outside the center, loud karaoke was sung, there was a drag show and you could get a tattoo. The Graphic Atelier Alkmaar on the Doelenstraat was the fourth location, with music and poetry.

Museum Night 2023

For organizer Silver, she also works at Cultuur KartelNow it’s time for some rest. “I’m going to travel in Nepal for two months. Hiking in the mountains, reading and meeting nice people. And when I’m back, I’m going to think again about what we can organize in Alkmaar next year. But the Museum Night in 2023 will come anyway.”

Then the organizers want to involve even more locations in Alkmaar, such as the Beatles Museum and the Grote Kerk. There are also plans for an after party.

The Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar shares the enthusiasm. “We loved it: there were people inside who we had never seen in the museum. While we were mopping the floor last night, we said to each other several times: the Museum Night is every year from now on. The foundation has been laid.”

Another event that young people from CITY organized was Dating on ice, on Valentine’s Day at the Alkmaar ice rink. View the report below.