"The celebration of the summer solstice is traditional a time for 'laying cultic fires', as lighting a fire on Midsummer Night was believed to protect against illnesses. The Long Night of Museums protect us from oblivion, its imaginary fire illuminates our accumulated values and brings them again under spotlight.

This year, thousands of programmes await visitors at more than 300 venues throughout the country. Several institutions have already joined in the events of previous years, but fortunately, there are always new institutions also willing to do so, who take on the tasks of organization.

By now, the event outgrew itself, libraries, archives, theatres and cultural centres also offer programmes at this night. The goal is common: to lure the general public to public collections and into the institutions and to overwrite the old misbelief that in a museum one can take a boring walk and see dusty, inanimate objects.

I believe this event also brings us closer to our unhidden goal i.e. to make it fashionable for Hungarians to visit museums and to wait for, to wish admission in winding queues not just in front of cinema entrances but also in front of the museums."

Ticket Prices in Budapest: Adults 1 500 ft, Children 600 ft.

For special public transport links between Budapest museums on Saturday follow this link to the source of the text above: muzej.hu

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