Romanian Museums Boycott the Night of Museums on May 18

Romanian museums decided to boycott the Night of Museums this year. Only a few museums will open during the Night of Museums Romania. Bucharest has the worst situation for museum lovers. The event, celebrated European-wide, occurs on Saturday, May 18 this year, but tens of Romanian museums decided to boycott it.

Visit Bucharest, the only platform promoting Bucharest in English warns its readers about the situation. Also, the page dedicated to the Night of Museums in Bucharest will be modified later according to the latest museum announcements.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The selection you see below is not the definitive one. Because of the protests of the museums’ staff, as they demand higher salaries, the Night of the Museums in Bucharest could be affected. Many museums’ representatives announced they would skip this edition, and chances are they will keep it like this, or they might change their minds and agree to open on Saturday night. Either way, stay tuned for the latest changes in this year’s lineup.

Visit Bucharest warning to the foreign tourists in Bucharest

Other cities’ museums rallied to protest against the museums’ employees who demanded increased salaries. Four museums in Cluj, including the Museum of Art, announced their boycotting the event, while in Constanta, near the Black Sea, only two museums will have their doors open.

The Art Museum in Cluj shared a “See you in 2025” banner across the Night of the Museums logo.

On May 18, 2024, the Art Museum should have participated in the Night of Museums event to promote culture and museum heritage. Unfortunately, our institution will stand in solidarity with colleagues from the National Federation of Culture and Media Trade Unions (Culturmedia), organizing a protest in Bucharest on May 18. This approach wants to draw attention to the financial shortages within museum institutions and libraries in Romania

Official communication of the Museum of Art in Cluj Napoca

The situation mirrors the sub-financing of the cultural activities and institutions in the country. Yet, the ones who will suffer from this boycott are the culture and art lovers in Romania and the foreign tourists who want to visit Bucharest museums.