Lisbon, May 11, 2026 (Lusa) – Hundreds of activities, mostly with free admission, will mark International Museum Day on 18 May, while dozens of public and private entities across the country will host concerts, historical re-enactments, workshops, and guided tours.
Established in 1997 to strengthen ties between museums and society, this year’s International Day adopts the theme "Museums uniting a divided world." According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the event highlights their role in "promoting dialogue, inclusion, and peace between communities."
Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP) will mark International Museum Day and European Night of Museums from 17 to 23 May. The programme involves dozens of museums, monuments, and palaces across the mainland and the islands of Madeira and the Azores.
The commemorative week organised by MMP begins on Sunday, 17 May, at 4:00 p.m. The company will host simultaneous "Chords of Peace" concerts in 26 museums, monuments, and palaces within its network.
Inspired by the idea of museums as meeting places in a world marked by divisions, these concerts share opening and closing works: "Acordai" by Fernando Lopes-Graça and Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". Local repertoires reflecting "the cultural diversity of communities" will complete the programmes.
The national schedule for International Museum Day and the European Night of Museums will be available on the digital platform dim.museusemonumentos.pt. Users can search for hundreds of initiatives across the MMP and the Portuguese Museum Network by date, location, activity type, and target audience.
Since 2020, International Museum Day has aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These targets include reducing inequalities, strengthening peace and justice, and developing global partnerships.
The Museum of Modern Art at the Belém Cultural Centre (MAC/CCB) will offer guided tours of the exhibitions "An Atlantic Drift" and "May I Help You?". It will also host workshops, including one for children to create a poster about the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Activities are free but require prior registration.
The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) in Lisbon will inaugurate the exhibition "The Purple Island: notes and landscapes" on 18 May. Featuring approximately 50 paintings, drawings, and sculptures, the show highlights Manuel João Vieira’s use of figuration to create narratives marked by irony and melancholy.
The Museum of the Orient will open exceptionally on 18 May with free admission and activities, including guided tours with Portuguese Sign Language interpreters. Under the theme "uniting audiences", the programme ranges from yoga and Tenchi Tessen sessions to viewings of guest pieces from other national museums.
The Gulbenkian will celebrate International Museum Day from 16 to 18 May. The three-day event includes tours, workshops, cinema, concerts, performances, and music.
The National Museum of Natural History and Science will host activities during the day and night. The programme features visits to the photography and geology collections, the Chimico laboratory, the herbarium, and the dinosaur exhibition.
In Cascais, the Cultural and Educational Service of the D. Luís I Foundation will run a pedagogical programme at the Casa das Histórias Paula Rego. Held alongside the exhibition "Bartolomeu Cid dos Santos: Creating in Freedom", the programme includes a guided tour focusing on the interventionist dimension of the artist's work and his defence of democracy and human rights.
In Bragança, the Abade de Baçal Museum begins its programme on 16 May with the premiere of the film "Contar os passos, ouvir o vento - um retrato do Abade de Baçal (Counting the steps, hearing the wind – a portrait of Abade de Baçal)". Director Eduardo Brito will attend the screening of the 14-minute short film at the Paulo Quintela Auditorium for a discussion with the audience. The community school will view the film, which includes historical footage, on 18 May.
The Abade de Baçal Museum will host a guided tour of its long-term exhibition and the temporary display "Olhar Portugal", from the National Museum of Ancient Art, on the morning of 17 May.
In the afternoon, visitors will participate in a challenge to build a mural in the museum garden under the theme "Museums uniting a divided world". The event includes a concert by the BriChoirT choir, from the Bragança Conservatory of Music and Dance.
The International Museum of Contemporary Sculpture (MIEC) in Santo Tirso will mark International Museum Day with a night tour of the Abade Pedrosa Municipal Museum and the "Architecture Unfrozen" exhibition. This activity requires prior registration.
The full programme runs from 15 to 30 May under the theme "Museums for the union of a divided world". The events form part of the 10th-anniversary celebrations for the MIEC and the Abade Pedrosa Municipal Museum.
AG/RYOL // ADB.
Lusa
