There’s a night at the museum on offer this weekend – if you dare. Historic homes, castles and museums across the county are opening their doors after dark for Museums at Night.

CANTERBURY TALES

Gather round the campfire in a medieval garden for some tall stories into the night. The Canterbury Tales attraction, which is dedicated to celebrating the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, is joining Museums at Night for the first time this weekend, with a free storytelling evening featuring The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Author J.K. Rowling credits Chaucer’s The Pardoner’s Tale as the inspiration for The Tale of the Three Brothers, which features in The Tales of Beedle the Bard and also plays a key role in the final book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The Campfire Tales will be held at the site in St Margaret’s Street on Friday, May 19 between 8.30pm and 10pm.

General manager Lyndsay Ridley said: “It’s fantastic to see that Chaucer is still having an influence on modern literature and that really gives us the chance to share The Canterbury Tales with a wider audience. We’re excited to be participating in the Museums at Night festival for the first time.”

Managers hope their Museums at Night debut will lead on to a series of events later in the year. For details visit canterburytales.org.uk or call 01227 696 002.

POWELL-COTTON MUSEUM

Sleep alongside some wild animals with a sleepover at the Powell-Cotton Museum in Birchington. Visitors will camp out in front of scenes of animals at the natural history museum.

Take part in games in the gardens, a torchlight tour and craft activities, from 8pm on Saturday, May 20 to Sunday, May 21, and in the morning there’ll be breakfast to round things off. The sleepovers are suitable from ages five to 15, with tickets at £35 and £30 for children, with a family ticket for two adults and two children or one adult and three children costing £120. For details and to book visit quexpark.co.uk.

DOVER CASTLE

Explore the inside of Dover Castle and see the view from the top with the Museums at Night event on Saturday, May 20. The Great Tower will open at 6pm through to after dark at 10pm, with the chance to experience the special late night atmosphere.
Entry is £10 and £6 for children, with a family ticket costing £22. To book visit englishheritage.org.uk.

HUGUENOT MUSEUM

Rochester’s Huguenot Museum will be holding an evening recital of French Baroque music by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Claude Balbastre and Louis Couperin, performed by Lorraine Liyanage for Museums at night on Saturday, May 20, from 6.30pm to 9pm. Doors open at 6.30pm, with the chance to look around the galleries before the music starts at 7pm.
Entry to the event at the museum in Rochester High Street costs £10. For details visit huguenotmuseum.org.

Museums at Night is a chance for visitors to see treasures in different and unexpected ways.Twice a year Culture 24 invites museums, galleries and heritage sites to invite people in to see surprising sights and learn more about the past.