Night of Museums 2023 Szeged
Night of Museums, a country-wide program held each year on June 24, returns this weekend. In Szeged, the main attraction will be the Ancient China exhibition at Móra Ferenc Museum with a lion dance parade, a Chinese fashion show, and a Sichuan face-changing show, among others.
On Midsummer Night — the traditional date of the Night of Museums event — the second part of the Ancient China exhibition will open its doors in the Móra Ferenc Museum, where a royal jade burial suit, considered a world rarity, will also be presented.
Ceremonial (burial) suits, made of 2.000 or even more pieces of jade plaques, were made exclusively for the royal members of the Han dynasty. The jade burial suit presented at Móra Museum Szeged is currently the only one in the world that can be seen by the general public outside of China.
Night of Museums programs will be at the other museums (Vár and Fekete Ház), at Agóra, and REÖK, among others.
Programs at Móra Ferenc Museum
Móra Ferenc Museum offers both outdoor and indoor programs for the Night of Museums, including Chinese-themed performances and guided tours in all three museum buildings. Programs will start at 6 p.m. and finish at 1 a.m.
The highlight of the evening will be a parade in downtown Szeged with lanterns and traditional Chinese costumes, accompanied by a lion dance and drummers. Anyone is welcome to join the parade, and even bring lanterns or arrive in traditional Chinese outfits.
On the stage in front of the Móra Ferenc Museum, programs presenting elements of Chinese culture — kung fu and calligraphy demonstrations, traditional dance, music, and a fashion show — await visitors. The night's program includes a real specialty: the traditional face-changing show of Sichuan operas. In these operas, the actors play on the stage in masks painted in bright colors, which they change suddenly with the use of fans, accompanied by dramatic music.
Outdoor programs in front of Móra Museum
17:30 performance by the Tiszavirág Folk Dance Association
18:00 Hild Award unveiling and speech by Major László Botka
19:00 Chinese dancers
19:30 instrumental and vocal performance by singer Carolyn Zhang Yu
19:50 choir performance by students of the Confucius Institute
20:30 traditional lion dance accompanied by drummers
20:40 Kung fu demonstration by WU DE Martial Arts Association Szeged
21:10 Tang Qi: Sichuan face-changing show
21:30 calligraphy presentation by graphic artist Janisz Horváth
21:50 Chinese costume show by the teachers of the Confucius Institute
22:20 Chinese dancers
22:30 Midsummer's Eve fire dance in front of the museum
23:00 Artur Band concert
18:00 - 21:00 handicraft workshop in front of the museum: lantern, dragon, and fan making, paper cutouts. Calligraphy presentation and teaching.
20:00 Parade from Dugonics Square to Móra Museum, with a lion dance, drummers, lanterns, and Chinese costumes.
Indoor programs
At Móra Ferenc Museum
Guided tours in the new Terracotta Warriors and Treasures of Ancient China exhibition as well as in two of the permanent exhibition spaces. Tours will be in Hungarian and start at 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, and 22:00.
Close-up of the jade burial suit that can be seen from June 24 at Móra Museum in Szeged. Image credit: Móra Ferenc Museum
At the Black House (Fekete Ház)
Guided tours in both exhibitions, in Hungarian, starting from 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, and 22:00.
At the Caste Museum (Vármúzeum)
Guided tours starting from 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, and 22:00 (in Hungarian)
Tickets
All three museums can be visited with the same entrance ticket (HUF 3.990 for adults, HUF 2.990 for students/seniors).
Outdoor programs are free of charge.
Other venues
Belvárosi Mozi
Belvárosi Mozi will be screening the movie Night at the Museum in Hungarian from 18:00 (tickets: HUF 1.900)
REÖK
The recently opened 42nd Summer Exhibition at REÖK, featuring contemporary paintings and other artworks on both levels of the all-arts center, can be visited free of charge between 18:00 and midnight.
Szent-Györgyi Albert Agóra
Szent-Györgyi Albert Agóra awaits visitors on the Night of Museums between 15:00 and 23:00, with guided tours and talks about János Neumann, honoring the 120th birth anniversary of the world-famous scientist. During the guided tours, those interested can visit the exhibition on the history of information technology, learn about the life of János Neumann, as well as the development of telecommunications and computer technology.
Also at Agóra, fairy tales, and folk games await kids and adults in the yard of the building (Kálvária Avenue side) between 16:00 and 20:00.
Language of the programs: Hungarian
Kövér Béla Puppet Theater
17:00 Kuflik (The Grickles) - puppet show adaptation of the popular TV and book series, for children aged 4 and over. Language: Hungarian. This program is part of the last weekend of the 10th Theater Olympics in Szeged. (Tickets: HUF 1.200, only available online)
Midsummer Night programs will be held at other locations too, including Heller Ödön Cultural Center at Tápé.
Note that the language of the programs is Hungarian
