Nature Nocturne Transforms the Canadian Museum of Nature at Night

The Canadian Museum of Nature is gearing up to rock the castle with Nature Nocturne, débuting January 25. This new program promises an exciting way for adults to discover the museum after hours in a fun, lively, artsy atmosphere.

“Nature Nocturne will be held on the last Friday of each month, offering a mix of unique experiences each time,” explains program coordinator Cynthia Iburg. “This month we’ll have special art installations in different exhibition spaces, and they’re all interactive or collaborative in some way.”

The inaugural event will feature The Luminartists, who specialize in interactive digital projections. They will set up an abstract projection where people can move images on a screen to reveal an amazing animation underneath.

Local artist HeARTbeatgal will create a collaborative piece of art with the participation of visitors to the museum. Starting with a thought-provoking question, visitors will be invited to contribute to the art/question by making their thumbprint mark in a chosen colour of ink.

On site, there will be knitted QR codes that, when scanned with smartphones, link to an interesting video. “It’s the novelty of combining something so modern with something old-fashioned and classic,” says Iburg.

All galleries will be open until midnight. Guests can gain access to an exclusive VIP lounge where they can have a drink next to a tarantula and other creepy crawlies by texting the SMS code “nature3” to 12321.

Special food stations and bars will be available where partiers can grab a quick bite and drink.

In the glass lantern (tower) area, guests can dance from 8:00 pm to midnight to an eclectic mix of tunes spun by Ottawa’s DJ TDot.

On the science-discovery side, three young museum botanists who travelled the Soper River on Baffin Island by canoe will set up camp in the museum to share their Arctic adventures from recent field trips.

While the event is being promoted specifically to the 19-to-35 crowd, Nature Nocturne is open to all night owls who are curious to see what the museum has to offer after hours.

Tickets are $20 each (tax included) and do not include food and beverages, which will be sold separately.

For updates about Nature Nocturne, visit nature.ca/nocturne.

The Canadian Museum of Nature is at 240 McLeod St., Ottawa.

Follow the museum on Twitter (@MuseumofNature) and check them out on Facebook.