Museums At Night: Leeds, Liverpool & Manchester preview

Every year in May, venues and galleries around the country come to life after hours as part of Museums at Night. Here's our guide to activities in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester

Preview by The Skinny North | 11 May 2017

Museums at Night is a twice-yearly occasion when UK galleries, museums and heritage sites throw open their doors until late, and 'showcase their treasures in unexpected ways.' Instigated by cultural publisher Culture24, the idea has snowballed into hundreds of events up and down the country, with many arts collectives organising their own festivals such as Liverpool's enormous LightNight.

Here are some of the events to have caught our eye in Yorkshire and the Northwest.

Late-night larks in Leeds and Yorkshire

Nostell at Night
Explore Nostell Priory house after hours, with a pop-up craft beer bar and a vinyl DJ set. Experience artist John Harrison's 2000-clock installation Harrison's Garden by twilight, and make your own piece of clock jewellery to take home. 19 May, Nostell Priory, 6-9pm, normal admission prices, adults only, nationaltrust.org.uk/nostell

Caught in the Russian Revolution
Discover Leeds University Library Galleries' collections of artefacts highlighting the British community's experiences during the Russian Revolution at this after-hours event accompanied by music, drama and drinks. 19 May, Treasures of the Brotherton & Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery, University of Leeds, 6-9pm, £3 (covers two drinks), ages 18+, library.leeds.ac.uk/treasures

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Enjoy sculptor Tony Cragg's biggest ever UK exhibition with an in-depth tour led by Yorkshire Sculpture Park senior curator Helen Pheby (6-7.30pm, £8, for ages 14+); join the Park's Heritage Team for a twilight lake walk and learn more about the historic grounds as the sun goes down (7.30-9pm, £6, all ages); or witness the sunset from James Turrell's underground Deer Shelter, where, through an aperture in the ceiling, viewers are offered a heightened vision of the sky (8.30-10pm, £6, ages 11+). 19 May, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, ysp.co.uk

Manchester After Hours

Crepuscular arts festival Manchester After Hours (18 May) has another doozy of a line-up this year, with some of the city's best loved galleries – as well as some more unusual spaces – opening their doors 'til late. The programme spans 15 original and largely free cultural events, including gigs on wheels, video installations and live musical experiences staged within the city’s treasured libraries. Our highlights include:

Thursday Lates: NTS Takeover
The cult music station brings DJs and visual artists to the award-winning Whitworth for a night of leftfield music and video projections. 18 May, Whitworth Art Gallery, 7-11pm, free

Bad Language
The lively literature night hosts a promenade-style evening of storytelling at Elizabeth Gaskell's beautiful neoclassical villa, with some of the region's finest scribes walking you through the rooms reciting pieces written for the occasion. 18 May, Elizabeth Gaskell's House, 5-9pm (performances 6.30-9pm), free

Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Delia Derbyshire Legacy
A special line-up of musicians whose sound and method echoes that of the late Delia Derbyshire pays homage to the great electronic music pioneer. 18 May, John Rylands Library, 7-9.15pm (performances 7pm & 8.30pm), free

Now You See Me Now You Don't
Islington Mill’s Engine House Collective team up with the Museum of Science and Industry for an audiovisual installation that sees them projecting directly onto the Air and Space Hall’s enormous Avro Shackleton aircraft. You'll even be able to create your own visual designs. 18 May, 7.30-10pm, Museum of Science and Industry (special live music performance 9.30pm), free

18 May, manchesterafterhours.com

LightNight Liverpool

Liverpool is dominated by LightNight, the city's annual, free one-night arts festival – a culture crawl with over 100 special events for all ages from 5pm and venues like Tate Liverpool, Open Eye and the Walker Art Gallery all taking part. We caught up with four of this year's exhibiting artists – read our chats with musician/composer Jonathan Raisin, multidisciplinary artists Friend or Foe, new-media artist Andy McKeown and DJ Greg Wilson of The Super Sonic Assembly19 May, lightnightliverpool.co.uk

Museums at Night, 17-20 May http://museumsatnight.org.uk