Free entry to museums, galleries, and heritage sites across Abu Dhabi will be available from May 16 to 18 as the emirate marks International Museum Day under the global theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World.”
The three-day programme spans venues in the Saadiyat Cultural District, Al Ain, and Delma Island, with activities ranging from guided tours and live performances to hands-on workshops for children and families.
At the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi in Saadiyat, visitors can take part in a lineup of science and craft activities, including a sun printing session using natural materials, a Light Lab exploring colour and transparency, and a Wiggly Creatures Workshop where participants build animated creatures from craft supplies. A Mini Exhibit activity lets visitors experience what it’s like to work as a museum curator.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is offering free thematic tours of its permanent galleries and the ongoing Picasso Exhibition, running four times daily at 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:30 PM, and 4:30 PM. Children’s workshops are available between 11 AM and 3 PM at no charge. Tours are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis due to limited capacity. Saturday visitors can also book the Architecture Experience and Art in Scents olfactory tours separately at an additional cost.
The Zayed National Museum, also in Saadiyat, is running a full programme through May 18 from 10 AM to 8 PM, featuring traditional performances, bracelet making, a Majlis of Stories session, and a family scavenger hunt. The museum is encouraging advance ticket booking through its website.
Al Ain Museum will be open from 9 AM to 7 PM across all three days, with guided tours, interactive discovery stations, and family programmes. On May 18, five Al Ain cultural sites — Qasr Al Muwaiji, Al Jahili Fort, Al Ain Oasis, Al Qattara Arts Centre, and Bait Mohammad Bin Khalifa — will host a unified programme on the conservation and restoration of the Cultural Sites of Al Ain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
University students are specifically invited to Al Maqta’a Museum on May 18 from 10 AM to 3 PM for a career-focused day inside the museum, including a Q&A session, certificates of participation, and volunteer hours.
Qasr Al Hosn is running a Children’s Takeover on May 17 from 9 AM to 6 PM, where participants aged 10 and above can step into actual museum roles including tour guide, ticketing staff, photographer, and gift shop assistant.
Later that evening on May 18, Manarat Al Saadiyat will host an immersive video-walk led by Emirati content creator Zayed Al Haddar from 6 PM to 8 PM, reframing Saadiyat Cultural District as a living cultural route.
The Cultural Foundation at Al Hosn is holding a guided, interactive programme for children on May 18 from 4 PM to 6 PM exploring how the institution functions.
On Delma Island, the Delma Museum is using the occasion to relaunch its Young Tour Guides programme through an event called “Cultural Pathway to the Future.”
Abu Dhabi Libraries — including branches at Khalifa Park, Al Wathba, Al Bahia, Al Marfaa, and Zayed Central Library in Al Ain — will run daily programming from 3 PM to 7 PM for children aged 6 to 14, combining storytelling, art-making, and activities centred on Abu Dhabi’s cultural institutions.
