{"id":5993,"date":"2025-12-01T16:07:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openmuseum.brussels\/?p=5993"},"modified":"2025-12-01T16:07:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T16:07:54","slug":"5993","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openmuseum.brussels\/en\/5993\/","title":{"rendered":"A story of collaboration: Open Museum x Museum Night Fever\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

A story of collaboration: Open Museum x Museum Night Fever<\/h2>\n

Museum Night Fever is back – already celebrating its 18th edition!
\nSince its launch in 2008, this flagship event by Brussels Museums has become a staple of the Brussels cultural scene, constantly evolving over the years.*<\/p>\n

Through its events, Brussels Museums aims to increase the visibility of museums across the city, attract new audiences, and cultivate future visitors. Museum Night Fever (MNF) aims to be dynamic, festive and evolving in order to nurture connection between the museums\u2019 collections, the bubbling emerging Brussels scene and its young audience.<\/p>\n

Another key mission of Brussels Museums is to support and connect its members.\u00a0 What better way to foster collaboration than through a major event that brings together over 30 museums and more then 16 000 visitors every year?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s with this same conviction that Open Museum was launched in 2018, as a complement to Brussels Museums\u2019 existing initiatives, to provide additional expertise in inclusion, accessibility, and participation, making these values enduring pillars of the federation and sector.<\/p>\n

With each new edition of Museum Night Fever, the Open Museum 5P methodology (People \u2013 Public \u2013 Place \u2013 Programming \u2013 Partnerships) has been actively integrated, contributing to steady progress in terms of accessibility, diversity, and inclusivity within Brussels Museums\u2019 public activities.<\/p>\n

A well-thought-out start<\/h2>\n

In its early stages, Open Museum primarily focused on defining its vision and identifying the needs of museums regarding inclusion and accessibility. Since Brussels Museums aimed to lead by example, it was essential that the federation\u2019s own events also reflected these values. Inclusivity has always been part of the event\u2019s DNA, which at first came forward with a reflection on ticketing and social partnerships (ex. Article 27, Paspartoe and Cultuurbon).<\/p>\n

In 2022, an accessibility audit was carried out by Access-i, marking the first step in developing a comprehensive understanding of the state of the event\u2019s accessibility and create a tailored action plan for Museum Night Fever. As part of this process, Open Museum collaborated with Access-i to create a self-assessment tool that helps museums communicate clearly with their audiences about available facilities. This self-assessment accessibilityform includes practical questions about the museum\u2019s infrastructure, such as nearby parking for people with reduced mobility, doorway width, accessible toilets, and the presence of elevators or ramps. The goal was to raise awareness about the importance of sharing clear and detailed accessibility information, thereby promoting visitors\u2019 autonomy and freedom of choice.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Museum Night Fever introduced its first team of accessibility volunteers. These volunteers participated in a training session led by Access-i, designed to help them understand what the museal experience is like with a physical or sensorial disability. The training provided valuable insights into the needs of people with disabilities, as well as practical tools for offering a warm and informed welcome to diverse audiences.<\/p>\n

During this same edition, Open Museum\u2019s Accessibility Handbook<\/a> was distributed for the first time to volunteers and museums staff. This practical guide offers hands-on advice for integrating accessibility into both the event and the everyday operations of museums, with the long-term goal of making accessibility a structural and natural part of the museums\u2019 landscape.<\/p>\n

A work in progress<\/h2>\n

The 2024 edition of Museum Night Fever continued the collaboration with Access-i, and introduced a new partnership with AccessAndGo, who contributed to improving the accessibility forms developed in previous years. This collaboration led to the creation of a second version of the form, along with a public-friendly version that translates the technical information provided by museums into clear, accessible language for visitors. This was then made available on the individual museum pages of Museum Night Fever website.<\/p>\n

In addition, Open Museum commissioned AccessAndGo to organise a two-part training programme specifically designed for participating museums.
\nThe first session provided a refresher on the legal accessibility requirements that museums must comply with, such as doorway dimensions, lift access, and the admission of guide dogs etc., while also highlighting important considerations regarding safety and accessibility.
\nThe second session consisted of personalised one-on-one meetings between museums and accessibility experts. These consultations gave museums the opportunity to review and discuss their accessibility forms, question the data provided, and address specific challenges, fostering peer learning and collective improvement in their practices.<\/p>\n

Thanks to these accessibility forms, Open Museum now holds a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the physical accessibility of the museums that have taken part in MNF. As the participating museums change from year to year, all participating museums are invited to complete or update their self-assessment form. This process also enables returning museums to re-evaluate their facilities, identify any changes since the previous edition, and continue improving their accessibility.<\/p>\n

Expanding the scope<\/h2>\n

Beyond physical accessibility, Open Museum has also focused on ensuring that the programming of the event is as inclusive and diverse as the city of Brussels itself. Museum Night Fever aims to amplify the voices of talented artists who may simply need a reminder that they, too, deserve to take up space on stage, or in this case, in the museum.<\/p>\n

Each year, Brussels Museums organises a meet-and-greet between artists and museums, providing an opportunity for both to connect and explore potential collaborations for Museum Night Fever. For the 2024 edition, Open Museum issued a proactive open call to artists from a wide range of communities, with particular attention to artists with disabilities. The call received an enthusiastic response, leading to inspiring partnerships between artists and museums. Visitors had the chance to experience, for example, the Rolling Stars dance group performing at Train World, or Compagnie l\u2019Esperluette\u2019s captivating sign language performance at the BELvue Museum.<\/p>\n

When it comes to reaching diverse audiences, Open Museum also partnered with PR-insider<\/a>, a lifestyle influencer passionate about culture, who explored Museum Night Fever from a PRM (Person with Reduced Mobility) perspective. Through her socials, she shared tips and insights, helping visitors make the most of the evening.<\/p>\n

Innovating<\/h2>\n

As part of its ongoing research on accessibility at Museum Night Fever, Open Museum launched a pilot project last year: MNF on Wheels. Accessibility is best understood through practical experience, and MNF on Wheels aimed to create a parcours that was realistically navigable for all visitors.<\/p>\n

One of the main accessibility challenges of Museum Night Fever is its size and complexity: multiple locations spread across different neighbourhoods, each with unique facilities and collections. MNF on Wheels offered a human scale alternative to visitors. The parcours included six accessible museums, all reachable within 20 minutes of distance, eliminating the need for often overcrowded shuttle journey.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Open Museum continued advancing its efforts toward accessible information and communication. A dedicated accessibility page was created on the Museum Night Fever website, featuring:<\/p>\n