Once a year, on a Saturday evening in May, museums and other memory institutions open their doors later than usual to celebrate the pan-European Museum Night. This year’s Museum Night is titled “There Are Voices in the Night” and invites everyone interested to join us in enjoying a special evening. 

At Vabamu, visitors can explore not only our permanent exhibition “Freedom Without Borders”, but also the NEW temporary exhibition “Estonia Worldwide.” In addition, you can experience the exhibition audio journey “From “such people” to LGBT activism. Stories from sexual and gender minorities in the 20th century Estonia“. 

There are voices in the night, because Estonia is a democratic country where citizens have the right to vote. Use your voice and vote for your favourite thematic room in Vabamu’s permanent exhibition. In line with this year’s Museum Night theme, we are bringing historical radios from our collections on display – devices that once brought the wider world closer to people living behind the Iron Curtain in the Soviet Union. 

You can also take part in an engaging quiz, where you’ll need to guess which well-known person’s voice you hear. We will present famous quotes performed by both Estonian and international figures. As prizes, we will raffle guided tours of the new exhibition “Estonia Worldwide” as well as tours of the KGB Prison Cells. 

For those who find the night a bit too noisy, there is a chance to unwind in our music corner, where you can explore a cassette player and listen to a variety of tapes – from jazz to nostalgic Estonian hits. Be sure to let us know which cassette was your favourite. 

At 20:00, a dance performance will take place. German-Turkish performance artist Nezaket Ekici will present “Here and Now” (working title), a performance-installation from 2026. Nezaket studied under Marina Abramović and will be in Estonia for a residency in May, making this Museum Night a special opportunity to experience her work at Vabamu.

At the KGB Prison Cells, visitors can explore the permanent exhibition “Locked Up Stories: The KGB in Estonia“.

Attention! 

• Museum Night attracts many visitors, so we kindly ask for your patience when entering the museum. 
• Museums are open from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, but the last admission to the Vabamu permanent exhibition is at 10:30 PM. 
• Admission is only 1 euro (children up to 8 years old are free).