Cartagena draws nearly 53,000 visitors for Night of the Museums

Once more, Cartagena showed its prowess as a shining cultural hub on the Costa Calida with a brand new edition of the “Night of the Museums” event, which this year surpassed 50,000 visitors. The event was carried out under the slogan, “Culture to unite, history to understand,” and was a tribute to the more than 40 cultural, museum, and heritage sites located throughout the city, complete with a programme of activities for visitors to take part in.

A successful 18th edition of this cultural and heritage event in Cartagena

To be specific, the event, which this year is in its 18th edition, saw a total of 52,989 people participate. In addition to the visits to these landmark historic and heritage sites across Cartagena, more than 200 activities took place in the morning, afternoon, and evening of the day of the event. Museums, educational centres, and other points of interest for tourists remained open until 1:00am, and saw great participation from locals and visitors alike.

The event was created with the aim of reaffirming Cartagena’s place as a cultural landmark in Murcia and in the whole of Spain.

Thousands of visitors: The most popular attractions in Cartagena in May

By the numbers, the Military History Museum was the most visited space, and registered an astounding 10,292 visits. Following it was the Naval Museum and Isaac Peral Hall, with 6,767 visitors, the Roman Theatre, with 5,966 visitors, and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology ARQVA, with 5,199 visitors.

Other notable centres and museums in Cartagena included the Muram, with 3,973 visitors, and the Municipal Archaeological Museum, which received 2,137 visitors during the event. Also exceeding expectations was the Cartagena Puerto de Culturas, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and registering a total of 9,541 visitors.

One of the new features of this edition was the opening of the Roman Amphitheatre, as well as the incorporation of the cultural route of the Military Arsenal, which coincided with the 300th anniversary of the facility.

Nearly 200 volunteers help to make the event a reality

The organisation for this year’s edition relied on the collaboration of nearly 200 volunteers, carrying out their tasks in various heritage sites across the city. There was also a programme of activities open to all audiences, young and old, including routes and guided tours, children’s workshops, and other fun activities.

Looking ahead to future editions, and celebrating past ones

Because this year’s event was a booming success, Cartagena officials are already looking ahead and planning for the 19th edition of the Night of the Museums, to be held next year on Saturday, May 22, 2027.

However, looking back now to this year’s edition, it is clear that with nearly 53,000 attendees and more than 200 activities for interested visitors to take part in, Cartagena is a cultural and heritage powerhouse not only on the Costa Calida, but in the whole of Spain.