Night of Museums 2026: a family-friendly late-night event at the Musée de la Grande Guerre in Meaux (77)

The Great War Museum of Meaux opens its doors for a late-night visit this Saturday, May 23, 2026, as part of the 22nd Night of Museums. Tours and activities fill the program for this one-off evening. Ready to travel back in time?

If you’ve never visited the Musée de la Grande Guerre, you know where to head this Saturday, May 23, 2026: during the Nuit des Musées, this WWI-focused museum opens its doors for free. A chance for young and old to discover a museum rich in history, as engaging as it is educational.

Opened in 2005, this museum has set itself the challenge of presenting the First World War in a didactic, child-friendly way, with an impressive visual reconstruction of a camp and trenches.

The museum was made possible by the thousands of objects collected by Jean-Pierre Verney, a history buff. For over 30 years, he amassed everyday objects, weapons and soldiers' outfits he found at flea markets and garage sales, as well as tanks and Taxis de la Marne bought from collectors. When his wife had had enough of this imposing collection invading the house, he decided to sell it. The Agglomération du Pays de Meaux bought it and built this museum, for the benefit of all visitors.

Since then, the museum has continued to expand its collection through purchases, bequests and donations. Documentary archives, clothing and accessories, paintings, sculptures, period objects... Nearly 70,000 objects and documents trace the daily and military life of the 14-18 war.

What’s on the agenda for this year’s Night of Museums 2026 at the Museum of the Great War (77)

In Your Hands: Be the Hero of Your Visit
Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 6:30 PM ⤏ 11:00 PM
With a booklet in hand, during your museum visit, step into the shoes of a poilu or a woman on the home front and decide your own destiny. A one-of-a-kind experience where you become the hero of your own visit.
Exhibition "Behind the Masks. Photographs from the Two Wars"
Saturday, May 23, 2026 — 6:30 p.m. ⤏ 11:00 p.m.
This exhibition, in partnership with ECPAD (Defence Establishment for Audiovisual Communication and Production), offers a photographic immersion into the evolution of gas masks—from their first use in 1915 to the ARS masks deployed from November 1917, up to the end of World War II.
Exhibition "Colors of War"
Saturday, May 23, 2026 — 6:30 p.m. ⤏ 11:00 p.m.
The Colors of War exhibition, awarded the Ministry of Culture’s “Exhibition of National Interest” label, examines how color has shaped conflict—from uniforms and patriotic symbols to cutting-edge technology.