The Philharmonie de Paris is once again taking part in the European Night of Museums with a free late-night opening! On this occasion, the Cité de la Musique unveils a special program for this Saturday, May 23, 2026. A night to experience music!
Unmissable event in Paris, the Nuit des Musées brings together the curious and the passionate for a wonderful lineup of free late-night openings at the heart of museums, monuments, art foundations and other cultural venues. Paris et toute l'Île-de-France take part in this spring highlight, returning for a 22e édition ce samedi 23 mai 2026.
Music lovers take note: in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, the Philharmonie de Paris, also known as the Cité de la Musique, awaits you for Nuit des Musées. Located in the Parc de la Villette, the Philharmonie combines a concert hall, rehearsal rooms and exhibition spaces, including the Musée de la Musique. The venue also offers regular educational workshops, making it a true living space built around the musical arts.
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Want to drift along to the rhythms of a special lineup at the Philharmonie de Paris for this 22nd Night of Museums? We take you behind the scenes of what’s in store for this free late-night event in the heart of the Cité de la Musique.
The 2026 Night of Museums program at the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris
FROM 8:00 PM TO 11:30 PM: CONCERTS WITHIN THE MUSEUM SPACES
- Espace XVIII | at 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM
Between ancient Celtic airs and original compositions, this unconventional duo invites you to drift along the Irish coast, sweeping over isles and cliffs and warming the heart.
Valérie Patte, Celtic harp; Maël Guezel, hammered dulcimer and percussion.
- Espace XIX | at 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM
Inspired by minimalist and electro music currents, Aurélie Barbé explores the sonic possibilities of her instrument in search of atypical, entrancing textures. She presents a solo program on the augmented harp with effects pedals and machines (looper, rhythm box).
Aurélie Barbé, electric harp, effects pedals and machines.
- Espace des Musiques et des Mondes | at 9 PM, 10 PM, 11 PM
Born in Casamance, Senegal, Abdou Kouyaté comes from a family of griots. His uncles trained him in playing the kora and in making the instrument. Abdou brings together creativity and virtuosity to reveal the kora’s wealth and its pains—the West African harp-lute.
Abdou Kouyaté, kora and singing
FROM 7:30 PM TO MIDNIGHT: FREE VISIT OF THE MUSEUM COLLECTION
- The National Museum, home to a collection of nearly 9,000 instruments and works of art, is deeply embedded in the Philharmonie’s daily life and informs its patrimonial mission. The Museum’s route unfolds—through a selection of instruments and works of art—a sweeping history of world music from the late 16th century to today. The collection not only highlights, in Europe, the musical “modernity” explored from the Renaissance to contemporary and electronic experiments, but also underscores, in parallel, the richness of musical cultures in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, in dialogue with European musics.
Indeed the Museum houses one of the world’s most important instrument assemblies, notable for both rarity and diversity. Displayed in a storytelling museum setting, these pieces are returned to their history—both particular and global—as instrument craft feeds on circulation and exchange. From the new Thai sound system that opens the route to the daily-activated Indonesian gong by mediators, each instrument invites visitors to a vibrant, sensitive experience of music around the world.
The Musée de la Musique houses a remarkable collection of harps, illustrating the instrument’s richness and variety. Among the pieces kept, some are not on display, such as Jean-Henri Naderman’s classical harp from 1776, the Burmese saung‑gauk carved arched harp, or the wind‑powered harp whose strings vibrate with the wind. In contrast, the permanent collection lets visitors admire iconic models such as the Erard house harp, built in 1799 and regarded as one of the oldest preserved, as reflected by its serial number “7.” You can also discover the Kundi harp from the Central African Republic, with a carved head depicting a woman’s face and traditional Zande hairstyling, as well as the kora‑lute harp from the former Victor Schoelcher collection.
Le programme est mis à jour en fonction des informations officielles
Philharmonie de Paris: upcoming not-to-be-missed concerts
The Children's Philharmonic, a fun place to learn all about music
