photo courtesy Sheena Roszell

By Courtney Almeida

International Museum Day

Local museums collaborate to offer FREE admission for International Museum Day

May 5, 2019 | 7:00 AM

In celebration of International Museum Day on May 18, the Grande Prairie Museum, Heritage Discovery Centre, and the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum are all offering free admission to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Travelling and going to museums is something that we do when we’re out of town but it’s really important to know exactly what’s available here in our community, to understand the history of the Peace Region,” says Robin White, Marketing Specialist with the City of Grande Prairie.

Since 1977, the International Council of Museums has celebrated International Museum Day. The celebration aims to increase the awareness of available facilities and provide an understanding of cultural connections and community.

Grande Prairie has been involved with the global offering since 2014 and celebrations span across over 150 countries worldwide.

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The partnership between all three museums began last year for the first time, explains White. “The Philip J. Currie was actually looking for an event to participate and partner with us on and they were also looking for an opportunity to provide free admission to their museum.”

This year’s celebration theme, as chosen by the International Council of Museums, is Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition. “It’s focused on establishing dialogue between cultures, building bridges for a peaceful world, and defining a sustainable future,” says White.

A free shuttle service will also be available from all three locations, with shuttles set to run every 30 minutes.

The theme fits with the offering of the shuttle service as the focus is to encourage patrons to travel between locations and explore the unique offerings of each attraction. “We’re really trying to show that different locations can work together,“ notes White.

The first shuttle departs from the Heritage Discovery Centre at 9 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. from the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum. White explains that they are, “using the bus stop on 100 avenue, number 402 at the Grande Prairie Museum and then just in front of the doors at the other two locations.” The last bus departing from Wembley to the Grande Prairie Museum is scheduled for a 3:40 p.m. departure.

Exhibit-themed crafts and a scavenger hunt will be held by each facility to help guests navigate the galleries. At the Philip J. Currie Museum, the theatre will be offering movies for a reduced rate of $2.00 during the day.

To help connect participants to this year’s theme, a passport style guidebook will be offered, “where you can go to the different locations and you can enter to win a package that has great little things from the museum,” says White.

Additionally, the Grande Prairie Museum will be using the day to mark the opening of the Heritage Village for the 2019 season. Live historical demonstrations will be offered to help kick-off the event.

“There’s only a couple of days a year where the Grande Prairie Museum brings the heritage village alive. It will be interactive, live, historic demonstrations—weather dependent of course.”

For a full list of events or to find the shuttle bus schedule click here.