The Australian Museum (AM) will be brought to life at night with Culture Up Late, a summer-long season of virtual reality shows, hands-on workshops, live music, special tours, performances and protest.

Over eight Wednesday nights, the nation’s first museum will be turned inside out in celebration of First Nations, Mardi Gras, science, art, the environment and love, offering a mid-week diversion with a difference.

Culture Up Late will see a dozen artists, scientists and performers transform the AM for adults, from 24 January to 14 March, into an interactive space for the curious of heart and mind, including:

Australian Museum Director & CEO Kim McKay said Culture Up Late offered visitors a different look inside the nation’s oldest museum.

“Culture Up Late will bring the AM to life on Wednesday nights,” she said. “The immersive and interactive adults’ program will show the museum in a new light by exploring culture, performance, art, science and storytelling after dark.”

Visitors will also enjoy exclusive after-hours access to the AM’s collections and exhibitions, including Mammoths – Giants of the Ice Age, which features 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth Lyuba, the most complete prehistoric animal on the planet.

AM Program Manager Mathieu Ravier said there was “something magical” about exploring the museum after-hours.

“It’s a chance for grown-ups to reclaim the space while discovering a unique range of thought-provoking and entertaining activities, designed to bring the collections to life.”