Did you ever dream as a kid of ‘accidentally’ being locked inside a store afterhours and being able to run amok? That was strangely the kind of feeling I had walking around at Melbourne Museum last Friday night for the opening of their new after-dark series, ‘Nocturnal’. Held on the first Friday of the month, Nocturnal is after hours museum fun just for adults. With live music, food, signature cocktails and expert ‘show and tell’ sessions, Nocturnal is your ticket to the most educationally suave event in town!
The spacious modern atrium was beautifully transformed. There was music pumping, fairy lights strung up above the bar areas and puppeteers parading around in enormous insect costumes. A crowd of people swayed and bopped around the stage to the tunes of exciting local talent – Friday’s line up consisted of Jess Cornelius, Dorsal Fins and Jakubi.
Jess Cornelius is a New Zealand-born singer/songwriter and instrumentalist, previously recognised for the sultry sounds of Teeth and Tongue. She has appeared at festivals including Laneway, Meredith, Falls and many more. The Dorsal Fins delighted fans with their upbeat electro pop. I was also really pleased to finally get to see Jakubi, who deliver an amazing live set that really gets the crowd moving! This Melbourne-based quintet have an electro/reggae sort of vibe. They’ve just returned from their US tour but keep an eye out for more local dates.
Throughout the night visitors are free to wander the galleries at their leisure. Perusing dinosaur bones or the live tarantula displays is made all the more interesting with some tunes in the background and a good glass of wine in hand! At one point I was listening to a really interesting talk by a palaeontologist about deep-sea fossils… whilst I leisurely sipped on a cocktail. I should definitely also mention the pop-up nail bar by Trophy Wife. How often do you get to go to an event AND have your nails done? These lovely ladies do some amazing designs and proved extremely popular.
– Kaz
With eco-friendly takeaway coffee cup in hand, Karalyn enjoys exploring random activities and events throughout Melbourne.
Nocturnal will run on the first Friday of each month, 6pm-11pm, through to May 2018. Stay tuned to Melbourne Museum for future event details and book for early bird specials.
Melbourne Museum is an accessible venue.
