Highlights included the Late Shows in Newcastle Gateshead, attracting some 12,000 visits; Museums at Night in Bath with 1,500 visitors and the fourth year of the Oxford University of Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers joining forces for their “In a Different Light” now attracting some 3,000 people.

Alec Coles, Director of Tyne and Wear Museums said: “The NewcastleGateshead Late Shows were a triumph, attracting nearly 12,000 visits during the course of a single evening. It is hugely encouraging to see 20 diverse cultural venues working in harmony to engage such a large Saturday night audience, and demonstrating the appetite for museums and galleries amongst the people of the North East."

Kate White at the Pitt Rivers Museum added: "There is a huge appetite for big events and sharing the experience with others. The atmosphere the crowd creates is a large part of what makes it successful. But it is also a major challenge for small organisations in historic buildings." And as Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, said at the MGM Launch: “This is a great way of attracting new audiences.”

This year’s special film offer from Aardman proved popular with around 90 venues showing the popular Wrong Trouser film starring Wallace and Gromit with Shaun the Sheep shorts as popular fillers. Many used the innovative films to inspire their events on the MGM theme of “Ideas and Innovation”.

Museums at Night is not about numbers, however, as the reports from museums up and down the country show. From a sleepover in the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading for 24 children and a film night at the Museum of Lancashire restricted by space to just 30 – everyone who explored a Museums at Night event appreciated the excitement of doing something special and out of hours in their local museum.

Here are just two comments from Oxford visitors which are repeated around the country:

“Brilliant event - loved the vibrancy of the atmosphere, the way our senses were bombarded from every direction”

“It was brilliant to visit the museums in such a different light - sociable and entertaining with accessible and friendly staff. Good mix of people, wide range of ages - really enjoyable and easy going night out. Well done and many thanks!”

At the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, the Georgian theatre was the perfect setting for an intimate screening of Wallace and Gromit as well as early evening family activities including wearing the Wrong Trousers.

“Death in Venice” was the theme at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery set amongst the museum’s fine collection of Venetian art. The murder mystery was solved after an evening of music, food and wine. At the Beacon, Whitehaven, children adults went in search of the “Diamond Thief” (as in the film), before settling down to popcorn and the film show. The Great Hall Wollaton Hall was transformed into a fancy dress disco as part of their Wallace and Gromit film night. Staff at the Montrose Museum entered into the spirit of the event by wearing “The Wrong Trousers” – a special quiz sent people on a treasure hunt (for the missing diamond) around the museum.

Mary Smedley, Manager of Strutt’s North Mill in Belper, organised with the Mill volunteers a packed evening of music and stories, as well as the screening of the Aardman films. Shaun rather sheepishly put in an appearance on the night, as did singer and storyteller Pete Castle and the singing group Rough Truffles. Said Mary: “It was a lot of fun for all of us, and showed what a variety of entertainment we can put on in the space we have.

Sleepovers are a growing feature of Museums at Night. At the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading, 24 children and adults (fully booked) took part in a sleep over with butter-making and a film show before the midnight feasts. Parents and their children set-up camp in MERL's s conference room (a venue more used to hosting University lectures and meetings!).

The evening began with a scavenger hunt in the Garden and then the families, all with children aged between the age of 7 and 12 years, created fantastic felted family portraits with the help of textile artist Ellen Brown. There was then time for a spooky torchlight tour of the Museum before snuggling up in the conference room with a midnight feast and several episodes of Shaun the Sheep.

Usually a peaceful place on a Sunday morning, MERL was filled with the sound of excited children, even when the alarms went off at 7am the next morning, when everyone (including one or two groggy parents) was set the task of making the butter to go on their breakfast croissants!

Bekky Moran, Learning Manager at MERL says "We always try and do something a bit different during Museums and Galleries Month and this year we thought we'd offer families a fun and unique experience! The idea of a sleepover proved extremely popular and the event was a great success! We hope that the children and parents had an exciting and memorable experience."

Invention was the theme at the Ryedale Folk Museum where 400 visitors took part in the Museums at Night weekend. Visitors could take part in a were-rabbit trail looking for vegetable pictures around the site, they could find out more about how cheese was made, watching demonstrations in one of the period cottages, and they could recreate The Wrong Trousers train race. Inventions could be designed and built at the Invention Station using K’nex kits, knitting experts were waiting to pass on their skills and budding animators were able to practice their model making while watching the Shaun the Sheep shorts. The Wrong Trousers was shown at regular intervals in our World War Two Village Hall and was so popular that there was always a group of people waiting for it to start.

During the evening party visitors were able to join in the day time activities before gathering together for a showing of The Wrong Trousers. After the film everybody met in the Manor House to eat some tasty cheesy treats. The winner of the fancy dress competition was announced and before leaving people were hurrying to finish their quizzes as the winner would later receive the DVD’s used during the weekend. A grand time was had by all…

Some 50 museums opted to promote the Wrong Trouser Foundation sponsored by Aardman in support of sick children. Among them was the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum where the Wallace and Gromit Weekend embraced a variety of activities from school activities on the Friday and then quizzes and competitions as well as the film show through Saturday and Sunday with staff in special Wallace and Gromit tee-shirts.

At the Teignmouth & Shaldon Museum the museum opened all through the weekend with clay modelling workshops as well as the film show. While attendance on Friday and Saturday evenings was low, it picked up on Sunday and Lin Watson says:

“The response to the whole weekend was very encouraging and it was the draw of the films which made the difference. We were not surprised by the lack of response to the extended opening hours on Friday and Saturday, but this has provided useful data, even though negative. It was clear that several local families came on Sunday who had not been to the Museum before.

“We had a wonderful night at the Museum of Lancashire on Friday with 16 adults and 15 children and several screenings of Shaun the Sheep and the Wrong Trousers as well as a raffle.”

Each child was given a goody bag of W&G & STS colouring sheets and activities with crayons/coloured pencils Running simultaneously to the films were craft workshops to make Shaun the Sheep masks. We ran a prize draw to win the W&G DVD using the quiz questions supplied.

“All in all it was a fantastic night and everyone who came really enjoyed it.” Charlotte Steels, Assistant Keeper, Museum of Lancashire

At The Beacon, Whitehead the Wallace & Gromit event was a great success. With a maximum of 50 places it was fully booked with some people on a reserve list. The event started at 6pm with children being taken around the museum in search of the diamond thief (the Education Officer in disguise). After this they were taken into our Harbour Gallery where the film was being shown. Popcorn and drinks were on sale to add to the experience.

“We would like to thank you for allowing us to be involved in the event at short notice. We look forward to next year’s event.” Claire Winter-Moore, The Beacon

At Wollaton Hall, the Willoughby Room was transformed into a cinema and Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers and a selection of Shaun the Sheep short films were screened. Afterwards there was a fancy dress disco in the Great Hall with Wallace & Gromit!

At the Montrose Museum they created a special Wrong Trousers Quiz which was very popular; it encouraged people to look around the whole museum for clues and answers hidden within the collections and object descriptions – the final object they had to find was “The Wrong Trousers Diamond”! All completed quizzes were rewarded with a lolly, and visitors received Wrong Trousers Day stickers. The museum staff wore “wrong trousers”, much to the amusement of visitors!

“We had a wonderful day and we enjoyed taking part in this special event, and hope to do so again.” Kay, Montrose Museum