Sydney museums get green light to stay open late

Sydneysiders will be able to look at art after dark as several of the city's biggest cultural institutions have gotten the OK to stay open at night.

Sydneysiders will be able to look at art after dark after several of the city’s top museums have announced extended hours for the summer.

The Australian Museum, Powerhouse Museum and Art Gallery of NSW are just a couple of the galleries that will stay open late on certain weeknights between January and March.

The NSW Arts Minister and the state’s Treasurer announced the new opening hours as a way to get more people to spend time in central Sydney, a major goal for the state government which has identified a “revitalisation” of the CBD as a way to get the economy moving again.

NSW Arts Minister Don Harwin, right, and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced the extended opening hours on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“Sydney’s city centre has been one of the biggest casualties of the pandemic, but as the weather warms up and more people start to get out and about, ‘Culture Up Late’ will give Sydneysiders the opportunity to visit exhibitions straight after work, well beyond the standard closing time,” Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said.

“It’s been a tough year, and I encourage anyone who can, to get out and immerse yourself each week this summer in all that the country’s largest arts and cultural institutions have to offer.”

The Art Gallery of NSW and State Library of NSW will extend opening hours on Wednesdays.

The State Library will also stay open late on Thursdays, along with the Australian Museum, Sydney Living Museums and Powerhouse Museum.

The Museum of Contemporary Art will be open late on Fridays, as will Sydney Living Museums.

The Museum of Sydney will extend opening hours Fridays through Sundays.

The Sydney Opera House will also host new evening tours.

“There really is something for everyone, and I encourage you to get your culture fix up late this summer in Sydney,” Arts Minister Don Harwin said.

Among the exhibitions on offer this summer is a retrospective of the painter Arthur Streeton at the Art Gallery of NSW, and an exhibition of the Brisbane modern artist Lindy Lee at the Museum of Contemporary Art.