Explore St Albans’ new museum and gallery after hours

You’ve seen the film Night at the Museum. Now you can explore the new St Albans Museum + Gallery after hours at its first Museum Late event.

Kicking off a year of themed museum late events, enjoy a jam-packed evening of hands-on activities, music, food and drink, and scavenger hunts, all exploring the theme of printing on Thursday, August 2.

Step inside the £7.75million museum between 7pm and 10pm and explore all the elements of a fascinating industry – from beautiful typographic design to age-old techniques and modern technologies.

You can head upstairs to the magnificent Assembly Room and have a piece of poetry written especially for you by one of the Typewriter Poets.

Visitors can also create their own printed tote bag at a drop-in screen printing session run by Laura Felicity in the John Apthorp Learning Studio.

Alternatively, you can try your hand at mono printing with artist Sarah Moroney.

Ticket holders can learn all about 3D printing from Digital Office in the Weston Gallery, from printing on the International Space Station to printing in chocolate here on Earth.

You can also enjoy short spotlight talks on the first book to have been printed in colour in England in 1486, and discover hidden elements of the impressive First Impressions exhibition.

The cafe will be serving pizza and cocktails to enjoy in between trying out some of the activities taking place throughout the museum.

The whole museum and gallery will be open, so ticket holders will be able to explore exhibitions Squatlife, First Impressions, St Albans on Demand and The City That Went Uphill, and art installations Masquerade and Flutter, as well as taking up the opportunity to venture into the atmospheric cells and historic courtroom after dark.

Tickets are £5. They can be bought from the museum website at www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk