The Museum of Fine Arts started a new series of events called #mfaNOW. During these events, the MFA is open, free of charge, to the public after hours. The doors to the Museum open through the Linde Family Wing starting at 9 p.m. and stay open free of charge until 9 a.m. This is the first year that the MFA has attempted this. The first #mfaNOW event happened on Sept. 17 and 18. The upcoming event is occurring on Oct. 14 and has the theme of College Night. Two more overnight parties are scheduled on Nov. 4-5 and Dec. 9-10.
These parties are a prime opportunity to see after-hours footage of Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a contemporary art piece that blends thousands of fictional occurrences of time in a 24-hour long piece that is synced to real time in the location that the film is being shown, creating a surreal blend between fiction and reality. Along with the film, there are also multiple DJs playing music all nights, food trucks outside of the museum, and special events such as a late-night-run movie showings at 1 a.m. in the theater, yoga in the mornings, and other surprises.
However, this is only the second time that the museum has ever done this, so don’t be too surprised if there are some changes from earlier plans. Demand for the first event in September was beyond the expectations of even the curators of the event, who had no idea how many people would decide to show up. At the peak hours, the line into the museum stretched from the Linde entrance almost to the promenade. People waited up to three hours to get inside. While the museum might open up more space to allow more people at once, it’s still a good idea to get there early.
On top of that, there is also an immense physical toll to pulling an all-nighter. Of course, anyone is free to leave at any time, and the MFA provides credit towards a ride-share for people that are leaving at night. For some people, it may be better to not participate in this event and instead visit the museum during off hours on weekdays. All students of the University of Massachusetts Boston get to enter the MFA for free.
Even with the potential downsides of long waits in line and the toll of all-nighters, this event is a fantastic way to spend a Friday night in Boston. Hopefully the MFA decides to continue this type of event in the future.