ORF Long Night of Museums 2026

QUANTUM PARTICLES LIVE

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

Experience interference, photons and levitating quantum particles live. Together with researchers from the Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation Wien der ÖAW , discover through fascinating live experiments just how surprising nature can be at the smallest scales.

BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE UNIVERSE

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

The Marietta-Blau-Institut für Teilchenphysik der ÖAW explores the smallest building blocks of matter and offers insights into the methods of modern particle physics. Find out how microscopic particles can be made visible, how a tabletop accelerator works, and observe particle collisions in the CMS detector.

THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

How does sound work? How can you make a sound visible? And how do elephants communicate with one another? Find the answers to these and many other questions at the interactive station of the Institut für Schallforschung der ÖAW. Put your hearing to the test in the animal sounds quiz or use ultrasound to observe how your tongue moves when you speak.

AXOLOTL – SMALL SALAMANDER, BIG SUPERPOWER!

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

At the station of the Institut für Molekulare Biotechnologie der ÖAW you can gain fascinating insights into the world of neurobiology and regeneration research. Discover how nerve cells communicate with one another and how axolotls possess the extraordinary ability to regrow lost tissue. Interactive exhibits and hands-on activities invite you to experience cutting-edge research and discover the amazing capabilities of the brain and the axolotl.

THE COLOURS OF PLANTS

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

The Gregor-Mendel-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenbiologie der ÖAW shows how plants produce and use a vast range of colours: chlorophyll helps them capture energy, colourful pigments protect them from stress, and colours can also serve as visual signals. We humans also use plant-based dyes in many different ways – including to create your own souvenirs at our experimental station.

SOFTWARELAB

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

Get creative on a retro computer and discover local indie games! The softwareLAB shows how digital objects are preserved for future generations, while interactive exhibits invite you to play and explore.

BODIES IN MAKING: BODIES AND AI

6:00 pm–midnight | Level 2 | Drop-in station

Develop your own wrestling character and create a trading card using a laser cutter. Along the way, explore how an AI image generator actually works and what all of this has to do with our perceptions of the body. The “Bodies in Making” educational project explores how technologies – from mirrors and prostheses to generative AI and LLMs – shape our ideas of bodies, beauty and identity. This creative hands-on station invites you to take a critical look at AI and body images and discover new perspectives on diversity and self-determination.

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: SCIENCE CHANGES

6:30 / 8:30 / 10:30 pm
Approx. 15 minutes | Level 2 | Meeting point at the exhibition

How is new knowledge created? Why do scientific explanations change? And what roles do research, experiments and critical inquiry play? On this tour, we explore how science shapes our understanding of the world and why new questions are often just as important as answers.

SPOTLIGHT TOUR: ANATOMAGE-TABLE

7:30 / 9:30 / 11:30 pm
Approx. 15 minutes | Level 2 | Meeting point on Level 3, on the gallery beneath the large clock

The Anatomage Table reveals the human body digitally, layer by layer. This innovative technology combines scientific fundamentals with interactive learning and opens up new ways of exploring human anatomy and physiology.

HIGH-VOLTAGE DEMONSTRATION

7:00 / 8:00 / 9:00 / 10:00 and 11:00 pm
Approx. 15 minutes | Level 2 | High-Voltage Room

This spectacular show takes you into the world of electrical charges and currents! We generate electricity at extremely high voltage and use it to conduct astonishing experiments: lamps light up without power cables, while metre-long bolts of lightning flash freely through our safety cage.

Free tickets are available from the museum ticket desk two hours before the demonstration begins.

MAKER*SPACE TECHLAB

6:00–10:00 pm | Level 3

Ready to turn your ideas into reality? At techLAB, our Explainers will help you get creative with 3D printers, laser cutters and cutting plotters.

MINIXPLORE

6:00–10:00 pm | Level 3

This interactive exhibition for families with children aged 3–8 encourages experimentation and movement, with a diverse and artistically designed activity landscape featuring numerous stations for curious young explorers!

The children's area is open continuously. No time-slot reservations are required.

MINTI

6:00–10:00 pm | Level 3

This interactive area for families with children aged 18 months to 5 years gives little explorers plenty of space for movement and playful experiences, encouraging our youngest visitors to discover the world around them.

The children's area is open continuously. No time-slot reservations are required.

VR FLIGHT WITH BIRDLY®

6:30–11:30 pm | Level 1

With Birdly®, a realistic virtual-reality experience lets you fly like a bird and discover fantastic new perspectives. For an even more immersive full-body experience, you control your flight by moving your arms – and can even feel the wind on your face.

Tickets for the VR experience are available at the ticket desk (€ 3.90).