Museumnacht in Museum De Lakenhal
zaterdag 6 juni 2026
Op 6 juni vindt de 18e editie van de Leidse Museumnacht plaats. Tijdens de Museumnacht is het hele museum geopend en kun je meedoen met allerlei activiteiten. Bekijk het programma hieronder.
Piss Soap
In De Piskijker van Jan Steen wordt een eeuwenoude dokterspraktijk weergegeven. Aan de pis kon de dokter zien wat er mis was. Maar urine leidt niet alleen maar tot medische diagnoses, je kan er ook heel goed zeep van maken. Kunstenaar Arthur Guilleminot maakt voor zijn project Piss Soap zeepstukken van menselijke urine, houtas en gebruikt frituurvet. Hiermee vraagt hij je na te denken over onze wegwerpmaatschappij en hoe we afkeer waarnemen in onze westerse cultuur. In ruil voor jouw urine krijg jij een ready made soap bar mee naar huis.
NB: een potje om je urine in te verzamelen staat voor je klaar.
- Doorlopend tussen 20.00 tot 00.00 uur op de Achterplaats
KASSETTkafé
Philosophy, theatre, music and conversation. Music theatre collective KASSETT brings life to the party in true Jan Steen style. In a varied programme featuring music, stand-up philosophy and theatre, we create a space for reflection in the museumstudio, with a drink in hand. If your mind were a space, what would it look like? What music would be playing? What objects would be in it? And: would it be a Jan Steen household? Think, talk, or listen along, experience how this is translated into musical theater, and leave the KASSETTkafé with a full head, a full heart, and an empty glass.
- At 20:30, 21:30 and 22:30 in the Studio
Nina Yanson
23-year-old Nina, who grew up in Leiden and graduated from the Conservatory of Amsterdam, translates her humanity into music. Together with guitarist Kamael Hagbi, she takes you along the currents that move her. She writes folk-pop with touches of jazz and neo-soul, and surprises the listener with dreamy flute tones. Think of Lianne La Havas, Norah Jones, andni Mitchell.
- At 21:00 and 22:15 in the Van Bree Hall
That should be on a tile
Jan Steen is known not only for his work as a painter, but also for his expressions and sayings. The most striking examples are: “Life in the brewery”, “Like the old sang, so the young squeak” and “A household of Jan Steen”. They are often used as a warning that you should set and follow a good example.
In the Netherlands they call these sayings ‘Tegeltjeswijsheid’ or ‘tile wisdom’, referring to the custom of writing sayings on a Delft Blue tile. What original wisdom, saying or warning can you come up with? Write it in beautiful letters on the back of a beer mat and decorate it like a tile from the time of Jan Steen.
- Ongoing from 20:00 until 01:00 on the Courtyeard
Flash Tour Exhibition At Home with Jan Steen
In 2026, it has been exactly 400 years since Jan Steen was born in Leiden. Step into the personal life of one of the most important Dutch painters of the seventeenth century. In this exhibition, you will discover how his children, wives, friends and pub not only shaped his environment, but also his greatest source of inspiration. Based on masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum, Mauritshuis and our own collection, among others, you will embark on a journey of discovery through Steen's world full of humour, chaos and hidden messages.
In 15 to 20 minutes, our enthusiastic guide will point out the most interesting details.
- Starts every hour and on the half hour (except at 22:00) from the Museum Shop
The Piss Show
Immortalize yourself in a seventeenth-century setting as De Piskijker, one of Jan Steen's most famous paintings. Create a contemporary version or put on a piece of clothing that matches the painting and imitate the facial expressions of the Leiden residents portrayed. The most beautiful souvenir in honor of Jan Steen's 400th birthday.
- Ongoing from 20:00 until 01:00 in the Oud-Hollandse Keuken
Museum on the street
Together with a group of young thinkers and creators, Studio Moio offers unique interpretations of Jan Steen, masterful mysteries and social issues that move them. On the quay in front of the museum, objects tell the story of how these young people have spent a year drawing inspiration from the exhibitions and permanent collection of Museum De Lakenhal, bringing invisible things to light.
- Ongoing from 20:00 until 01:00 on the quay in front of the museum
Crash course on Giselle Kuster
Giselle Kuster made her mark as an artist and gallery owner in the Leiden art scene between 1940 and 1953. As a member (and for a time as director) of artists’ association Ars Aemula, she exhibited several times at Museum De Lakenhal in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her achievements are unique, yet her name has disappeared from history. It is time to rectify that. Join Renée Volkers, the museum's curator of modern art, for a crash course.
- At 20:30, 21:15, 22:00 and 22:45 in the Pape Hall (durationL 15 min)
Documentary: Il Balcone (Dutch premiere)
In 2023, Wilke Geurds and Jara van den Bosch traveled to the small town of Amantea in southern Italy. For two weeks, they immersed themselves in the local culture of Calabria: a place where lemons hang from the trees, Fiat Pandas zip through the streets, and nonnas proudly make their own pasta. At the same time, it is also a region where young people leave their homeland in search of work elsewhere.
Against this backdrop, the Leiden filmmakers explored the bond between residents and their homes, with a special focus on an everyday yet telling element of Italian life: the balcony. The documentary will be screened continuously throughout the evening, and you are free to come and go as you please to watch the film. Ask your questions during one of the Q&As with the filmmakers. Running time: approx. 6 minutes.
- Ongoing from 20:00 until 01:00 (running time: 6 min)
- With Q&A at 21:00, 21:45, 22:30 and 23:15
- In the Auditorium
Béla Bartók by pianist Domonkos Hegyi
Pianist Domonkos Hegyi feels right at home with the composer Béla Bartók. This concert focuses on a relatively unknown work by Bartók. Bartók wrote the piece Variations during his student years. In this work, it is clear where he drew his inspiration from, and the music forms a special connection with the 20th century artworks in the Van Doesburg hall.
- At 20:15, 21:45 and 23:00 in the Van Doesburg Hall
Verhalen in verf | Maak je eigen Giselle Kuster
Giselle Kuster bracht de bloeitijd van haar carrière door in Leiden. In het centrum van de stad ontwikkelde ze zich tot een succesvol kunstenaar én galeriehouder, midden in de roerige tijd van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Vandaag de dag is haar werk niet meer zo bekend. In de loop der tijd zijn haar verhaal en een groot deel van haar kunstwerken uit beeld verdwenen. Museum De Lakenhal is op zoek naar haar ‘verloren’ werken. Kunstwerken waarvan we soms een afbeelding, maar nog veel vaker alleen maar een titel of omschrijving hebben. Hoe denk jij dat deze werken eruit zien? Laat je verbeelding de vrije loop gaan bij titels als ‘Twee vrouwen in geel’ of Symphonie in grijs-groen'.
- Van 20.00 tot 00.30 uur op de Achterplaats
- Date: Saturday 6 June 2026
- Time: 20.00 - 01.00
- Price and tickets: via Museumnacht Leiden
The programme and starting times are subject to change.