28/10/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | OCT 28, 2025

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

24

Real-life night at museum A model of a blue whale hangs from the ceiling of the museum.

A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton stands proudly as people participate in a flashlight tour.

I T is nearly 10pm on Friday night and a group of children shine their flashlights on the imposing skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Though the scene seems like something out of a movie, it is in fact a whimsical sleepover at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Once a month, and for a not insignificant fee, parents and kids can once again spend the night at the venerable institution – a programme that had been suspended since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “We live really close to this place. So we can come here anytime we want. It’s crazy to sleep (here) – like, I don’t know who would come up with this crazy idea,” said eight-year-old Jake Nelson. Jake, nestled into his sleeping bag on a cot underneath the museum’s gigantic suspended model of a blue o Film-inspired programme returns to New York institution

from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters . Shortly before midnight, the children get into their beds to listen to a live reading of the 1993 children’s book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc – the inspiration for the film. Wake-up comes early at 7am, before the event ends at 8.30am. “It’s magical. I’m a lifelong New Yorker, and I’ve never done anything like this. There’s the whale above us,” said Jaclyn Rice Nelson, Jake’s mother. Her son skipped a few hours of the night’s activities to read a Harry Potter book in the unusual setting. “This is tiring. I think I’ve done a lot of stuff,” Jake said. His mother explained the pair had indeed visited several exhibits. “We went up to the dinosaurs, and all the lights were off, and so it was like walking around with flashlights with these big, kind of scary dinosaurs. And that’s just a very, very special experience,” she said. Hollywood media outlets have reported that a new Night at the Museum film is in the works. Stiller starred in the first three instalments. So the magic is set to endure. – AFP

whale, said he was “so happy to be here”. The museum first launched its “Night at the Museum” programmes in 2006, riding the success of the movie of the same name, released that year, starring Ben Stiller as a security guard who realises the animals and fossils come to life overnight. The return of the sleepovers is good news for the museum and its visitors. “They were an iconic part of our itinerary here and very sought after by all of our visitors. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, we had to pause the experience for a few years, but we really wanted to take a pause and understand how we can make this experience exciting and memorable for our visitors, and now we’re here,” Aaron Anleu, senior director of visitor service, said. Friday’s overnight visit was sold out, as are the November and December events, but in the end, a few cots were empty when the lights dimmed. A few hundred children ages six to 12 arrived at the museum at 6pm with their parents or other caregivers,

The programme is designed for children and their caregivers.

souvenir and a voucher for free admission during regular hours. Tours, karaoke Amid the games, crafts, live presentations and self-guided visits to the live insect displays, one of the most popular events is karaoke. Kids belt out a mix of Broadway tunes, viral YouTube hit The Duck Song and the inescapable soundtrack

sleeping bags and pillows in tow. Some were already wearing their pajamas. For a fee starting at US$225 (RM948) a person, attendees get flashlight tours of exhibits including the fossil halls, do scavenger hunts, play trivia games and have bedtime snacks. Breakfast is served before the event ends. Admission also includes a

Visitors come ready with sleeping bags and pillows. – ALL PICS FROM AFP

Visitors set up camp for ‘A Night at the Museum’ at the American Museum of Natural History.