Long Night of Museums 2026 at the Musical Instrument Museum

Featuring a Pink Panther interactive concert for families, “Tango Noir” with the Colombo Kociołek Frontini Trio in collaboration with the Ibero-American Institute, guided tours through mysterious rooms, spectacular stories about forgeries, the first vampire film in cinema history, and a dance and music show at the legendary Moka Efti, aka SIM Café.

Program

Crime at the MIM

6:00 p.m.

Pink Panther: Let’s Solve the Case!

Concert for Children and Families

Who stole the thunder from the Mighty Wurlitzer organ? This instrument can bring entire thunderstorms to life. But the thunder has vanished! Help us decipher the musical clues and find the thief. An exciting concert for sharp-eyed detectives, featuring Jörg Joachim Riehle on the Mighty Wurlitzer.

7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Fakes, Scandals, and Criminal Schemes

Guided tour with Benedikt Brilmayer

Behind the glamorous world of music lie astonishing stories. From illegal replicas of musical instruments to scandalous relationships and curious rumors about strings made from human intestines: Benedikt Brilmayer takes you on an exciting quest to uncover the dark sides of the history of musical instruments.

7:30 p.m., 8:15 p.m., and 9:00 p.m.

Acoustic Rooms and Treasures of Sound Recording

Guided Tour of the SIM’s Acoustic Rooms

This guided tour offers rare glimpses behind the scenes at the State Institute for Music Research. Discover the fascinating acoustic phenomena in the reverberation chamber and the anechoic chamber. The tour then continues to the transfer center for historical sound recordings—a paradise for tech enthusiasts.

8:30 p.m.

Tango Noir with the Colombo Kociołek Frontini Trio

In cooperation with the Ibero-American Institute

Tango and jazz come together to celebrate a music that, since its beginnings, has been closely linked to the less glamorous sides of the big city. Tango originated in bars, back alleys, and other seedy spots in Buenos Aires. Lunfardo, a colloquial language originally considered the language of criminals, also shaped this world with all its ambiguity and vibrancy.

9:30 p.m.

Silent film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” (1922)

Live accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer by Jörg Joachim Riehle

F. W. Murnau’s *Nosferatu* (1922) is considered a milestone of German Expressionist silent film. This unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s *Dracula* tells the story of Count Orlok, who brings plague and death to the fictional port city of Wisborg. Jörg Joachim Riehle provides live accompaniment to this horror classic on the Mighty Wurlitzer, one of Europe’s largest cinema and theater organs.

Midnight

Midnight at Moka Efti

Dance and music show with the Dukish Vagabonds

At midnight, the Musical Instrument Museum transforms into the legendary Berlin dance hall and café “Moka Efti,” inviting you to experience the music and dance culture of the late 1920s. The Dukish Vagabonds will perform live to accompany Swing Base’s Charleston performance. Spectating is expressly permitted—and so is joining in the dance!