Friday night fun at the Guggenheim’s Art After Dark party. (Photos: Aarona Pichinson and Virginie Blanchere)

In New York and Los Angeles, museums after dark are often busier than during daylight hours. In both cities, just about all of the major museums, and a few of its minor ones, have jumped on the nocturnal bandwagon, hoping to hook a younger generation on museumgoing. But they’ve hooked the older crowd as well, with some offering live music or D.J.’s, performances and lectures, discount prices and, not surprisingly, booze.

A majority of these evening activities are on Friday nights, seemingly perfect for just-arrived out-of-town weekenders. The crowds they attract appear much more local than tourist. The average attendee comes with high heels and a hip handbag, not sensible shoes and a Lonely Planet guide.

Whitney Live offers live performances at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Here are some examples from New York:
Target First Saturdays @ Brooklyn Museum of Art
Art After Dark @ Guggenheim Museum
K2 Lounge @ Rubin Museum of Art
Whitney Live @ Whitney Museum of American Art
Get Weird @ New Museum of Contemporary Art

And from Los Angeles:
NIGHT VISION @ Museum of Contemporary Art LA
College Night @ Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Friday Nights @ The J. Paul Getty Museum

Read more (The New York Times, February 7, 2008)