Museum in the Dark booked out

A chance for a night at the South Canterbury Museum was fully booked within 12 hours of being advertised.

Despite increasing the number of spaces from 50 to 80 for the museum’s biennial Museum in the Dark, Friday’s event was booked out quicker than it ever has been in its 6-year history.

‘‘People like the idea of doing something unusual in the museum and experiencing the museum in a different way,’’ museum director Philip Howe said.

‘‘We were still surprised at how fast it sold out.’’

Children who managed to snag a spot would be taking part in a contest to find items hidden around the museum and a craft activity, with glow-in-the-dark face paint available, Howe said.

But introducing an extra night was not on the cards, neither for this year nor next time, he said.

‘‘Unfortunately, it is a case of learning about it and responding immediately.’’

Six to eight volunteers were needed for the night to run smoothly, he said.

‘‘Because of the amount of volunteer time given to it, it’s not something we can run on a regular basis.

‘‘We don’t have the capacity.’’ While ‘‘we’d love to have more people involved’’, limited spaces helped make the night ‘‘an enjoyable and safe experience’’ for the children.

‘‘We know that there’s demand for it,’’ Howe said.

Members of the Museum Explorers’ Club were given a chance to sign up for the night before it was publicly advertised, so joining the club increased a child’s chances of securing a spot, he said.

The event was first held in 2013 and repeated in 2015 and 2017, but that did not necessarily mean it would be two years before it was offered again, he said.