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Some lucky office workers will be aware of ‘Summer Fridays’, where employees are allowed to shave off a few hours from the end of the working week and clock off early on Fridays during the summer months to take advantage of the longer days (or, just spend more time outside the pub with a pint in hand).
Well, London institution, the National Gallery, is doing its own version of a special summer timetable. But, instead of shortening its opening hours, it’s extending them, so there’s even more time to take in its oil paintings of stiff-backed royals, hilarious political caricatures, and portraits of musicians, scientists, artists, philanthropists and celebrities.
From Friday July 3 to Monday August 31, the free-to-visit gallery will launch National Gallery Summertime, staying open until 7pm daily, with late opening until 9pm on Fridays. Alongside the extended hours, there’ll also be evening creative workshops hosted in the Roden Centre for Creative Learning (RCCL), including life drawing and still life classes, and the gallery’s Take One Picture exhibition will also remain on view throughout the summer.
It’s not just the galleries that will be staying open later. The building’s shops, bars, restaurants and exhibitions will also adhere to the new seasonal hours, so visitors can really make an evening of it. Plus, it will mean an extra chance to check out the gallery’s blockbuster Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait exhibition, which marks what would have been the film star’s 100th birthday, and its Zurbarán exhibition, full of Spanish Baroque art, which got five stars from Time Out’s art critic.
And if you are one of those lucky employees who get to leave the office early on Summer Fridays, now you know how to fill those extra hours with something other than your usual post-work pint.
After something to do in London this weekend? Here are eight blooming lovely gardens to check out during London Open Gardens.
Plus, London’s most spectacular free outdoor festival has announced its line-up for the summer.
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