On Saturday night, the Night of Art and Science will be returning to Groningen for the first time since 2016, and there are plenty of English-language or Language No Problem panels, musical events and other presentations on the programme. The Northern Times has picked out some of the coolest things going down on the Night.
On the Night of Art and Science site, the programme information is almost exclusively available in Dutch, but that does not mean that there are not tons of foreigner-friendly activities through the night. Most of the indoor events require buying a ticket in advance, so keep that in mind. There are also heaps of outdoor events, including street art, food trucks and live music scattered across the city.
Blanks
23:15 to 23:45
Doopsgezinde Kerk
The youthful, self-described “overexcited” music by RUG student Simon de Wit – better known as Blanks – helped him to find YouTube stardom starting when he was 15 years old. Blanks has nearly 800,000 subscribers on YouTube, and his videos, which include covers, originals and collaborations with followers and world famous musicians, regularly garner more than one million views a piece. You can check out his sunny sound in person in the Doopsgezinde Kerk (Oude Boteringestraat 33).
Greg Shapiro
20:00 to 20:30
23:00 to 23:30
Academy Building, Senaatskamer
You may recognise Shapiro’s voice as the narrator of the “Netherlands Second” video from Zondag met Lubach, and Shapiro has taken his uncanny knack for impersonating America’s kakistocractic commander-in-chief, Donald Trump, on the road throughout the Netherlands with his current show, “The Madness of King Donald”. Shapiro is also the author of two hilariously accurate books about Dutch culture from an outsider’s perspective: “How to be Orange” and “How to be Dutch: the Quiz”. Shapiro will be doing two shows inside the Academy Building during the Night.
The Serendiep: The Museum Ship
Throughout the night
Boat located at the Academie Minerva at the Praediniussingel
A 42-meter-long barge which has been converted into a sailing museum, De Serendiep was created by De Spullenmannen and will be mooring at festivals across the Netherlands throughout 2019. The barge includes a 50-seat theatre – a performance space for absurdist and experimental art – and an Alice in Wonderland-inspired labyrinth.
Drag Queen Story Hour
21:15 to 21:45
00:15 to 00:45
Groninger Forum Library (Arena)
The Groningen Feminist Network and literary activity group Noordwoord are bringing Dutch drag queens Dolly Wood, Joan von Monroe and Kai Vanguard together to read inclusive bedtime stories: English sessions will be held just after 9 p.m. and midnight at the Groninger Forum Library.
Podcast: Regional news for everyone
23:00 to 23:45
Academy Building, Spiegelzaal
How can internationals be included in news coverage, and how can regional news ensure a good balance between metropolitan and rural news? This highlight is admittedly a little bit self-serving, because the Northern Times’ own Traci White will be sitting down alongside Sikkom editor Willem Groeneveld and Dagblad van het Noorden editor Esther van der Meer in the Spiegelzaal to talk about the role of local and regional journalism in the north.
Kate Zernike
22:45 to 23:30
Academy Building, Aula
Pulitzer prize-winning New York Times reporter Kate Zernike will share stories from her career covering topics from Al Qaeda in the aftermath of September 11thand gender discrimination at the esteemed Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And yes, she si one of those Zernikes: her grandfather is Nobel Prize-winner and campus namesake, Frits Zernike.
Out of the Box escape room
Throughout the night
Der Aa-Kerk
Are you looking for a fun challenge on the Night? UMCG has conjured up a science-themed escape room inside the Aa-kerk. “Let yourself be driven by curiosity, don’t be distracted by irrelevant things and remember: the solution is often closer than you think”
Professor Jonathan Jansen
21:30 to 22:15
Academy Building, Aula
Distinguished professor of education at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, Jonathan Jansen’s research has been shining a light on race relations, academic inequality and (de)colonoisation for decades. In light of the university’s anniversary theme of being “all inclusive”, this conversation will really give meaning to that motto.
USVA Beer Yoga
20:30 to 21:00
21:30 to 22:00
22:30 to 23:00
23:30 to 00:00
University Library, terrace on second floor
It’s yoga. With beer. Do you really need to know more? Well, maybe a bit about the logistics would help: your beer bottle is incorporated as a focal point and integrated into yoga poses during this athleisure event.
Slow Looking
20:30, 20:45, 21:00, 21:30, 21:45 and 22:00
Groninger Museum
The Groninger Museum is encouraging visitors to take their time during the night. “On average, museum goers only spend about eight seconds looking at a painting. Tonight, the museum invites you to slow down: together with one of our guides, linger and really look deeply at the art to discover even more layers of meaning.”
Photo source: Facebook
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