Spend a night with prehistoric creatures at the Shanghai Natural History Museum

Offering a unique chance to camp overnight amid dinosaur, mammoth and saber-toothed tiger exhibits, the Shanghai Natural History Museum has launched special night camping events to celebrate the 2026 International Museum Day and China Tourism Day. Blending science, technology, culture and tourism, the program creates vibrant new nighttime tourism experiences for urban visitors.

Nearly 150 parent-child families joined the immersive night event on May 16. Young visitors attended dinosaur and butterfly-themed science and handicraft workshops, explored precious museum exhibits with professional instructors, interacted with role-playing staff members, and enjoyed science films and parent-child concerts.

"This overnight camping experience is incredibly special for my first-grade son. He had great fun and took an active part in all activities," said Ren Xiaoqiong, a frequent visitor to the city's science venues.

At 9:30 pm, the museum provided fully equipped tents for participating families, complete with air mattresses and blankets. Families set up independent camping spaces and decorated unique tent nameplates with markers, fairy lights, and plastic boards.

Over 100 tents were set up across key exhibition zones, allowing campers to spend the night beside dinosaur fossils, butterfly specimens and polar bear displays for exclusive immersive experiences.

Main exhibition lights were dimmed at 10 pm, with only emergency lights remaining. The lively museum soon turned quiet as visitors settled in their tents for the night.

While visitors rested, museum staff members worked through the night to guarantee a safe and comfortable stay. Teams manually adjusted indoor temperatures, conducted hourly security patrols, cleaned exhibition areas for the next day's opening, and kept medical, technical, and educational personnel on standby.

"The prehistoric creature models looked vivid at night, and the quiet murmurs around felt like dinosaur roars. It was such a thrilling experience," said six-year-old camper Sheng Sheng.

The popular overnight events sell out immediately after registration opens. Strict rules, including a no-touch policy for exhibits and a full smoking ban are enforced to protect museum facilities and maintain a tidy visiting environment, according to project lead Wang Xiaodan.