FAQ

Where is the event taking place?   

Programming will take place simultaneously at four neighboring locations on the Upper East Side on the evening of Friday, March 3, starting as early as 4:30PM (for teens, at The Met only) and concluding around midnight.  

1.) The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, 1 East 78th Street, New York NY 10075 

2.) Villa Albertine headquarters, 972 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10075  

3.) The Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 East 79th Street, New York NY 10075    

4.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10028  

Consult the schedule to see what programming is happening at each location at different times.  

The entire event is open to the public.  

Is there a Night of Ideas happening in Brooklyn this year?  

No. This year, Night of Ideas has moved to the Upper East Side, and there is no event in Brooklyn. We look forward to seeing our community in a new neighborhood!   

How do I get to the area where the event is happening?  

Take the 6 train to 77th Street or the 4 or 5 trains to 86th Street. You can also take the M79 crosstown bus or various bus lines on Fifth or Madison Avenues.  

Is Night of Ideas free?  

Admission is free at The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU; Villa Albertine headquarters; and the Ukrainian Institute of America.   

Admission to The Met requires a museum ticket. During Night of Ideas, ticketing will be Pay What You Wish for all members of the public. 

Do I need to register in advance?  

Advanced registration is required for The Institute of Fine Arts, NYU via this Google Form. Update: tickets for this venue are now sold out.  

Advanced registration for The Met, Villa Albertine headquarters, and the Ukrainian Institute of America is not required but strongly encouraged and available via a separate sign up form.   

Admission to all venues is first-come, first-served and will be subject to capacity at your time of arrival.  

I have a disability and require a special accommodation. What should I do to ensure a comfortable and safe experience at Night of Ideas?  

We strive to accommodate as many guests as possible. Please inform our staff or volunteers if you have a disability, and we will do everything we can to make you comfortable. We are a small team with limited means (given that this is a free event), so unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that every need will be met. 

Note that the elevator at Villa Albertine headquarters and Albertine Books is currently being renovated and is fully out of commission. We do not currently have an alternative solution for a stairs-free ascent to the second floor and sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. Our elevator should be operational by early April 2023. 

Will there be food and drink at the event?  

Small snacks and water will be available free of charge in limited quantities, and a couple of our venues will host a midnight toast.  

There will not be food or drinks for sale. We recommend that you eat before coming to the event.   

Will there be bathrooms?   

Bathrooms will be available, but there will likely be long lines. We thank you in advance for your patience and consideration.  

Is re-entry permitted?   

If you choose to leave a venue, you will be required to wait on line again to re-enter. Guests who have waited on one venue’s line will not be entitled to skip lines at other venues. 

Will the event be in French or English?  

The event is 100% in English (including a live reading of an English translation of Annie Ernaux’s Happening).   

Who can I speak to at the event if I have questions or an emergency?   

For questions during the event, look for our staff and volunteers who will be wearing a Night of Ideas t-shirts.  

If you are interested in volunteering, please email nightofideas@villa-albertine.org.  

If there is a true emergency, call 911 and do not wait to alert our staff, who may be extremely busy.  

Any tips for enjoying the event to the fullest?  

We are so excited to share Night of Ideas with you! We hope you’ll love this late-night marathon of philosophy and art.   

We recommend that you arrive early, hydrate frequently, and expect lines to enter the venues and some crowding in event spaces. This is all par for the course with free events. We have made a conscious decision to offer free or Pay What You Wish admission with the goal of making our programming as accessible as possible. We thank you in advance for your patience during the event.  

Note that there are few bars and restaurants in the immediate area, so it would be wise to avoid arriving too hungry.   

I am a member of the media and am interested in covering Night of Ideas or interviewing a speaker. Who can I contact for more information and a press pass?  

Write to kimberly.corliss@frenchculture.org and lkamens@resnicow.com with any questions and media inquiries. Read a press release about the event here.  

Will the event be livestreamed or recorded? 

 The only part of the event that will be live streamed is a collective reading in English of Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux’s Happening. The stream will be viewable at Villa Albertine’s YouTube channel between 9PM and 11PM EST (approximately) on Friday, March 3. The stream will not be viewable after the reading ends, so catch it while it’s live! 

Can I film or take photos at the event?   

Feel free to take smartphone clips and photos at the event (and post them on social media with #NightofIdeas). Professional photography and videography will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Write to nightofideas@villa-albertine.org with questions.  

I’m not in New York City. Will there be a Night of Ideas event near me?  

Maybe! Check the drop-down menu on the top left side of this page as well as our All Other Cities page for smaller, satellite Night of Ideas events.