Over 100,000 visitors are expected to visit 335 British museum and galleries as part of Culture24's national campaign for late night opening

Future Shorts ONE on London's Southbank

A cultural campaign geared towards encouraging visitors to galleries and museums by opening them at night is expected to attract over 100,000 visitors when it opens this weekend.

Museums at Night Night, the UK leg of a European initiative called 'Nuit des Musees', has tripled in size since its conception in 2009. This year the campaign will see nearly 350 galleries and museums open their doors to the public to celebrate the annual arts initiative.

While the campaign - coordinated by British Charity Culture24 - has a healthy track record of introducing cultural ’novices’ to the UK's burgeoning cultural scene, it's also revealed some damning figures about its visitors: almost half had never been to the venue before with 5 percent having never been to any museum or gallery.

A spokesperson for the initiative says: “by introducing gallery gigs, twilight film screenings, offbeat shows and twilight tours it’s hoped that people who don’t normally frequent museums for whatever reason will see them in a different light.”

Some of the events are free, many are subsidised and a clutch of the museums will be open for 24 hour sleepovers. RAF Holmpton in Yorkshire will be hosting a one-off overnight 'Underground Paranormal Investigation' in its bunkers on Saturday night.

Other highlights include a special event at the V&A’s Contemporary South African Photography exhibition featuring photographer Normski in conversation, DJ’s and live musicians; free entry to film screenings from short film festival Future shorts ONE, as well as numerous low-key literary events, including a literary event by candlelight at Cumbria’s Dove Cottage, the former home of William Wordsworth. Notably, The Holburn Museum of Art in Bath has chosen to re-open its doors to the public that weekend the first time since undergoing a massive £11m renovation.

2011 is a key year for Britain's cultural heritage sites. In the run up to the 2012 London Olympics, larger galleries like the Tate are expected to “capitalise” on the number of foreign visitors by staging “blockbuster” exhibitions. It’s hoped this initiative, which has seen visiting figures leap from 34,000 to a potential 100,000, will help introduce visitors to smaller, non-London venues previously overlooked by the tourist trail.