Experience a night at the museum

If Washington is now home to a boomlet of museum soirees, the Hirshhorn After Hours is its old guard, the juggernaut with big ambitions and the pull to carry them off

One would hardly suspect that After Hours is only two years old — or that it's held at a Smithsonian museum.

The music is booming as DJs come from the city's club scene and the folks party the night away.

Baltimore's electro-wizard Dan Deacon once led the crowd into a writhing indie-rock rumba line at an After Hours; Los Angeles duo Lucky Dragons got aloof Washingtonians to touch one another en masse to make music.

Very popular

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden hosts the affair four times a year, and it has evolved into a major happening, with a line that frequently stretches down Independence Avenue (peak attendance was 2,600 people; it is now capped at 2,000).

“We wanted to reach out to people within a certain age group that we could cultivate to be future supporters of contemporary art,'' says Gabriel Riera, a spokesman for the
museum.

But it's not a posh party: “We definitely didn't want people standing around in blazers. We wanted a hip, contemporary crowd.''

After Hours is constantly changing. The event was once held indoors; now it expands into the outdoor plaza. The crowd, once exclusively young professionals, has a more international feel.

Complaints about long lines for the refreshment counters and porta-potties have been addressed.

“I think I sensed at the beginning that this was kind of a long narrative,'' says Kevin Hull, a Hirshhorn programming staffer who has been a force behind the event since its March 2007 launch.

“In the beginning, the scale of it reflected our own not being sure if we were barking up the right tree. We were challenging a lot of the notions of what is okay to do.''

Being trendy

Art and music fans (or as some refer to them, hipsters) in their 20s to 40s make up the bulk of the crowd.

Older and younger visitors are welcome, however. You can enter the galleries until 10pm.

Attire is creatively fashionable. It's about art, so originality is valued over trends.

Guys, forget the blazer and go for the skinny jeans.

Be sure to catch the performances. See exhibits early, and go back outdoors to check out the acts. You never know what you'll see.

Artsy party

The Phillips Collection launched its Phillips After 5 evening event last summer to bring crowds into the museum for a scene that includes live jazz, gallery tours as well as poetry readings and film screenings. But don't call it hipster.

Folks of all stripes — from baby-faced students to those enjoying their golden years — filter through the galleries.

Downstairs, surrounded by paintings by Picasso and Degas, young professionals sip drinks and snack on a free spread of fruit and cheese.

Upstairs, others gather for guided walks through the latest exhibition.

At Phillips After 5, you can head straight for the bar and permanent collections and pay only a donation of your choosing; pay admission, typically $10-$12 (Dh36-Dh44), and also get access to the exhibition.

Phillips After 5 is normally held the first Thursday of the month but will be weekly during August with lineups that include the Mortified storytelling group, a DJ from a popular D.C. dance party and video art.

Attire: Dressy casual.

Location: 1600 21st St. NW. Website: www.phillipscollection.org

— Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service

Exciting evenings

Hirshhorn After Hours is at Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. Tickets are available only in advance and tend to sell out several days before the event. Visit www.hirshhorn.si.edu/afterhours.