Join the Celebrations of the 12th IMPD, on Thursday, October 22, 2026 #IMPD2026
The Museum Has a Cast. It’s Time to Learn Their Names.
International Museum Professionals Day 2026 | The People Behind the Museum
A visitor enters a museum and sees an exhibition.
What they rarely see is the extraordinary company of people who made it possible.
Someone researched the objects. Someone negotiated their loans, arranged their transport, checked their condition, designed their displays, adjusted the lighting, wrote the labels, prepared the educational programs, and ensured that the public could enjoy the result.
And that is only the beginning.
Museums are among the world’s great collaborative achievements. Yet much of the collaboration remains invisible.
This year, International Museum Professionals Day (IMPD) invites the world to look beyond the exhibitions and discover the people who bring them to life.
A New Name. The Same Mission.
Conceived in 2014 and launched in 2015 as Hug A Museum Worker, the initiative became International Museum Workers Day in 2017.
Following its first decade, and by popular demand, it was renamed International Museum Professionals Day.
The change reflects the remarkable breadth of professions that contribute to museums and cultural heritage, from scholarship and conservation to education, design, technology, administration, and public engagement.
But the founding conviction remains unchanged: the people who make museums possible deserve to be seen, recognized, and celebrated.
The People Behind the Museum
For IMPD 2026, we’re inviting museum and heritage professionals around the world to turn the spotlight toward their colleagues.
Introduce us to the registrar who makes the impossible loan possible. The conservator whose painstaking work may never be visible to visitors. The educator who transforms curiosity into understanding. The technician, researcher, security officer, administrator, archivist, or volunteer whose contribution deserves a little more applause.
Tell us who they are. Show us what they do. Share their stories.
A photograph, a few sentences, a behind-the-scenes moment, or a personal tribute can introduce the public to an entire profession.
And while we’re celebrating, let’s remember that recognition should extend beyond a single day. Professional expertise, fair working conditions, and institutional support matter every day of the year.
Your Colleagues. Their Stories. Our Celebration.
This IMPD, celebrate someone whose work makes a difference.
On Thursday, October 22, share their story with #IMPD2026 and invite your colleagues, friends, and followers to do the same.
The objects may command the spotlight.
But this year, the people take the bow.