There will be many sleepless people in bigger cities across Bulgaria on Saturday night as the country will join the Europe-wide Night of Museums for the eighth time.

Over 30 museums and galleries across the country will be opening their doors free of charge and extending their working hours.

Events are scheduled Saturday throughout the day and onto the dark hours, at least until midnight, organizers say.

The program of the 2012 Night of the Museums in Bulgaria is available on the French Institute of Sofia website HERE (in Bulgarian).

"The Night of the Museums initiative should be used to promote Bulgaria abroad. Our country has already gained worldwide recognition with its multi-layered cultures. All that we have inherited from these cultures can be seen in the museums," Maria Konakchieva from the French Institute in Sofia told Darik radio.

Bulgaria's National Art Gallery, Gallery Sofia, National Gallery for Foreign Art, National Archeological Museum, National Polytechnic Museum and Museum "Earth and People" are among the participants in the capital.

The first Night of the Museums took place in Berlin in 1997. The idea was to give free access to the public to all exhibits and introduce new artists to the cultural institutions.