This week, museums across the globe band together to observe the annual Art Museum Day, a day of free museum admission and special events and part of the global International Museum Day celebration.

On Wednesday, May 18, honor the important cultural role of museums by going and visiting one — for free.

In Philadelphia, museumgoers can mark the day by taking advantage of free admission and special programming at four participating area museums on Wednesday, May 18.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art opens its doors for free on Wednesday, giving visitors the chance to stroll the galleries and the opportunity to check out the new exhibition Creative Africa. Plus, the Museum of Art stays open until 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday nights for pay-what-you-wish programming, so visit after 5 p.m. for entertainment and hands-on fun.

Beyond the Museum of Art, other participating Philadelphia-area museums include the Institute of Contemporary Art, which (awesomely) is actually always free and open to the public, the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, which offers free admission for Museum Day, and the Penn Museum in University City, which offers half-off regular museum general admission for the day.

Taking advantage of the promotion is seriously simple, just visit any one of the participating museums on Wednesday, May 18. Prior registration isn’t required.

Check here for information about Art Museum Day and get out there for a day of gratis culure.