Every year since 1977, the International Museum Day is organised on May 18; a global celebration to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society.

As opposed to Museum Night or Museum Weekend 2012, the Historisch Museum JoCas, a virtual historical museum that offers information about UNESCO World Heritage in 151 countries, is the only museum in the Netherlands in the official programme - just like last year (see International Museum Day 2011).

The International Museum Day is organised by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). 30.000 museums in more than 100 countries have participated these recent years.