Celebrate International Museum Day 2020 in 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons'

'Animal Crossing: New Horizons' owl scholar Blathers encourages gamers to celebrate International Museum Day through a special online event (image via @animalcrossing)

Hot on the heels of Museum Week 2020 comes International Museum Day, a time when institutions worldwide are encouraged to raise awareness about how museums "are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples." First celebrated over 40 years ago, more than 37,000 museums took part in the event last year, with nearly 160 countries and territories represented.

This year's theme is "Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion," with International Museum Day aiming to become "a rallying point to both celebrate the diversity of perspectives that make up the communities and personnel of museums, and champion tools for identifying and overcoming bias in what they display and the stories they tell." At the Museum of Pop Culture, the day and this year's theme align with our core values and guiding principles that shape the makeup of our nonprofit museum.

At MoPOP, we of course also like to have a little bit of fun where appropriate, and on International Museum Day our friends at Animal Crossing: New Horizons are lending a helping hand (talon?) in that area. Beginning Monday, May 18 and running through May 31, Nintendo is inviting gamers to celebrate the museum holiday online by participating in a special event featuring special rewards. 

• Related: Who's Your Favorite 'Animal Crossing' Character? MoPOP Staff Weigh In

To take part in the event, which centers around a Stamp Rally, players should: 

• Update the game to version 1.2.0b
• Make sure the island's museum is upgraded from a tent, then talk to the owl scholar, Blathers (sorry, Kali, you'll have to touch base with your least favorite Animal Crossing character if you want in)
• Visit the three exhibits in the assigned section and interact with the tables
• Return the filled-in card to Blathers to obtain a reward
• Repeat to start another Stamp Rally in a different section

Check out the video above for a detailed explanation, Stamp Rally walkthrough, and look at all the rewards!

Learn more about International Museum Day + for contests, the latest news, and behind-the-scenes content, be sure to follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you like what you see, support the work of our nonprofit museum by making a donation to MoPOP today!