The Western Australian Museum in Perth will stay open late this weekend to accommodate the unprecedented demand for A Day in Pompeii which closes on September 12, 2010.

The WA Museum in Perth is extending its opening hours to 9.00pm this Friday and Saturday (September 10 and 11, 2010) and 6.00pm on Sunday (September 12, 2010), giving visitors an extended last chance to witness A Day in Pompeii before it draws to a close and heads to its next stop in Singapore.

Visitors after-dark will also have a final opportunity to enjoy an animated moving „lava‟ display on the Museum steps.

A Day in Pompeii has set a new attendance record for the Museum which has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors since it opened in Perth in May 2010.

Museum CEO Alec Coles said the strong response to A Day in Pompeii reflected Western Australia‟s increasing appetite for world class experiences.

“The Museum celebrated a major milestone last week when A Day in Pompeii received its 100,000th visitor and became the most popular exhibition we have ever staged,” Mr Coles said.

“People from around the State have flocked to see A Day in Pompeii which demonstrates how important these experiences are to Western Australians.

“We have also observed a last minute rush to see the exhibition which, I believe, reflects the realisation that this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – and is the reason why we have decided to open late on the final weekend.

“I appreciate the valuable contributions from our sponsors who have helped to bring A Day in Pompeii to reality and I‟m looking forward to helping the Museum attract more first-rate exhibitions to Perth over the coming years.”

The exhibition is showing every day this week until Sunday September 12, 2010.

Tickets are available through BOCS Ticketing or from the A Day in Pompeii ticketing desk at the WA Museum. A Day in Pompeii is presented by the Western Australian Museum and Eventscorp and exhibited by the Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei (SANP) and Museum Victoria.

Marie Mills or Nicola Howarth
Mills Wilson Communication Consultants
Tel: 9228 1999
Mob: 0418 918 202 or 0433 445 996
mariem@millswilson.com.au or nicolah@millswilson.com.au