Entry will be free of charge into the internationally acclaimed interactive rugby museum in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, which was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for 2016 by TripAdvisor.
Furthermore, all merchandise at the concept store will be discounted by 10% on Thursday only. Opening hours are from 09h00 to 17h00 (last entry at 16h30).
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of International Museum Day and we’re proud to be part of tens of thousands of museums in almost 150 countries across the globe participating in this event annually,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“The theme for 2017 is ‘Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums’ and we believe that by telling many stories of rugby’s past that wasn’t part of the international story in years gone by, we paint a clear picture of the role our wonderful game has played in the history of South Africa.”
According to the International Council of Museums, the objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
In the last couple years, the Springbok Experience was named in the top 1% of world attractions, by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, while the museum was awarded TripAdvisor’s highest accolade, a Travelers’ Choice Award, in 2015.
In 2014, the Springbok Experience was shortlisted for the International Museum of the Year Award in the UK’s Museum + Heritage Awards.
“By taking part in the celebrations around International Museum Day, we would like to show our appreciation towards our loyal fans, while it is also a great opportunity to showcase rugby’s rich and diverse history in our wonderful country,” added Roux.
“This year we’ll be marking the fourth anniversary of the Springbok Experience and in that time almost 150 000 people from around the world have experienced that it’s not only about jerseys, boots, blazers and old team photos, but rather a proper rugby experience.”
The Springbok Experience boast more than 60 media channels playing across touch screens, monitors and projectors, which requires 14km of cabling, as well as printed graphic panels which will stretch for more than 500m, and beautifully preserved objects.