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Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
The Age of World's Fairs: St. Louis, California, and Paris on the Global Stage
Resident Associate Program
World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into the pivotal exhibitions held in St. Louis in 1904, San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and Paris in 1925, examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session focuses on the California 1915 World's Fairs.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265753?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265753?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 6:45 PM – 8:15 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Nature Explorations
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is all about exploring your connection with nature! This Play Date is designed around the theme of your family's connections to nature and the nature around you. Make a nature journal, see specimens that you might find out in our pollinator garden, and much more!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners aged 0-5 and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, on the Ground Floor of the museum. Please enter through the Constitution Avenue entrance. Q?rius is located on the right as you enter the museum.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or audio-description are available with advanced notice. However, accommodations…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center (Ground Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
City of Knowledge: Science, Power, and Place
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
How did Washington, D.C. become a center of scientific thought, innovation, and influence? From the founding dreams of George Washington to the rise of the Smithsonian and other federal science institutions, City of Knowledge, a 4-part public program series, explores the rich and complex history of science across space and time.
The second program in the series will focus on the life sciences, exploring the National Zoo, exhibits on nature and wildlife in DC's museums, and anthropology's central place in Smithsonian work in the mid-twentieth century. It highlights how our own contemporary moment is often reflected back at us through our interpretations of nature and human history, especially on the national stage in the capital city.
Through dynamic conversations with scholars, curators, and historians, City of Knowledge uncovers how place, politics, and people intersect to shape the story of American science. Discover how institutions, communities, and ideas converged to build an intellectual legacy that c…
Event Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 5th Floor Event Space, 901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001. Cost: This event is free, but registration is required due to limited seating. Get Tickets/Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/t9c92a8. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Is There Anyone Out There? (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
In the early 1970s, the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes helped to shine a light on our outer solar system. Along with scientific instruments, they also carried peace plaques. Later in that decade, the Voyager probes carried records filled with images, sounds, music, and greetings from Earth. These plaques and records served as messages for any other civilizations out in the universe, including a map to our solar system. Join the Creative Director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Ann Druyan and science journalist Dr. Nadia Drake as they discuss the story of how humans continue to search for life and connection through exploration of our solar system and interstellar space as told through the Pioneer 10/11 Plaque and Voyager Golden Record.
Visit the Museum's galleries from 7-8 pm then hear from Nadia Drake and Ann Druyan from 8-9 pm.
Your registration includes: A ticket to this Exploring Space talk from 8-9 pm. , Concessions available for purchase prior to 8 pm. , Access to select Museum galleries from 7-8…
Venue: Air and Space Museum. Event Location: Lockheed Martin IMAX. Cost: Free with registration. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
For more info visit airandspace.si.edu. ONLINE: Is There Anyone Out There? (Exploring Space Lecture)
One-Time Events
In the early 1970s, the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes helped to shine a light on our outer solar system. Along with scientific instruments, they also carried peace plaques. Later in that decade, the Voyager probes carried records filled with images, sounds, music, and greetings from Earth. These plaques and records served as messages for any other civilizations out in the universe, including a map to our solar system. Join the Creative Director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Ann Druyan and science journalist Dr. Nadia Drake as they discuss the story of how humans continue to search for life and connection through exploration of our solar system and interstellar space as told through the Pioneer 10/11 Plaque and Voyager Golden Record.
This lecture series is made possible by the generous support of L3Harris and United Launch Alliance.
Event Location: YouTube. Online Link: https://eventactions.com/eareg.aspx?ea=Rsvp&invite=00gsr6ktjt8e7rf0xgjwr8n3knxszjkz2gjm7zve5dnbfnkskhwk. Cost: Free with registration. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
For more info visit youtube.com. Abiding Nowhere – Stream Online
Films
Watch the Trailer, Stream the Film
Don't miss the streaming premiere of the tenth film in Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang’s acclaimed Walker series. In the Walker films, Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng very slowly traverses landscapes and cities around the world. The series is inspired by the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who famously walked from China to India in search of scriptures.
The first Walker film shot in the United States, Abiding Nowhere takes place here at the National Museum of Asian Art and other locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Here, the camera follows both Lee and Laotian actor Anong Houngheuangsy. Tsai describes Abiding Nowhere as “two lonely souls on separate journeys, sometimes crossing paths but never once meeting.”
Director: Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan, United States). Released: 2024. Length: 79 min. Format: Streaming. No dialogue. Image Courtesy of Homegreen Films.
Event Location: Online. Online Link: https://abiding.eventive.org/films/69b83a84005bf7f3e179f78d. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://abiding.eventive.org/films/69b83a84005bf7f3e179f78d.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Wellness Wednesdays
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. On the first Wednesday of each month, join us for an artful meditation, where we will practice slow looking and experience portraiture through breath and slow movement. On the third Wednesday of each month, join us for a wellness program that inspires the senses and includes sound baths and musical meditation. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-wellness-wednesdays-tickets-1982011714392?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Storytime Studio: In Full Bloom
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
Let’s celebrate cherry blossom season and welcome spring with the help of a guest educator from Smithsonian Gardens. We’ll get inspired by Giacomo Balla’s Futurist Flower (1918–1925) sculptures and create our own artistic blooms to take home.
Featured book: Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration is required.
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. Once the 10 AM session reaches…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You!
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Welcome the Bison – the Nation’s Mammal
One-Time Events
You’re invited! Join us as we celebrate the arrival of two bigger-than-life bison bronze statues and discover why the bison story is so uniquely American. View the new bronze statues installed at the museum’s National Mall entrance and then head into the Q?rius Education Center to learn more about their significance. Meet experts who work with and for bison and explore different bison activities, specimens, and more.
Photo credit: Sarah Johnson.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Ground Floor, Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
First Thursdays: Come Look with Us
One-Time Events
Wind down after work with the National Portrait Gallery’s educators as they share their favorite portraits with you. Participants will enjoy close looking and engaging in conversations about artworks in the galleries.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-first-thursdays-come-look-with-us-tickets-1233093649299?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, April 2, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:15 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
It's beginning to feel like spring in the garden! Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: The Enid A. Haupt Garden tour starts at the sign at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW, near the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Gallery Experience: Smithsonian Gardens on "The Changes"
One time events
Join Smithsonian Gardens horticulturist Melanie Pyle for a lunchtime gallery talk on the installation and ongoing care of the plants that fill Rashid Johnson’s monumental sculpture The Changes (2025), on view in Big Things for Big Rooms.
About the Exhibition, Big Things for Big Rooms traces the development of immersive, large-scale artworks since the late 1960s. This presentation of 10 artworks—five on view for the first time at the Museum—is drawn largely from the Hirshhorn collection.
Organized in two parts, the exhibition offers a multisensorial investigation of how artists create installations that expand the boundaries of an artwork and the role of the visitor. The first section of the show introduces the development of “Environments”: expansive installations by pioneering artists such as Dan Flavin, Sam Gilliam, Robert Irwin (whose work defined the Light and Space movement), Lygia Pape, and Land artist Richard Long. The second half reveals the ways that contemporary artists such as Paul Chan, Olafur…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Third Level. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: Big Things in Big Rooms. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 3, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Growing Community: Creating your Garden Space
One-Time Events
Ready to dig in and grow something amazing? Join us as we reimagine ACM’s community garden and expand our shared green space as we kick off the Growing Community Season! Participants will build and install new garden boxes, explore what to plant in them, and learn about irrigation systems to help everything thrive. Come get your hands dirty and learn in fellowship!
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Community Garden. Cost: Free.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Open Studio: Flower Frenzy
One time events
This April, creativity is in full bloom every Saturday at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at nature-inspired artworks by artists such as Alexander Calder, Giacomo Balla, Joseph Cornell, and more.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Giacomo Balla’s Futurist Flowers (1918-1925). We’ll be joined by teaching artist Karen Brown from Inspired Child, who will help us create our visions of the future and construct our own 3D botanical sculptures. We’ll experiment with 2D materials (construction paper, cardboard) and bright spring colors.
The teaching artist will be in Art School from 10 AM to 1 PM.
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Inspired Child is an award-winning nonprofit organization that provides early childhood arts education to underresourced communities in the District of Columbia. Its mission activates a love of learning and literacy through programs for children ages birth to 5, their families, and their caregivers and educators. A 501(c)(3), Inspired Child is a program…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Futurist Flowers.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Mosaic Fishbowl Workshop
One-Time Events
Dive into creativity at the museum with our Mosaic Fishbowl Workshop! Participants of all ages are invited to design and decorate their own colorful fishbowl using vibrant mosaic tiles and creative patterns. This hands-on art experience encourages imagination, artistic expression, and fun for the whole family. All materials will be provided, and museum educators will be on hand to guide you through the process. Whether you’re an experienced artist or trying mosaics for the first time, you’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind creation to take home.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mosaic-fishbowl-workshop-tickets-1984594087339?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
Anime Lounge
Films
Chill out with your fellow anime fans between films during our Anime and More weekend. Devour sweet treats from SakuSaku Flakerie, and sip delicious teas from Teaism. Meanwhile, enjoy talks on Japanese folklore monsters and food demos of anime-inspired recipes.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of SakuSaku Flakerie.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 27. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Perfect Blue
Films
New 4K Restoration!
Watch the Trailer
This iconic psychological thriller has frequently been hailed as one of the most important animated films of all time. In legendary anime director Satoshi Kon’s groundbreaking first feature, rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. After Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in both in person and online, the threat they pose is more real than even Mima knows. Description adapted from GKIDS.
Intended for mature audiences.
Director: Satoshi Kon. Country: Japan. Released: 1997. Length: 81 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of GKIDS.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://animenmaa.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Teen Studio: The Future Is Flowerful
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Join us in Art School every weekend in April, where we will be exploring art inspired by the natural world! This Saturday, we’ll think like Futurist artist Giacomo Balla and imagine what the future might hold. Then we’ll use paint and cardboard to create our own flowers of the future!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time. Do this at home! Flower. Print. Repeat.
Andy Warhol: Flower Power
, ABOUT TEEN STUDIO
Teens ages 13–19 are…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio , Hirshhorn Art School , Art School Everywhere , Andy Warhol: Flower Power.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Blossom and the Shrub-Tones
One-Time Events
Making their DC debut at the Smithsonian, the social media sensation Dearly Blossom and her band The Shrub-Tones will be launching Jazz Appreciation Month with a dazzling live performance followed by a Q&A session!
Central Park’s own Blossom Dearly (@dearlyblossom) is a pink, fluffy, singing cherry blossom whose scatting mastery and endearing, animated personality has captivated social media users of all ages. When not imitating the incredible complexities of Charlie Parker’s bebop saxophone lines with ease and belting the blues in jam sessions with today’s living jazz legends and rising stars, Blossom loves to share her knowledge of jazz history with her followers—who proudly call themselves her “Petals.”
No Petal is too young or too old to enjoy Blossom & The Shrub-Tones!
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 Center, Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blossom-and-the-shrub-tones-tickets-1985097076794?aff=trumba. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Ghost in the Shell
Films
Watch the Trailer
Widely regarded as one of the greatest anime films of all time, Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 masterpiece feels eerily prescient of today’s digitally entwined world.
In the year 2029, the world is interconnected by a vast network that permeates every aspect of life. Cyborg Motoko Kusanagi of Tokyo’s security force investigates a powerful hacker who attacks that network, even tapping into human minds and erasing their memories. Through her investigation, Kusanagi is forced to ponder the very nature of her existence and question what is the “ghost”—her essence—in her cybernetic “shell”? Little does she know that the Puppet Master is seeking her as well. Oshii’s pioneering feature is both a gorgeous science fiction adventure and a philosophical rumination on the nature of consciousness.
Intended for mature audiences.
Director: Mamoru Oshii. Country: Japan. Released: 1995. Length: 83 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More fe…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://animenmaa.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Spirited Away
Films
25th Anniversary Screening!
Watch the Trailer
Teeming with mythical beasts and complex characters alike, Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it remains beloved the world over. Spirited Away tells the engrossing tale of a young girl who stumbles into a mysterious spirit world populated by a host of creatures from the depths of Japanese mythology. “An out-and-out charmer. It's almost impossible to do justice in words either to the visual richness of the movie . . . or to the character-filled storyline” (Derek Elley, Variety).
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki. Country: Japan. Released: 2001. Length: 125 min. Format: DCP. Language: English.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of GKIDS.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://animenmaa.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, April 4, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:15 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Anime Lounge
Films
Chill out with your fellow anime fans between films during our Anime and More weekend. Devour sweet treats from SakuSaku Flakerie, and sip delicious teas from Teaism. Meanwhile, enjoy talks on Japanese folklore monsters and food demos of anime-inspired recipes.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of SakuSaku Flakerie.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: Gallery 27. Cost: Free. No registration or tickets (walk-up only). Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Scarlet
Films
Watch the Trailer
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the latest anime from Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Belle) features a time-traveling, sword-wielding heroine on a quest to avenge the death of her father, the king of Denmark. After her wicked great uncle poisons her, Scarlet finds herself in the “otherworld,” a land of the dead where she battles evil forces. There, she meets an idealistic young man from the future—our present day—who encourages her to break the cycle of vengeance and envision a future free of bitterness and rage. Shakespeare may be spinning in his grave at the liberties Hosoda takes with his play, but Scarlet stands on its own as a ravishing fantasy adventure.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda. Country: Japan. Released: 2025. Length: 111 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://animenmaa.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Paprika
Films
20th Anniversary Screening!
Watch the Trailer
One of anime’s most creative minds, the late Satoshi Kon’s work has been compared to such cinematic mindblowers as David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, and the Wachowskis. In this “jaw-dropping feat of the imagination” (Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News), a psychiatrist uses an invention to enter her patients’ dreams. Tempted by its possibilities, she starts using it for her own purposes, wandering in people’s subconsciouses as a detective named Paprika. But when “sleep terrorists” steal the device, the sleeping world starts mixing with the waking one, with psychedelic results that build into some of the most astonishingly inventive scenes in all of anime.
Director: Satoshi Kon. Country: Japan. Released: 2006. Length: 90 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles.
Generous support for this event and the Anime and More festival is provided by an anonymous donor. Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://animenmaa.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, April 5, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 6, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, April 6, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 6, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: International Beaver Day!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday is a special celebration for beavers in celebration of International Beaver Day! Come learn through play about these animals and how they are important animals to their ecosystem.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time captioning (CART), or…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Jazz Afternoons
One-Time Events
The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 3 West. Cost: Free. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° "Americans" Session 1: Thanksgiving
One-Time Events
American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. Pervasive, powerful, at times demeaning, the images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
This three-part professional development series focuses on the stories and images presented in the exhibition Americans, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian DC and through Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street. Educators will explore ways in which American Indians have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began and learn new ways of understanding a few familiar events. Educators will be guided through Native Knowledge 360° classroom resources, delving into three stories: April 7, 2026 | Session 1: Thanksgiving , April 14, 2026 | Session 2: Battle of Little Bighorn , April 21, 2026 | Session 3: Trail of Tears, Free |…
Event Location: Online via ZOOM. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RdwZwlFgT3qYCY8LLNHv5w#/registration.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. A Spring Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264816?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Storytime Studio: Welcome Back, Birds!
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
We’ll be joined by friends from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo to welcome the birds migrating to (and through) DC in springtime! After making our very own binoculars, we’ll go “birdwatching” in the galleries and see how many different birds we can spot.
Featured book: Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration is required.
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. When the 10 AM session…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: This One Is for the Birds.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Expert Is In: Orchid Collections and Care
Smithsonian Gardens
Meet an orchid expert from Smithsonian Gardens or the United States Botanic Garden and learn more about this incredible plant family! This week Smithsonian Gardens Living Collections Manager Sarah Hedean will share more about the orchid collections on display and how you can collect and care for your own orchid collection. Drop in at any time during the program and be sure to bring your orchid questions.
This program is offered in conjunction with the exhibition More Than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, open during museum hours through April 26, 2026.
Free tickets are available for this program here.
Visitors are welcome to drop in at any time during the program, however free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor Classrooms. Cost: FREE. Event tickets or timed-entry passes for the museum required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/7accede4-d3b3-cd15-7a2d-2a5984eccc39?tg=ee2fa8f8-68e2-1aaa-9e41-be2209801e08. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Rashomon
Films
A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. Four people give different accounts of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife, which director Akira Kurosawa presents with striking imagery and an ingenious use of flashbacks. This eloquent masterwork and international sensation revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema—and a commanding new star by the name of Toshiro Mifune—to the Western world. Description courtesy of Janus Films.
Director: Akira Kurosawa. Country: Japan. Released: 1950. Length: 88 min. Format: DCP. Language: Japanese with English subtitles. Image courtesy of Janus Films.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://nmaamatinees.eventive.org/films/69496cc4335ee12f50d1cf66. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices. Captioning.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Handi-hour
One-Time Events
Bring your creativity to DC’s original crafting happy hour with live music at the Renwick Gallery! Learn how to make hand-quilted potholders and find inspiration from the quilts on display in State Fairs: Growing American Craft. Try local cider and beer from ANXO cider. Light snacks, crafting materials, two drinks, and after-hours access to both floors of the exhibition galleries are included in the ticket price.
Attendees must be 21+ to attend and show a valid ID with birthdate at the door. Tickets are $25 and are available beginning March 25.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: $25| Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2wiU9. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Baltimore Irish Trad Fest
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
The Baltimore Irish Trad Fest is a weekend of workshops and performances led by world-renowned traditional Irish musicians, presented by the Baltimore Irish Music School. From evening concerts at the Creative Alliance to a ceili social at Mobtown Ballroom to lectures and recitals up and down the Avenue in Hampden, venues across the city unite to celebrate Baltimore’s rich tradition of Irish music and its context within the global Irish music community.
Categories: Performance. Workshop. Cost: $20-$200, depending on session and day. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.baltimoreirisharts.com/register-1. Event Location: Baltimore, Maryland.
Thursday, April 9, 2026 – Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Various venues
Baltimore, MD.
For more info visit www.baltimoreirisharts.com. A Spring Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264817?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
NY | Indigenous Games
One-Time Events
Games are an integral part of Native community life. In this fun and active program, Museum Educators will teach visitors about and how to play several games from different regions of the Americas. All are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: Free.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Portrait Signs: A Tour in ASL
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Portrait Signs is a Deaf-led tour in American Sign Language that explores a variety of topics related to portraiture, history and biography, focusing on works from the museum’s special exhibitions and permanent collection.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-signs-a-tour-in-asl-tickets-713964475967?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Beyond the Frame: An Inside Look at the Portrait Gallery
One-Time Events
Curious about the inner workings of a museum? Ever wondered how conservators care for centuries-old artworks or how lighting designers illuminate exhibitions? Peek behind the curtain at the National Portrait Gallery and hear from staff who work behind the scenes to bring our collection to life.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-frame-an-inside-look-at-the-portrait-gallery-tickets-1334324994979?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Shanghai Quartet
Performances
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
Over the past forty-two years, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. Their elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allow the group to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. In their long history of championing new music, the quartet highlight works that juxtapose the traditions of Eastern and Western music.
Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, soon after the end of China’s harrowing Cultural Revolution, the group came to the United States to complete its studies and were based in the US for more than thirty-five years while touring throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In September 2020, the Shanghai Quartet moved back to China to join the resident faculty of The Tianjin…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shanghai-quartet-tickets-1977543413584?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Soar Together at Air and Space: Plants Take Flight
One-Time Events
What do seeds, bees, and helicopters have in common?
Find out with new at-home activities that explore how plants, nature and air and space are connected!
Sign up HERE to receive reminder emails when the Soar Together at Air and Space webpage launches!
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free.
Friday, April 10, 2026 – Sunday, April 12, 2026.
For more info visit mailchi.mp. A Spring Walk on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Resident Associate Program
Enjoy a morning walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac River with naturalist Melanie Choukas-Bradley. She shares an overview of Theodore Roosevelt Island’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island near the capital city.
Event Location: Tour meets in the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot next to the footbridge. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265187?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM.
Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
It's beginning to feel like spring in the garden! Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: The Enid A. Haupt Garden tour starts at the sign at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW, near the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
University Jazz Jam
One-Time Events
Hear top collegiate jazz ensembles from across the region at the University Jazz Jam. Performers from Shenandoah Conservatory, UMBC, Temple University, American University, and more local institutions will spotlight the energy, artistry, and innovation thriving in our region’s university jazz programs.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West, Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza. Cost: Free. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM.
How to Chase a Chimpanzee, and Other Tales from the Field
One-Time Events
Ever wonder what it's like to live with chimpanzees in the wild? What do chimps do in their daily lives, and how do scientists learn more about them, and our own origins? Come chat with Abby McClain and Sims Patton, PhD candidates from The George Washington University, to learn about their research and what it's like to be a real-life Jane Goodall! Ask them about their field experiences, see the equipment they use, and practice your own observation skills along the way!
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Hall of Human Origins. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Sweet Home Café Chef’s Table featuring Cliff Rome
One-Time Events
Visit Sweet Home Café on April 10, 2026 for a special Chef’s Table featuring international award-winning chef and culinary entrepreneur, Cliff Rome.
With over 30 years of experience in the food service industry, Chef Rome has received numerous awards and recognition from local, national, and international media. Chef Rome’s culinary career extends from Chicago to Europe, where his journey took him from Paris to Cannes, eventually continuing aboard luxury yachts that enriched his global perspective on food and hospitality.
In 2000, Chef Rome founded Rome’s Joy Companies, which boasts a diverse portfolio of businesses, all located in the heart of Chicago's Bronzeville community. Chef Rome has provided a multitude of job opportunities throughout the Chicagoland area via Mise en Place, a culinary and hospitality training program that helps at-risk youth obtain jobs in the culinary field, while his Clean Habits custodial program expands career pathways beyond hospitality.
Looking ahead, Chef Rome will con…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Concourse Level. Cost: Free to attend. Menu items vary in price.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit nmaahc.si.edu. Artful Movement | SEL Webinar for Students K–3
Kids and Family
Get ready to observe, chat, and move with art! In these webinars, students (grades K–3) will look carefully at a work of art through facilitated exploration. Then, they will breathe, stretch, and flow through a guided mindful movement. This month’s theme is “Water Play.”
These sessions are perfect for families, homeschool groups, virtual schools, and teachers who may want to review a recording with their students after the live session. Everyone who registers gets a link to the recording. Each session includes American Sign Language interpretation. Sessions take place on Fridays from 1 to 1:30 p.m. We present these webinars in partnership with Create Calm. Toyokuni II (1777–1835); Carp; Japan, 1827–35; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Gift of Dr. John Fuegi, F1996.27a-b.
Event Location: Zoom. Cost: Free. Register in advance (required). Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T2wnDAXXSCm9ZerxUvoNdw. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
Jazz Concert featuring Meklit Hadero
One-Time Events
Celebrate National Jazz Appreciation Month at African Art with Ethiopian-American vocalist, songwriter, and composer Meklit Hadero!
Meklit Hadero is an Ethiopian-American vocalist, songwriter, and composer whose performances have taken her to renowned stages across four continents. She is the former Chief of Programs at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and is a sought after thought leader and speaker, including at TED Stages, the United Nations, and National Geographic Storytellers Summit. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University and Harvard University. Meklit is co-founder, co-producer, and host of Movement, a podcast, radio series , live performance series and community building initiative uplifting the songs and stories of immigrant musicians.
A Piece of Infinity (2025, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) features powerful collaborations with harpist Brandee Younger and saxophonist/flutist Camille Thurman. On the album, Meklit reimagines Ethiopian traditional songs in her…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Sylvia Williams Gallery (Sublevel 1). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984326826956?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Open Studio: Birds of a Feather
One time events
This April, creativity is in full bloom every Saturday at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at nature-inspired artworks by artists such as Alexander Calder, Giacomo Balla, Joseph Cornell, and more.
Join us this Saturday as we get inspired by Joseph Cornell’s Untitled (Aviary with Yellow Birds) (c. 1948). Cornell was known for his use of found objects to craft imaginary worlds. Inspired by his practice, we’ll use natural materials such as sticks, rocks, and flowers to create our own world in a box!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and allow them to craft,…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: A World in a Box.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Stamp Out Waste!
One-Time Events
Drop in between 11am–3pm | Free and open to all ages
Celebrate Earth Month at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum with a day of hands-on creativity and planet-friendly fun. Explore how mail and the postal service connect communities while discovering ways to reduce waste, reuse materials, and care for the Earth!
Offerings include: Stamped for Sustainability Murals: Collaborate on large-scale, nature-inspired murals using shared art materials for a shared message. , Postcards for the Planet: Write a postcard that promotes sustainability and environmental action. , Conservation tours at 11:30am and 1:30pm , Story Time with the DC Public Library at 12pm and 2pm , Activities with educators from Smithsonian Gardens, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. ASL interpretation will be provided during both Story Time sessions. For questions or to request additional accommodations, please contact us at npmprograms@si.edu.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: National Postal Museum. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Art & Me | Family Workshop: Tea Time
Kids and Family
In this hands‑on workshop, kids ages 3–8 and their caregivers explore Japanese tea traditions, make decaf matcha, and learn how we take care of tea utensils. First, families take a guided tour of Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped. Then art conservators show how we treat tea bowls used in gatherings and compare them to the ones we display. Kids then create a decorative tea bowl to take home. Image: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984384326940?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Matters of the Heart Mixed-Media Art Workshop
One-Time Events
Have you ever wanted to express your love for something through art? Well, this is the workshop for you. Join DC artist Rhonda A. Silver as she leads an exciting, fun-filled workshop creating art from matters of the heart. Bring the family, a friend, or a colleague to enjoy an afternoon of creativity where participants will craft colorful collages onto a cardboard base using various shapes, textures, images, lettering, and other supplies to make your own beautiful designs.
Participants will learn…
The technique of overlapping objects to create depth
The art of lines, shapes, and textures and
How to manipulate materials to create a work of art.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Program Room. Cost: Free.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art & Me | Family Workshop: Tea Time
Kids and Family
In this hands‑on workshop, kids ages 3–8 and their caregivers explore Japanese tea traditions, make decaf matcha, and learn how we take care of tea utensils. First, families take a guided tour of Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped. Then art conservators show how we treat tea bowls used in gatherings and compare them to the ones we display. Kids then create a decorative tea bowl to take home. Image: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, East Building. Building: East Building. Event Location: ImaginAsia Studio. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984384326940?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM.
Screening and Discussion: Black Box Diaries
Films
In Person: Shiori Ito, director
In 2017, journalist Shiori Ito shocked Japan by publicly accusing a prominent media executive of raping her. Black Box, the book she published about her experience, became a bestseller and touched off Japan’s #MeToo movement.
With the urgency and suspense of a thriller, Black Box Diaries documents her sexual assault and its aftermath, melding her own video diaries, secret audio recordings, and dramatic courtroom footage to forge a damning case against her attacker. Meanwhile, the film exposes law enforcement negligence and a network of the powerful bent on protecting their own.
This event is copresented with the Georgetown University Department of Performing Arts and the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.
After the film, Ito will participate in a panel discussion and audience Q&A, followed by a book signing.
Director: Shiori Ito. Countries: Japan, United States, United Kingdom. Released: 2024. Length: 103 min. Format: DCP. Language: English and Japanese with…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/screening-and-discussion-black-box-diaries-tickets-1984570868892?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
Teen Studio: Here Comes the Sun
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Join us in Art School every weekend in April, where we’ll explore art inspired by the natural world! This Saturday, we’ll learn about assemblage artist Joseph Cornell. Then we’ll learn how to make cyanotype prints using natural materials and other found objects with guest artist Wildalys Quiñones.
Guest Artist , Wildalys Quiñones is a Puerto Rican mixed-media artist based in Washington, DC, with a focus on cyanotype, pyrography, and fiber arts. Her personal work centers on the process of creation itself, choosing to focus on the mindful and meditative aspects of making rather than the final product. Guided by the belief that art and craftmaking should be accessible to everyone, Wildalys uses her background in museum education to develop art workshops in museum and…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Andy Warhol: Flower Power.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. History Film Forum presents Early Jazz on Film
One-Time Events
Jazz and the movies grew up together, skyrocketing from humble origins at the turn of the century to become powerful cultural forces in American life by the 1920s. The “Jazz Age” was so named because the fast, freewheeling, and fun music increasingly topping the charts seemed the natural soundtrack to this transformative era, and it’s no coincidence that the first major motion picture with a synchronized music and talking soundtrack was titled The Jazz Singer. Most early jazz films, however, weren’t feature-length; they were one- or two-reel shorts shown before the main attraction. These proto-music videos featured some of the most innovative and popular jazz performers, capturing a rare glimpse of these legends in their prime. This program of early jazz shorts highlights rarely seen treasures from the Cohen Film Collection, beautifully restored in digital 2K resolution from the best existing 35mm elements. NMAH curators will introduce the films, and early jazz objects will be on temporary display for this…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 Center, Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-film-forum-presents-early-jazz-on-film-tickets-1985832720123?aff=trumba. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. The Axelrod String Quartet: Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven (Stradivarius and Amati Saturday series)
Resident Associate Program
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular four-concert series on Saturdays.
This concert features:
Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 33, No. 6
Bartók: Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 17, Sz. 67
Beethoven: Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264805?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Beyond the Studio Workshop: Linocut with Lea Craigie
One-Time Events
SOLD OUT
Learn the art of linocut printmaking with multidiscipline artist and arts educator Lea Craigie. In this workshop, participants will learn about Lea’s practice while they prep, carve, and print a design of their own creation. Please note that space is limited for this program, and registration is required. Tickets available March 5. Participants must register by 7 p.m. ET on April 5.
This program is part of the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Image courtesy of the artist.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: MacMillan Education Center. Cost: SOLD OUT. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2t453.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. The Axelrod String Quartet: Haydn, Bartók, and Beethoven (Stradivarius and Amati Sunday series)
Resident Associate Program
Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular four-concert series on Sundays.
This concert features:
Haydn: Quartet in D Major, Op. 33, No. 6
Bartók: Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 17, Sz. 67
Beethoven: Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264809?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, April 12, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art Studio: Spring Break
One-Time Events
Looking to create art during spring break? The National Portrait Gallery is hosting free, drop-in art programs each day that week. Students of all ages are invited to explore a new art activity while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Art in the A.M.
One-Time Events
Inspire early childhood creativity with SAAM during Art in the A.M. Children ages up to 5 years and their caregivers are invited to the museum before hours to learn, connect, and create in the galleries. During this program, participants will explore the prize-winning artworks in the exhibition State Fairs: Growing American Craft, on view at the Renwick Gallery, then craft their own fair-themed sensory bottles.
Registration for this program will close on Monday, April 13 at noon.
Venue: Renwick Gallery. Event Location: Renwick Gallery. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2sZ1F. Related Exhibition: State Fairs: Growing American Craft.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 9:00 AM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Creature Features - Fossil Edition
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday we will explore fossils! At this Play Date, families can learn about and make close observations of fossils from our collection to explore some of the features these prehistoric animals had! Come and join us for a fun time learning through play and exploration!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: This program on the 1st Floor inside the David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time exhibit. We will be in the Warner Age of Humans Gallery across from the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. Please note that space for this program is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor - David H. Koch Hall of Fossils - Deep Time exhibit. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Jazz Afternoons
One-Time Events
The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 3 West. Cost: Free. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Art Studio: Spring Break
One-Time Events
Looking to create art during spring break? The National Portrait Gallery is hosting free, drop-in art programs each day that week. Students of all ages are invited to explore a new art activity while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Behind the Science with Forensic Ornithologist Carla Dove and the Feather Identification Lab Past and Present
One-Time Events
This month, Behind the Science is exploring the past, present, and future of the Feather Identification Lab at the National Museum of Natural History. Join us for a conversation with NMNH forensic ornithologist Carla Dove of the Smithsonian’s Feather Identification Lab and author Chris Sweeney, whose new book The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne chronicles the remarkable woman who founded the lab and pioneered the field of forensic ornithology. In a discussion moderated by NMNH Chief Scientist Rebecca Johnson, Dove and Sweeney will explore Laybourne’s groundbreaking legacy, the science of identifying birds from the smallest traces, and the real-world mysteries solved through this unique discipline. Copies of The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne will be available for sale and signing before and after the program. Plus, check out some of Roxie’s notes and research items and see a feather identification demo with…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of Natural History (Ground Floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/70749438/behind-the-scienceapril-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° "Americans" Session 2: Battle of Little Bighorn
One-Time Events
American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. Pervasive, powerful, at times demeaning, the images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
This three-part professional development series focuses on the stories and images presented in the exhibition Americans, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian DC and through Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street. Educators will explore ways in which American Indians have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began and learn new ways of understanding a few familiar events. Educators will be guided through Native Knowledge 360° classroom resources, delving into three stories: April 7, 2026 | Session 1: Thanksgiving , April 14, 2026 | Session 2: Battle of Little Bighorn , April 21, 2026 | Session 3: Trail of Tears, Free |…
Event Location: Online via ZOOM. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RdwZwlFgT3qYCY8LLNHv5w#/registration.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. NMAAHC Live! Charles McPherson: A Jazz Appreciation Month Concert
One-Time Events
For more than half a century, Charles McPherson has been one of jazz’s most expressive and enduring voices. Grounded in the blues and bebop tradition, he has shaped generations with his bold tone and unmistakable style. From Detroit’s vibrant scene to twelve formative years with Charles Mingus, McPherson built a legacy as a master saxophonist, composer, and educator. His acclaimed albums, including Reverence and Jazz Dance Suites, highlight his soulful swing and fearless improvisation. A 2026 Jazz Legacies Fellowship winner, he now brings his artistry to NMAAHC.
The evening features a conversation between McPherson and Dr. Steven Lewis, Curator of Music and the Performing Arts.
Join us for an unforgettable night with a true bebop legend!
Accessibility Information
To support full participation, we welcome attendees to share any accessibility or accommodation needs. Please email your request to NMAAHCPubPgms@si.edu as early as possible. While the Museum will attempt to honor all requests, we kindly…
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Heritage Hall. Cost: Free; Tickets required. Get Tickets/Register: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/7e38c2ee-caa1-c5d7-033c-cbfa78348237?tg=ead3fffc-110f-eeee-10c3-757130ee9454. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Wellness Wednesdays
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and wellness expert Aparna Sadananda for mindfulness programs inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. On the first Wednesday of each month, join us for an artful meditation, where we will practice slow looking and experience portraiture through breath and slow movement. On the third Wednesday of each month, join us for a wellness program that inspires the senses and includes sound baths and musical meditation. These programs are for ages 18+ and are suitable for all skill levels. No experience is necessary.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-wellness-wednesdays-tickets-1982011714392?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Storytime Studio: The Night Sky
One time events
ABOUT STORYTIME STUDIO
Storytime Studio is a captivating blend of play, educator-led read-alouds, and art exploration designed for kids from birth to age 6 and their caregivers. Every Wednesday morning at 10 and 11 AM, visitors are welcomed into our studio to enjoy a special Storytime adventure.
Storytime Studio has limited capacity. Entry is first-come, first-served. THIS WEEK
The night sky contains many wonders, including stars, planets, and the Moon. We’ll learn about elements of our solar system with help from Max Ernst’s painting Beauty of the Night (1954) and a read-aloud of Mooncake by Frank Asch. Then we’ll create our own celestial artworks!
Featured book: Mooncake by Frank Asch, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Storytime Studio is a one-hour experience.
There are two Storytime sessions each Wednesday, with entry times at 10 and 11 AM. Participation for each adult and child is limited to one hour.
No pre-registration is required.
Entry to Storytime Studio is first-come, first-served. When the 10 AM…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Over the Moon.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Studio: Spring Break
One-Time Events
Looking to create art during spring break? The National Portrait Gallery is hosting free, drop-in art programs each day that week. Students of all ages are invited to explore a new art activity while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Building Civic Engagement with Postage Stamps | Cultivating Learning
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Join Phoebe Sherman of the National Postal Museum to explore how postage stamps can be used in the classroom to encourage civic awareness and engagement. We’ll examine how stamps can spark curiosity and deepen understanding of civics, American history, national identity, and commemoration by using thinking routines that focus on both subject matter and artistic design. You’ll see how these approaches come to life with students and leave with classroom-ready resources and fresh ideas for incorporating postage stamps into your teaching practice.
Program Details:
This is a Zoom webinar with automatic captioning. You’ll be able to participate using the chat and Q&A, and your camera and mic will be disabled. We’ll record and post the webinar on the Smithsonian Learning Lab’s Events page approximately 72 hours after the session ends.
For general questions, or if we can provide additional accessibility services to support your participation, please email us at learninglab@si.edu. Please make your accessibility…
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Related Events: In this special 2025-2026 Cultivating Learning series, "Celebrating America at 250," Smithsonian educators share teaching techniques and resources that help tell the story of America's 250th. The series celebrates well-known people, events, and accomplishments of our nation and also provides opportunities to discuss lesser-told histories that together form our national narrative. Join us to explore strategies for using digital museum resources to support student learning at this milestone moment in American… Accessibility: Captioning.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Musicians from Marlboro III
Performances
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
This season’s third Musicians from Marlboro ensemble showcases three outstanding, emerging singers performing vocal duets by Schumann, Britten, and Brahms, alongside a pair of Haydn’s most inviting piano trios. For 60 years, the Musicians from Marlboro touring program has brought memorable performances from Vermont’s legendary chamber music school and festival to national audiences.
The program features: Haydn’s Piano Trio No. 41 in E-flat minor, Hob. XV:31 , Brahms’s Three Duets, Op. 20 , Britten’s Canticle II: Abraham and Isaac , Schumann’s Four Duets, Op. 78 , Haydn’s Piano Trio in C major, Hob. XV:27, Artists include soprano Bridget Esler, mezzo-soprano Chihiro Asano, tenor Patrick Bessenbacher, pianists Lydia Brown and Solomon Ge, violinist Oliver Neubauer, and cellist Judith Serkin. This performance is part of the Bill and Mary…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/musicians-from-marlboro-iii-tickets-1977527540106?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
District Day 2026
One-Time Events
Come and join us to honor D.C. Emancipation Day, which emancipated 3,000 enslaved individuals in the nation's capital. Residents throughout the area — including the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia — are invited to the museum for a day of live performances, a trunk show, and a special District Day menu from the Sweet Home Café.
District residents presenting a valid ID will enjoy free admission. Non-district residents can also enter for free, but they must register in advance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Throughout. Cost: Free.
Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
District Day Trunk Show
One-Time Events
Visit the NMAAHC Museum Store's District Day Trunk Show to meet and greet local DMV vendors and artisans, courtesy of Smithsonian Enterprises. The Trunk Show will take place on Thursday, April 16 in Heritage Hall.
Featured vendors for this event will include: Bee Blunt , Black Is Love , Bailiwick , Rox and Glitter , Machee Creates , Blues Coffee & Tea , Best Life Organics , SELF Incense , STEAM ONWARD INC , Black Flower Market , Penguin Random House featuring Shawn Martinbrough, Timed-entry passes are required to enter the museum. For more details visit our Museum Store Page.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: Heritage Hall. Cost: Free to attend.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit nmaahc.si.edu. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
The Wood Age: How Were the Earliest Hunting Weapons Made and Used?
One-Time Events
While stone tools have defined prehistory, early humans also crafted sophisticated wooden tools, including hunting weapons. University of Reading Lecturer in Archaeology Annemieke Milks will explore how the world’s oldest known spears and throwing sticks were made, used, and understood through cutting-edge techniques such as 3D microscopy, microCT scanning and experimental use. Milks outlines how new analyses, new finds, and restudy of old finds are reshaping debates about early technologies and behaviors. Together, these discoveries reveal that early weaponry was not just technological innovation, but part of a deeply social story about cooperation, skill, and what it meant to be human. Moderator: Briana Pobiner, paleoanthropologist and educator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
This program is part of the ongoing HOT (Human Origins Today) Topics series and will be presented as a Zoom video webinar. A link will be emailed to all registrants.
Image credit: Photo: MINKUSIMAGES.…
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/41081627/the-wood-agehow-were-the-earliest-hunting-weapons-made-and-used-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Art Studio: Spring Break
One-Time Events
Looking to create art during spring break? The National Portrait Gallery is hosting free, drop-in art programs each day that week. Students of all ages are invited to explore a new art activity while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery's collections and exhibitions. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Exploring Portrait Mode: The Divine Selfie
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery and Poetry Camera for a new kind of poetry workshop. Created by Kelin Carolyn Zhang and Ryan Mather, Poetry Camera is a camera that writes poems about what it sees. Using this unique technology as a platform for discussion, we will invite participants to explore portraits in the museum's collection through a new lens. In the second half of the workshop, participants will turn the camera inward to create poetic portraits of themselves. Participants will explore questions of selfhood, bias and authorship in the age of AI through the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collections.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-exploring-portrait-mode-the-divine-selfie-tickets-1981959629605?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Art Signs: Artful Conversations in ASL
One-Time Events
Curious about American art? Join us for a 30-minute in-person conversation about selected works from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection. This program is presented in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation for hearing participants.
Image credit: Photo by Mary Tait.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Meet in the F Street Lobby. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2wi7Z. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:00 PM.
City of Knowledge: Science, Power, and Place
Smithsonian Libraries and Archives
How did Washington, D.C. become a center of scientific thought, innovation, and influence? From the founding dreams of George Washington to the rise of the Smithsonian and other federal science institutions, City of Knowledge, a 4-part public program series, explores the rich and complex history of science across space and time.
The first program, held at the American Institute of Physics on February 26, explored the history of the physical sciences—from mid nineteenth-century weather observers at the Smithsonian to the Space Race during the Cold War. The second one, held at the MLK Library on March 31, turned to the life sciences. The third program, April 16 at the DC History Center, will focus more precisely on urban history — how has science shaped our built environments, and how has it contributed to, or hindered, the creation of a just and livable city?
The program panel, moderated by Joshua Levy, Historian of Science and Technology in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, includes: Paula…
Event Location: DC History Center, 801 K Street NW, 2nd Floor, West Gallery, Washington DC 20001. Cost: This event is free, but registration is required due to limited seating. Get Tickets/Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/d5dpukb. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
Synopsis Phalaenopsis: How to Keep Your Phalaenopsis Orchid Thriving
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens and the National Museum of African American History and Culture for a special National Orchid Day presentation of Let’s Talk African American Gardens featuring Terry Richardson!
This webinar demonstration will cover the fundamentals of how to care for Phalaenopsis orchids from the time you bring it home through what to do when the orchid is done flowering. At the end of this presentation, you will know how to set up the right environment to maximize orchid growth and blooming cycles, how to prune your orchid after flowering, and how to repot your orchid.
This program is presented in conjunction with Smithsonian Gardens’ and the United States Botanic Garden’s 30th annual joint orchid exhibition, More than a Flower: the Connective Power of Orchids on view at the National Museum of African American History and Culture through April 26, 2026.
This program includes auto-generated captions. ASL interpretation is available for webinar programs with a two-week advanced notice. To…
Event Location: Online only. Online Link: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_P-x6z9TNTfqCYhB8mao6Fg#/registration. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Story Time
One-Time Events
Stamp your calendar for Story Time! Join us every week for a fresh story, a stroll through the Museum, hands-on postal play, and more. Together, we’ll explore mail and all the ways it connects us to people, places, and big ideas.
Stop by anytime—whether you stay for one activity or the whole session, this program will get everyone’s “stamp of approval”.
Meet in the Museum Lobby.
If there are services or accommodations that can improve your experience (e.g. ASL interpretation, etc.), please contact NPMprograms@si.edu; 1–2 week’s advance notice is recommended but not required.
Venue: Postal Museum. Event Location: Meet in the Historic Lobby. Cost: Free ; no registration required.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Due to inclement weather, Wonderplace will open at 12 noon on Friday, January 19, pending staff availability. We will update this entry if the operating status for Wonderplace changes. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis.At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Play Date: Week of the Young Child Celebration!
One-Time Events
Join us for a special Play Date as we celebrate "Week of the Young Child" in exhibits on the 1st floor of the museum with friends from around the Smithsonian!
Experience exhibits on the 1st floor tailored to our earliest learners! Educators from the National Museum of Natural History, National Zoo, Hirshhorn, and the National Museum of the American Indian will join us with hands-on and play experiences throughout Ocean Hall, Deep Time, and Hall of Mammals. Come make close observations of fossils in Deep Time, play in turtle-inspired ways in the Ocean Hall, and join us for early-learner fun in Mammal Hall!
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5) and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but all ages are welcome.
Location: 1st Floor Exhibits - Ocean Hall, Deep Time, Hall of Mammals
Accessibility: Access services such as American Sign Language interpretation, real-time…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor Exhibits: Ocean Hall, Deep Time, Hall of Mammals. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Enid A. Haupt Garden Tour
Smithsonian Gardens
It's beginning to feel like spring in the garden! Meet one of our knowledgeable volunteers by the sign near the northwest entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Garden on Jefferson Drive, SW for a tour of this hidden gem. No reservation is required.
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: The Enid A. Haupt Garden tour starts at the sign at the northwest entrance to the garden on Jefferson Drive, SW, near the entrance to the S. Dillon Ripley Center. Cost: Free
Tours may be subject to cancellation in the event of inclement weather.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM.
For more info visit gardens.si.edu. Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Bites Gallery Talk
One-Time Events
Join SAAM’s research fellows for this lunchtime series of gallery talks, each focused on one compelling artwork. Discover the stories behind these objects and the insights they offer into the United States’ ever‑evolving cultural landscape. Nicole Woods, William H. Truettner Senior Fellow, discusses Bob Thompson’s The Spinning, Spinning, Turning, Directing.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra: Jazz Across America
Resident Associate Program
Jazz is more than just music: It is a living cultural narrative that mirrors the complexities, struggles, and triumphs of American society. The form has continually redefined itself, evolving with each generation to extend the boundaries of the genre. During Jazz Appreciation Month, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra invites audiences to experience this vibrant story in sound in a concert that celebrates jazz in all its forms. Selections include music by Jelly Roll Morton, Sun Ra, and Leonard Bernstein.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Warner Bros. Theater. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265445?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, April 17, 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM.
A Day Unplugged
One-Time Events
Join the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum for A Day Unplugged, a family-friendly program inviting guests to slow down, reconnect with nature, and celebrate the start of the growing season. Participants will learn the art of Creating the Perfect Container Garden, a hands-on workshop led by garden facilitator Derek Thomas, who will demonstrate how to grow vegetables, herbs, or ornamental plants in small spaces. Whether you have a balcony, porch, or windowsill or consider yourself “earth challenged”; this workshop will show how simple it can be to create a thriving container garden. Families can also enjoy story time for youth and a noon-day sound bath immersion designed to inspire reflection on the beauty of being and encourage personal and communal balance through mindful and sustainable practices. The day will also mark the kickoff of the 2026 FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand season, bringing fresh, locally grown produce directly to the community in Ward 8. Join us Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10 AM – 2 PM…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Anacostia Community Museum. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-day-unplugged-tickets-1984595279906?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand
One-Time Events
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand returns for another farm stand season in 2026. This farm stand is direct-to-consumer located East of the River in Ward 8.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand takes place on the outdoor plaza of the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum (1901 Fort Place, SE Washington, DC 20020) every Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) from April 18 - November 21, 2026.*
You can learn more about what is happening at the farm stand from our friends over at FRESHFARM Markets.
The FRESHFARM ACM Farm Stand is generously supported by The Hillside Foundation - Allan and Shelley Holt.
*Weather permitting. Be sure to follow the Anacostia Community Museum for updated information.
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Plaza. Cost: Free to Attend. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freshfarm-acm-farm-stand-tickets-1985418954539?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Open Studio: Fin-tastic Sculptures!
One time events
This April, creativity is in full bloom every Saturday at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll look at nature-inspired artworks by artists such as Alexander Calder, Giacomo Balla, Joseph Cornell, and more.
Join us this Saturday as we get inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobile Fish (1944). Calder was often inspired by animals in motion, which he represented in many works. Inspired by his practice, we’ll use pipe cleaners, coated wire, aluminum foil, and other loose parts to explore suspension and build our own animal-like sculptures!
Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level. ABOUT OPEN STUDIO
Let your creativity run wild at Open Studio! Drop in to explore modern and contemporary art through interactive hands-on activities inspired by the Hirshhorn collection and artworks on view. Open Studio helps you transform your ideas into reality.
Every session introduces a new theme and a fresh perspective on art-making. Activities are designed to captivate everyone—from budding young artists to seasoned creators—and…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Open Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Art Project: Balance Build.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
DC | Look, Learn, Create: "Water's Edge" for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited.
**This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver.
Image: Photo by Norwood Photography.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM.
DC | Curator Tour: "Water's Edge"
One-Time Events
Curated by Rebecca Trautmann, this exhibition is the first major retrospective of the acclaimed Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) artist. Lowe’s elegant, minimalist sculptures made of willow branches, feathers, and other organic materials evoke the rivers, streams, and waterfalls of the Wisconsin woodlands where he was raised and the canoes used to traverse them. His sculptures and sensitively rendered pastel and charcoal drawings reflect on cultural traditions, memory, and human relationships to place.
Water’s Edge features nearly 50 of Lowe’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings that explore the evolution of and themes within the artist’s work throughout his career. Join the curator for a guided tour of an exhibition that brings to light rarely seen monumental works, significant pieces from public and private collections, including 28 from the National Museum of the American Indian’s collection.
Image: Truman Lowe (Hoocąk, 1944–2019), Feather Canoe, ca. 1993. Peeled willow saplings, feathers, copper wire, 22 x 74 x 12…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3, exhibition gallery. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM.
DC | Look, Learn, Create: "Water's Edge" for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited.
**This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Puro Ritmo: Salsa Family Festival
American Latino Museum
Join the National Museum of the American Latino on Saturday, April 18 from 12–5 PM to celebrate our new exhibition, ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa, and enjoy an afternoon of music, dance, and activities throughout the museum.
The program will include salsa dance lessons, a guided gallery tour of the exhibition, family activities, a West African percussion performance and a live salsa concert. Visitors can also attend a listening session guided by prominent salseros and family story time.
All ages are welcome.
The National Museum of the American Latino is grateful to Walmart and General Motors for their support of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino public program and learning program series.
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Únete al Museo Nacional del Latino Estadounidense el sábado 18 de abril, de 12 - 5 PM, para celebrar nuestra nueva exposición, ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa, y disfruta de una tarde de música, baile y actividades por todo el museo.
El programa incluirá clases de salsa, u…
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor East and West, National Museum of American History (1300 Constitution Ave NW, Washington D.C.). Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. DC | Look, Learn, Create: "Water's Edge" for Families
One-Time Events
Join a museum educator for a family-friendly interactive tour of the Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe exhibition! Visitors will engage with three of his artworks and can participate in guided discussions, and experience items from the museum's Teaching Collection. After finding inspiration from Truman Lowe’s artworks, families can continue into the imagiNATIONS Activity Center and create their own water-inspired artwork to take home. Recommended for children ages 4-10 and their families. All ages welcome. *Visitors 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult. First come, first served, capacity and supplies are limited.
**This program can accommodate approximately 30 young visitors and their adult caregiver.
Image: Photo by Norwood Photography.
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 3: Exhibition Gallery, imagiNATIONS Activity Center. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM.
DC | Truman Lowe's Artistic Legacy (Panel Discussion)
One-Time Events
Truman Lowe (Hoocąk, 1944-2019) is recognized for his minimalist sculptures of wood, feathers, and other organic materials evoking the waters and woodlands of his homeland. Water’s Edge brings together nearly 50 of the acclaimed artist’s sculptures, drawings, and paintings to explore the key themes his work addressed. For this conversation, curator Rebecca Head Trautmann is joined by Lowe’s daughter, Tonia Lowe (Hoocąk), and artist John Hitchcock (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma, with Comanche and Northern European ancestry), both contributors to the exhibition’s catalogue, to discuss Lowe’s artwork and his lasting impact on Indigenous contemporary art. Image: Truman Lowe (Hoocąk, 1944–2019), Mimi, 1979. Pine, peeled willow sticks, blue jay feathers, leather, glass beads, 18 x 16 x 16 in. National Museum of the American Indian 26/9773, gift of John Lavine and Meryl Lipton Lavine
Leading support provided by Bank of America. Major support provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Generous support provided by the Terra…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1, Rasmuson Theater. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. ASL-interpreted program.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Star Power Saturday Movie Matinee
One-Time Events
Join the Portrait Gallery for another round of movie screenings inspired by the exhibition “Star Power: Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.” This month’s movie is “Ninotchka.” Enjoy the glamour of the Golden Age and watch some of Hollywood’s most iconic stars in this classic 1939 film. Encore!
“Ninotchka” (1 hour, 50 min.)
Ninotchka, a stern Soviet diplomat played by Greta Garbo, is dispatched to Paris to oversee the sale of jewels seized during the Russian Revolution. Her icy exterior gradually melts as she is charmed by a dashing Parisian count in this satirical romantic comedy, released in 1939.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: McEvoy Auditorium. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/star-power-saturday-movie-matinee-tickets-1980578448455?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Eid | Listening While Muslim
Performances
Learn how communities celebrate the end of Ramadan and the beginning of spring. Explore the holiday through a sonic journey with Listening While Muslim and sample coffee from a local vendor while gathering with friends.
About Listening While Muslim
Listening While Muslim (LWM) is a series of thematic listening parties produced and hosted by Asad Ali Jafri (aka DJ Ase Wonder) and Abdul-Rehman Malik.
LWM is a sonic soul journey that crosses continents, languages, and genres, exploring music at the intersection of faith, culture, and politics. This carefully curated experience brings to life stories of solidarity, culture, and radical joy, featuring special guests and immersive musical explorations.
Asad Ali Jafri (aka DJ Ase Wonder) is a cultural organizer, producer, and artist, and Executive Director of Kaleidoscope Dreams Foundation. He has over 20 years of experience as a DJ, curator, educator, and strategist, connecting artists and communities worldwide.
Abdul-Rehman Malik is an award-winning…
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/listening-while-muslim-eid-tickets-1985867614493?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Teen Studio: Copy + Paste
One time events
Teens: Ready to level up your art? Join us for Teen Studio, a free art-making program exclusively for teens ages 13–19. Push your artistic boundaries using materials and techniques inspired by artists whose work is now on view at the Hirshhorn.
Join us in Art School every weekend in April, where we will be exploring art inspired by the natural world! This Saturday, we’ll think like Surrealist artist Max Ernst. First we’ll step outside to search for unique textures—capture them using Ernst’s frottage technique. Then we’ll return to Art School to collage our textures together!
Drop in to Teen Studio every Saturday between 2:30 and 4 PM. Register for the entire school year here (one-time registration covers all sessions). Join one session or join them all! Meet in Art School on the Museum’s Lower Level.
Looking for more? Explore Art School Everywhere, wherever you are, to learn about artists in the Hirshhorn collection and get creative any time. Do this at home! Flower. Print. Repeat.
Andy Warhol: Flower…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Andy Warhol: Flower Power.
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Spark!Lab
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children between the ages of 6 and 12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with art, history and creativity.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Spark!Lab, First Floor, West Wing. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Related Exhibition: Places of Invention, Inventive Minds, Landmark Object: Ralph Baer's Workshop, Inventing in America.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit invention.si.edu. Wonderplace
Ongoing Tours & Activities
This learning space designed especially for children ages six and under combines age appropriate activities with museum collections and touchable objects to provide a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity for the youngest historians.
Admission to Wonderplace is on a first come, first-served basis. At busy times, we may use FREE, timed tickets to minimize wait time if needed. Tickets are available for 30-minute visits on a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are required for the first session from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. To visit during a later half-hour session, visitors may pick up a ticket at Wonderplace in 1 West. The last entry using timed tickets is at 3:30 p.m.
Hours are subject to change.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Wonderplace, 1 West. Cost: Free; first come, first served. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Art Studio
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Calling all artists! Join the Portrait Gallery for a free, drop-in art program, where creativity knows no bounds. Every weekend, visitors of all ages are invited to explore a different artistic medium while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collections and exhibitions. On select weekends, learn from a featured guest artist, who will lead specialized workshops and share their expertise. To stay informed about upcoming guest artist workshops, please check the Portrait Gallery’s Eventbrite page.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-art-studio-tickets-1112707681629?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Spanish-Language Walk-In Tours
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Join a volunteer docent for a lively tour of the National Portrait Gallery in Spanish.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: F Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-spanish-language-docent-tours-tickets-1530971289339?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Sonatas of Johann Sebastian Bach (Masterworks of Three Centuries)
Resident Associate Program
The 49th season of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society features musical masterpieces from the early 17th century to the middle of the 20th, played on some of the world’s most highly prized musical instruments in an 8-concert series. This concert features music of Johann Sebastian Bach performed by Catherine Manson, violin and Kenneth Slowik, harpsichord.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: National Museum of American History Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/264863?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 20, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Portrait Gallery Kids
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Children and families are invited to learn, play and create at the Portrait Gallery! Join educators every Monday as we explore a variety of topics and artistic materials. Participants will get a closer look at art with hands-on activities, music and story times. Portrait Gallery Kids is a fun way to engage with art and each other.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Education Center, E151. Cost: Free. No Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-portrait-gallery-kids-tickets-654254040447?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Monday, April 20, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Saturdays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, April 20, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Postmarks and Paperbacks April Meeting
One-Time Events
Join staff from the Smithsonian National Postal Museum for a discussion of Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant.
If you have any accessibility requirements to participate in the program, please email NPMprograms@si.edu and we will do everything we can to meet your needs.
A Zoom link will be emailed to participants prior to the program. Registration is required.
To register, please add the access code Mailman26.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983893313305?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Monday, April 20, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit postalmuseum.si.edu. Estudio de Cuentos: ¡Feliz Día de la Tierra!
One time events
Estudio de Cuentos is held the third Tuesday of every month. Facilitation is entirely in Spanish. We recommend that at least one person in your group (child or caregiver) speaks Spanish. This program’s English-language version, Storytime Studio: Who Am I? will be held Wednesday, March 18. SOBRE ESTUDIO DE CUENTOS
Estudio de Cuentos ocurre el tercer martes de cada mes, a las 10 y 11 de la mañana, y está diseñado para niños desde recién nacidos hasta los 6 años y sus cuidadores. Los participantes son bienvenidos a nuestro estudio de arte para disfrutar de una hora especial de juego, lecturas en voz alta, y exploración artística. El programa es completamente en español, y se recomienda que por lo menos un miembro de su grupo (niño o cuidador) hable español.
Estudio de Cuentos tiene cupo limitado. La entrada es por orden de llegada. ESTA SEMANA
¡Celebra el Día de la Tierra durante Estudio de Cuentos! El artista Richard Long documenta sus paseos por la naturaleza en Carrara Line (Línea Carrara) (1985) en la…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Earth Sermon—Beauty, Love and Peace.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Discovery Station: Orchids
Smithsonian Gardens
Stop by the Smithsonian Gardens Discovery Station and explore the connective power of orchids! Take a closer look at the amazing traits that orchids share, uncover the history of vanilla, and get inspired by the Smithsonian Gardens’ orchid collection. Our knowledgeable volunteers are happy to answer your orchid care questions.
Find the Discovery Station in the exhibition during the following times through April 26, 2026. Mondays: 1–4 p.m. , Tuesdays–Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4p.m.
Programs are subject to volunteer availability; last-minute cancellations may occur. Notes: Free timed-entry passes are required to enter the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for this program. Be sure to reserve your entry pass here: https://tickets.si.edu/nmaahc/events/4561cfa0-226f-6a98-2228-1b72ec70494f Advance timed-entry passes are released 30 days in advance on a rolling basis. Same-day timed-entry passes are available daily at the entrance. See NMAAHC staff for assistance.
Venue: African American History and Culture Museum. Event Location: L2 in the More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids Exhibition. Cost: Free. Related Exhibition: More than a Flower: The Connective Power of Orchids. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Interactive Programs
Ongoing Tours & Activities
Docents offer interactive programming throughout the museum, in the form of Highlights tours of the museum, gallery spotlight talks, and hands-on cart programs.
Tours of the museum’s highlights generally take place daily at 10:15 AM and 1 PM. Additional tours may be offered on the hour between 11 AM and 3 PM as docents are available. Please check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Gallery spotlight talks take place throughout the day. Docents offer a 15-minute overview of an exhibition or briefly discuss a favorite museum object. Look for the "Docent on Duty" signs posted outside the exhibition entrances.
Docents stationed at carts help visitors get their hands on history and learn about the museum's collections. Carts are located throughout the museum, and you can check either Welcome Desk for today’s schedule.
Year-Round:
Available most days between 10:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
Notes:
Programs are subject to docent availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: Multiple floors. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Play Date at NMNH: Planet Party!
One-Time Events
Join us on Tuesdays for special family play dates with museum educators!
This Tuesday we will celebrate Earth Day together! Families will learn about different elements of nature (Air/Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth) and how they influence what happens on and to our planet, create their own artwork inspired by these elements, and leave with an invitation to explore an exhibit, "Earth Information Center" on the second floor.
The event is part of our drop-in program, Play Date at NMNH. Play Date at NMNH is a program designed for early learners (ages 0-5), their caregivers, and families.
Location: This program is held in the Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals exhibit on the 1st floor of the museum. Please note that space is dependent on the location of that week's event. Some locations have less capacity than others. It is possible that the program might be at capacity when you arrive. If this happens, please enjoy other areas of the museum and try again later in the program.
Accessibility: Access…
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals (1st Floor). Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
Drawn to Figures
One-Time Events
Join us for a sketching session in our galleries! Create, connect and sketch with fellow artists while drawing inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. All materials will be provided. Participants are also welcome to bring their own sketchbook.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: G Street Lobby. Cost: Free. Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-gallery-drawn-to-figures-tickets-1977612892397?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-share-source=organizer-profile&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Jazz Afternoons
One-Time Events
The National Museum of American History is home to jazz collections that include 100,000 pages of Duke Ellington’s unpublished music and such objects as Ella Fitzgerald’s dresses, Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme manuscript and Benny Goodman’s clarinet. Each year during Jazz Appreciation Month, visitors to the museum on Tuesday afternoons can engage with museum curators and see a small number of jazz treasures brought out of storage that represent the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. During these Objects-Out-of-Storage events, musicians from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra will host pop-up jam sessions, as well as interact with and educate visitors about their instruments and artistry. .
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 3 West. Cost: Free. Related Events: Jazz Appreciation Month. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
Analog Nights
One-Time Events
Slow down, unwind, and take a break from doomscrolling with a screen-free night of creativity and community at the Portrait Gallery. Bring your favorite analog hobby and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the Kogod Courtyard. Need inspiration? Think needlepoint, knitting, sketching, watercolor, junk journaling, mahjong, and more. Each Analog Night will feature a spotlight activity inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Come solo or with friends! For ages 18+.
Venue: Portrait Gallery. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free. Registration Encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/analog-nights-tickets-1982549304338?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=organizer-profile&utm-share-source=organizer-profile.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. ONLINE | Native Knowledge 360° "Americans" Session 3: Trail of Tears
One-Time Events
American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. Pervasive, powerful, at times demeaning, the images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
This three-part professional development series focuses on the stories and images presented in the exhibition Americans, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian DC and through Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street. Educators will explore ways in which American Indians have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began and learn new ways of understanding a few familiar events. Educators will be guided through Native Knowledge 360° classroom resources, delving into three stories: April 7, 2026 | Session 1: Thanksgiving , April 14, 2026 | Session 2: Battle of Little Bighorn , April 21, 2026 | Session 3: Trail of Tears, Free |…
Event Location: Online via ZOOM. Cost: Free | Registration required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RdwZwlFgT3qYCY8LLNHv5w#/registration.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us.