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Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Presented by Decolonizing the Music Room, the Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival celebrates the central role of Black people in developing, sustaining, and innovating upon the American roots music tradition. In its sixth annual edition, FWAAMFest features an all-star lineup of Black American musicians, educational workshops, old-time jam sessions, a pre-fest community dance event, and a post-fest live documentary experience at the intersection of music and Black foodways.
Categories: Performance. Film. Cost: March 20 community dance – Free
March 21 general admission – $50
Seniors – $40
Teachers/school staff – $35
Students (13+) – $25
Children 12 and under – Free (must RSVP)
March 22 live documentary experience – $10. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.fwaamfest.com/tickets. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Event Location: Fort Worth, Texas.
Friday, March 20, 2026 – Sunday, March 22, 2026.
Southside Preservation Hall
Fort Worth, TX.
For more info visit www.fwaamfest.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, March 20, 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, March 20, 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, March 20, 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, March 20, 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, March 20, 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, March 20, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 20, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Paso Perfection
Resident Associate Program
Spend three fascinating Friday evenings expanding your knowledge of the world of wine as you sip along with sommelier Erik Segelbaum in a series of delectable adventures. He explores the versatility of Paso Robles. Each immersive program includes a curated personal tasting kit to enhance the experience.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265599?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/265599?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 20, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Cherry Blossom Concert: Ayaka Hirahara
Performances
Catch a smaller, more intimate concert by singer Ayaka Hirahara the night before she opens the National Cherry Blossom Festival! This event is presented in partnership with Japan Foundation New York.
Ayaka Hirahara debuted in 2003 with “Jupiter.” She has received high acclaim and numerous awards as a singer, including the Japan Record Awards for Artist Award and the Japan Gold Disc Award. All the while, she actively performs in diverse fields such as musicals, voice acting, dramas, and movie dubbing.
In 2015, she established the Ayaka Hirahara Jupiter Fund to contribute to society and provide various forms of support through music. She performed the national anthem at the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019. Her musical theater credits include Love Never Dies, Beautiful, Mary Poppins, Fist of the North Star: Hokuto no Ken, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical. “Ayaka Hirahara Concert Tour 2024–2025 ~ The Swinging Classics! ~” was co-directed and produced with Masataka Matsutoya. She continues her concert tours…
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/national-cherry-blossom-festival-concert-ayaka-hirahara-tickets-1983465667204?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Assisted listening devices.
Friday, March 20, 2026, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
Open Studio: Head in the Clouds
One time events
Big things are happening in March at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll get inspired by our new exhibit Big Things for Big Rooms, where we’ll encounter pioneering installation artists such as Spencer Finch, Richard Long, Rashid Johnson, and Lygia Pape.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Finch’s artwork Cloud (H2O). Finch was intrigued by the molecular structure of water and how clouds are always changing. Inspired by his artistic practice, we’ll use clay, wire, toothpicks, and other art-making materials to create our own suspended molecular installations.
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…
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: In Suspense!
Saturday, March 21, 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, March 21, 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, March 21, 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, March 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.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
Gather and Grow with Christine Platt
One-Time Events
In honor of Women's History Month, Gather and Grow is an inclusive experience focused on wellness, connection and personal expression. Through wellness session with Grounded and Liberation Workshop session with Author, Christine Platt. Participants will explore practices that encourage presence, clarity and confidence based on her book, Less is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm. Join us to slow down, connect with others and leave feeling "Grounded" and inspired.
Christine Platt is a writer and wellness strategist whose work centers the journeys of personal and collective liberation—inviting individuals and organizations to reassess, release, and reimagine the narratives that shape our lives. As the founder of Everyday Freedom Collective, Christine’s expansive body of work is anchored by an empowering throughline: understanding and achieving liberation as a lifestyle. From her national bestseller, The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less, to her latest title, Less Is Liberation: Findi…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Grounded Cafe - 1913 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gather-and-grow-with-christine-platt-tickets-1979728332736?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
NY | Curator Tour: "Clearly Indigenous"
One-Time Events
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass explores glass art as a medium for Indigenous stories, designs, and contemporary issues. Join Dr. Michelle Delaney, Acting Associate Director for Museum Research and Scholarship, on a guided tour of this exhibition that traces 45 years of Native glass art and showcases approximately 120 artworks by 29 Indigenous artists. Also featured are works by Dale Chihuly, who established the first glass program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, and collaborations between Native glass workers, Yolŋu (Aboriginal Australian) artists, and Māori artists.
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass was originated by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and Cathy Short (Potawatomi). The traveling exhibit was curated by Dr. Chambers and is toured by International Arts & Artists. Generous support for the exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian provided in…
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2, exhibition gallery. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM.
NY | Meet the Author: Preston Singletary's "Fusion Notes"
One-Time Events
Contemporary Indigenous glass artist Preston Singletary (Tlingit) will be on hand in our museum shop to sign copies of his new book Fusion Notes, a visual memoir of his life and artistic practices. The book features nearly 100 black and white and color images, including many of Singletary's stunning glass sculptures that incorporate Pacific Northwest formline designs and storytelling. Fusion Notes will be available for purchase in the museum shop ahead of the signing event.
Be sure to visit the exhibition Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, and then hear more from Singletary and fellow artists Dan Friday (Lummi) and Jody Naranjo (Tewa, Santa Clara) in the Diker Pavilion on Level 1 at 2 PM.
Image: Preston Singletary, Raven Steals the Sun, 2019, Blown, sand carved glass, 21" x 7" x 7". Image courtesy of Preston Singletary, Photograph by Russell Johnson, © Copyright Preston Singletary.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 2: Museum Store. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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, March 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
NY | Indigenous Art Through the Lens of Glass
One-Time Events
Contemporary Indigenous artists Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Dan Friday (Lummi), and Jody Naranjo (Kha'p'o Owingeh [Santa Clara Pueblo]) share how they use the medium of glass to express Indigenous stories, designs, and contemporary issues. Visitors can see the artists’ work in the exhibition Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass which traces 45 years of Native glass art and showcases approximately 120 artworks by 29 Indigenous artists. Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass was originated by the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and Cathy Short (Potawatomi). The traveling exhibit was curated by Dr. Chambers and is toured by International Arts & Artists. Generous support provided by Janet and David Offensend.
Image: Dan Friday, Aunt Fran’s Star Basket, 2017, Hand-blown glass veil canes, 14” x 16” x 14”.Image courtesy of Dan Friday, Photograph by Russell Johnson, © Dan Friday.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1: Diker Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Related Exhibition: Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass.
Saturday, March 21, 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 “Libeled Lady.” Enjoy the glamour of the Golden Age and watch some of Hollywood’s most iconic stars in this classic 1936 film. Encore!
“Libeled Lady” (1 hour, 38 min.)
A wealthy socialite sues a major newspaper for libel after being falsely accused of breaking up a marriage. In desperation, the newspaper’s frazzled editor devises a scheme to frame her. This 1936 screwball comedy features a star-studded cast, including Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy.
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, March 21, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Mother of Snow Cranes
Films
Watch the Trailer
In Person: Iiris Härmä director; Visa Koiso-Kanttila, producer
Co-presented with the Embassy of Finland
This documentary details the extraordinary life of Ellen Vuosalo, known as the “mother of snow cranes” for dedicating her life to protecting the Siberian cranes that winter in Iran. Vuosalo was born in Canada in 1931 to a family of Finnish immigrants. She later studied biology at UCLA, then married and started a family with an Iranian man. Her abusive husband fled with the children to Iran when she asked for a divorce. Vuosalo followed him to get her children back and settled in Iran, where she spent over five decades on conservation, ornithology, and local environmental initiatives. Iiris Härmä’s film is a stirring portrait of a strong, adventurous woman.
Director: Iiris Härmä. Country: Finland. Released: 2024. Length: 75 min. Format: DCP. Languages: English and Persian with English subtitles. Image courtesy of the Finnish Film Foundation.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://effnmaa2025.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Light Work
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.
This month, Art School is continuing its exploration of the big ideas in the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms. The exhibition explores installation art, meaning large-scale artworks that wrap the viewer in a multisensory experience. This Saturday, we’ll experience “monument” for V. Tatlin (1967) by Dan Flavin. Then we’ll work with guest artist Matt Cooley to learn about stage lighting design. Then we’ll use professional lighting equipment to create a light show in Art School!
Please note: This program will include flashing lights that may affect viewers who are sensitive to light.
Guest Artist,
Matthew Cooley is a lighting designer and artist based in Washington, DC, specializing in live lighting performances. He has done work for acts like…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School in the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Olafur Eliasson: Rainbow Reflections.
Saturday, March 21, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit hirshhorn.si.edu. Commonwealth Jubilee
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Commonwealth Jubilee: A Celebration of Unity and Heritage is a three-day public event to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the enactment of the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States, the foundational agreement that shapes the Northern Mariana Islands’ modern identity and relationship with the United States. The Commonwealth Jubilee will celebrate the rich history, cultural heritage, and social values that define the people of the islands.
Categories: Performance. Narrative Session. Workshop. Cost: TBA. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Event Location: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
Sunday, March 22, 2026 – Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
For more info visit www.mvariety.com. 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, March 22, 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, March 22, 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, March 22, 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, March 22, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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, March 22, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. What Does That Nature Say to You
Films
Watch the Trailer
In the latest film from Hong Sang-soo (subject of our 2024 retrospective), a young Seoul poet named Donghwa travels to the countryside with his girlfriend Junhee to meet her parents for the first time. Donghwa becomes enchanted with the house and its beautiful environs, which were cultivated by Junhee’s father to provide serene surroundings for his mother when she was dying. He is also struck by the father’s devotion to nature, tradition, and filial duty. But as the hours drift by and the makgeolli flows, Donghwa’s tongue loosens and his anxieties begin to surface. As easygoing as a lazy afternoon spent with friends, Hong’s film is a genial ode to nature as inspiration.
Director: Hong Sang-soo. Country: Korea. Released: 2025. Length: 108 min. Format: DCP. Languages: Korean with English subtitles. Image courtesy of The Cinema Guild.
Venue: Asian Art Museum, West Building. Building: West Building. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free. Register in advance (recommended). Get Tickets/Register: https://effnmaa2025.eventive.org/films. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible. Captioning. Assisted listening devices.
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Garden Play: Signs of Spring
Smithsonian Gardens
Join Smithsonian Gardens in the Enid A. Haupt Garden to welcome spring with hands-on activities and a story time!
Location:
Find us on the East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden, near the Spencer Fullerton Baird statue by the Arts and Industries Building, southeast of the Smithsonian Castle. Enter the Enid A. Haupt Garden via Jefferson Drive, SW or Independence Avenue, SW.
About Garden Play:
Garden Play is a drop-in program for young learners and their caregivers to learn and play in a Smithsonian Garden. Each program is designed to foster appreciation and connection to the natural world through hands-on activities, story time, and a garden exploration. Join Smithsonian Gardens as we explore a different garden topic each month!
Garden Play is designed for children ages two and up and their caregivers and families. Activities are designed with early learners in mind, but children of all ages are welcome. Parents and guardians must remain with their children.
Please come prepared for an outdoor…
Venue: Smithsonian Gardens. Event Location: East Terrace of the Enid A. Haupt Garden. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 23, 2026, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
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 23, 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 23, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Kelp! I Am Stuck in a Forest!
One-Time Events
Come under the canopy to learn about giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, and its ecosystem! This brown alga can grow a foot per day and provides a habitat to many species in its dense forests. Join us to learn more about kelp forests, how they are found around the world in cold waters, and how rising sea temperatures may affect kelp growth and the animals that rely on this foundation species.
This program will be presented by Roxanne-Alexa Garibay, Marine scientist, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories / NOAA Knauss Ocean Policy Fellow.
Photo by Roxanne-Alexa Garibay.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 1st Floor, Sant Ocean Hall. Cost: Free. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Monday, March 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 3:00 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–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 23, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Informational Webinar on the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals "Zero Barriers!" Guide
Smithsonian Sponsored Events
Come learn more about the newly released Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research guide Zero Barriers! How can we support access in our community? This guide supports youth as they investigate communities as complex systems that support access to needs such as transportation, health care, and education.
This one-hour webinar is open to all teachers, educators, community members, and leaders. Participants will also receive access to additional online educator resources!
During this 60-minute webinar, we will: Introduce the Zero Barriers! Guide , Highlight selected activities from the guide using the Zero Barriers! StoryMap for educators , Explore the guide’s structure and teacher planner , Learn about the motivation and philosophy behind the guide with the Curriculum Developers , View examples of student work created through the guide’s main action‑taking activities
This webinar welcomes classroom teachers, informal educators, and community members who support students ages 11–18…
Event Type: Educational. Workshops & Classes. Cost: Free. Category: Curriculum. Contact Name: Alexia Antunez. Contact Email: AntunezHernandezA@si.edu. Registration: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/9uFe0pxGRZ-9w7HMyPRB9g#/registration.
Monday, March 23, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit smithsonian.zoom.us. 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 24, 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 24, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265054?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265054?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265055?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265055?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Storytime Studio: Nature Walk
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 go on a nature walk! Artist Richard Long often was inspired by his walks through nature to make works such as Carrara Line (1985), on view in the exhibition Big Things for Big Rooms. We’ll go on our own nature walk that will inspire our art-making.
Featured book: When You Find the Right Rock by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Felicita Sala, 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,…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Storytime Studio, About Hirshhorn Kids, Visiting with Kids, Art Project: Naturally You!
Wednesday, March 25, 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, March 25, 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, March 25, 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, March 25, 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, March 25, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265056?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265056?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Story Time with DCPL
One-Time Events
Join us for Story Time in collaboration with the DC Public Library! Children and their grown-ups can enjoy story time as an interactive way to exercise with language and literacy skills. Story Time is designed for learners ages 5 and under, but all are welcome!
For questions about this event, please email us at: HistoryTeachers@si.edu.
Venue: American History Museum. Event Location: 1 West. Cost: Free.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265057?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265057?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Expert Is In: Orchid Pollination
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 Horticulturist Virginia Thaxton will share the fascinating ways orchids attract pollinators.
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 museum timed entry passes 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, March 25, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
Rivals and Inheritors: The Anglo-Saxons
Resident Associate Program
Between 350 and 750, western Europe underwent a profound transformation. The Roman empire, which had dominated the ancient world for more than half a millennium, collapsed. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, while new peoples competed with the Roman population and with each other. Historian David Gwynn traces the entangled stories of the Goths, Huns, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons, who interacted in different ways with the Roman empire and its legacy and together shaped the history of Christian Europe and Western civilization.
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265676?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/265676?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM.
Hidden Treasures: Recovering Critical Minerals from Metal Mining and Wastes
One-Time Events
We use critical minerals every day in technologies such as cell phones or solar panels. Some of these minerals are extremely hard to find in nature because they do not concentrate in ore deposits. Come talk to research chemist Sarah Hayes from the US Geological Survey, and ask her about recovering critical minerals as byproducts of gold, copper, or zinc mines.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: 2nd Floor, Cellphone Exhibition Hall. Cost: Free and open to the public. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
The Gold Traditions of Abruzzo: Italian Craft, Culture, and Identity
Resident Associate Program
For centuries, the central Italian region of Abruzzo has preserved some of Italy’s most exquisite and symbolic goldsmithing traditions. From the presentosa, a star-shaped pendant given as a love token, to the intricate filigree work worn by women as markers of social status and regional identity, Abruzzese jewelry is a living chronicle of history, devotion, and craftsmanship. In a presentation illustrated by images of heirloom pieces, cultural historian Viviana Altieri explores the origins, meanings, and social significance of traditional gold jewelry from Abruzzo. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit).
Event Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Online Link: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265652?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/265652?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM.
At the Vanguard: Making and Saving Poetry
One-Time Events
Join us in uplifting the exhibition At the Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs as we explore its central themes together. Participants are invited to revel in the vibrant energy of HBCU life in science, literature, and the arts; and transform that spirit into poetry that commemorates the HBCU experience.
Led by international slam poetry champion Anthony McPherson, this workshop introduces the technique of call and response, a dynamic conversational form in which an initial statement, phrase, or melody (the “call”) is immediately followed by an answering phrase (the “response”).
Through interactive activities and a discussion with Museum Curator Tulani Salahu-Din, attendees will reflect on and preserve their own cultural understanding through poetic expression.
For inquires, please email NMAAHCEngage@si.edu.
Event Location: Online. Cost: Free! Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/meeting/register/LxcXVYCtRcW9Uhyb60z_Xg.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 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, March 26, 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, March 26, 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, March 26, 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, March 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265058?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265058?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Early Human Coexistence 1.5 Million Years Ago
One-Time Events
While fossils of different early human species are sometimes found at the same sites, it has been hard for paleoanthropologists to show that they actually co-occurred in "ecological time" - in the same environments at the same time. A unique discovery of fossil footprints along an ancient lake margin in northern Kenya offers the first direct evidence of two different species, Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, walking on the same lakeshore about 1.5 million years ago. Kay Behrensmeyer, Curator of Paleobiology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and one of the lead scientists working on these footprints, will present this recent discovery. 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: Kevin Hatala, Image caption: One of the…
Event Location: Online; Internet connection required. Cost: Free; Registration Required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/31234965/early-human-coexistence-15-million-years-ago-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Captioning.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265059?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265059?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Curator's Talk: We Make History
One-Time Events
Join us as we hear from the curator of ACM’s upcoming exhibition, We Make History, opening May 30,2026.
About the exhibition:
As the nation commemorates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, We Make History explores how history happens, is preserved and shared. In Washington, DC and places around the country, many people were quietly keeping the records, building the collections, and developing the skills that would create America’s historical narrative. These community-based stories serve as the building blocks for 250 years of American history.
Using the country’s anniversary as a milestone, the museum uses its community-driven practice to celebrate local civic engagement and encourage local history keeping. This exhibition is a tribute to celebrating our communities and making possible a better understanding of our shared past. These stories are important to mark the Semi quincentennial because they help show the legacy of how people make history one act, one document, one story…
Venue: Anacostia Community Museum. Event Location: Allen Chapel AME Church 2498 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. Cost: Free. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curators-talk-we-make-history-tickets-1979728442063?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Thursday, March 26, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.
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, March 27, 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, March 27, 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, March 27, 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, March 27, 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, March 27, 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, March 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265060?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265060?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 10:15 AM – 11:00 AM.
Powerful Pollinators
Resident Associate Program
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265061?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-SA-ev&utm_content=SA-Trumba-event&promo=276223.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM.
Powerful Pollinators
Discovery Theater Automatic Upload
Ages 3 to 7. Come learn about the mighty pollinators at the ecosystems they help to thrive in this new Discovery Theater Original Production.
Venue: S. Dillon Ripley Center. Event Location: S. Dillon Ripley Center Discovery Theater, 3rd Sublevel. Cost: Click here to view prices. Get Tickets/Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/265061?utm_source=SI-Trumba-Calendar&utm_medium=SIWeb&utm_campaign=2025FY-Trumba-DT-ev&utm_content=DT-Trumba-event&promo=276224.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 11:30 AM – 12:15 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. Taylor Rose Payer, Betsy James Wyeth Predoctoral Fellow in Native American Art, discusses Kay WalkingStick's Two Women II.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: In-person | Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cost: Free | Meet in G Street Lobby.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 12:15 PM – 12:45 PM.
NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Q?rius Open Late: Botany Specimen Preparation - March
One-Time Events
The doors are open in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center! Once a month, we’re welcoming you to explore the space from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, even after the rest of the museum is closed. All ages are welcome. As an added bonus, the NMNH botany department will be hosting a botany collections specimen mounting pop-up in February, March and April. Ages 15 and up are welcome to participate with adult supervision. Registration is free and encouraged. Space is filled by a first come first served basis.
Venue: Natural History Museum. Event Location: Q?rius, The Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center, National Museum of Natural History (Ground floor). Cost: Free; registration is required. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/97079561/qrius-open-latebotany-specimen-preparation-washington-national-museum-of-natural-history. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.etix.com. Her Voice: A Documentary Series on Ethiopian Women Visual Artists
One-Time Events
Her Voice: A documentary series on Ethiopian women visual artists explores the lives and works of women artists based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as they navigate identity, culture, and creativity within a society that has often overlooked women’s contributions in the arts. Through interviews that center their lives and creative process, the film reveals how art can offer a space of resistance, remembrance, and self-definition. The film explores the everyday realities that these artists navigate, the challenges that they face, and the ways that their personal histories shape and inform their creative processes.
Language: Amharic with English subtitles
Following the screening, enjoy a discussion with the film's producer, Elisabeth H. Wold, and Heran Sereke Brhan, Deputy Director of the National Museum of African Art.
Elisabeth H. Wold is an Ethiopian, contemporary, visual artist whose practice spans installation, animation, video art, painting, collage, mosaic, and textile design. She is also deeply engaged…
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Lecture Hall (Sublevel 2). Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983819273851?aff=oddtdtcreator. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM.
Open Studio: Art Rocks!
One time events
Big things are happening in March at Open Studio! Each week, we’ll get inspired by our new exhibit Big Things for Big Rooms, where we’ll encounter pioneering installation artists such as Spencer Finch, Richard Long, Rashid Johnson, and Lygia Pape.
Join us this Saturday as we draw inspiration from Long’s artwork Carrara Line (1985). Long often took walks through landscapes to find ideas for his art. Inspired by his artistic practice, we’ll explore natural materials like gravel, sand, and sticks to build our own nature-inspired installations!
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…
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: Naturally You!
Saturday, March 28, 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, March 28, 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, March 28, 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, March 28, 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, March 28, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.
SAAM Cherry Blossom Family Celebration
One-Time Events
Celebrate the season of cherry blossoms with SAAM! The program begins on the F Street Plaza (weather permitting) with a taiko performance by drumming group Nen Daiko. Activities continue inside in the Kogod Courtyard with the live vinyl DJ stylings of Les the DJ, a ballet showcase by Misako Ballet Company, and a Japanese model train display from Japan Rail Modelers of Washington DC. Children (ages 12 and younger) are invited to make cherry-blossom themed crafts. Seasonal treats will be available for purchase from the Courtyard Café. A spring-themed scavenger hunt through SAAM’s galleries extends the cherry blossom fun.
This program is part of the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Photo by Norwood Photography.
Venue: American Art Museum. Event Location: Kogod Courtyard. Cost: Free | Registration encouraged. Get Tickets/Register: https://events.blackthorn.io/5f4ZMUx7/5a2bVR2sYOX.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 11:30 AM – 3:00 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.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
DC | Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital: "Aki"
One-Time Events
Director Darlene Naponse captures the seasonal essence of her home community, Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, in this nearly wordless visual art documentary. By focusing on the soundscapes of Northern Ontario and the daily lives of its inhabitants—both human and animal—the film finds profound beauty in simple moments. Featuring limited Anishinaabemowin, Aki offers a cinematic tribute to the enduring connection between a people and their territory. Director: Darlene Naponse (Anishinaabe), Canada, 2025, 83 min.
Content Advisory: contains scenes of hunting, trapping, and preparing of animals.
No tickets needed, seating is first come, first served. This screening is presented in conjunction with The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF), the world’s premier showcase of environmental films. Through their annual festival, year-round programs, and online resources, they seek to advance public understanding of the environment through the power of film. The 34th annual festival will be held March…
Venue: American Indian Museum DC. Event Location: Level 1: Rasmuson Theater. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Captioning. Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 28, 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.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. NY | Gift of Sweetness
One-Time Events
Celebrate the arrival of spring and nature's gift of sweetness. This time of year is when Native peoples of the Northeast harvest maple tree sap and make it into maple syrup and other sweet treats. Learn about this Native food and the ingenious process that Native people developed and have shared with the world. Visitors of all ages are welcome.
Venue: American Indian Museum NY. Event Location: Level 1, imagiNATIONS Activity Center Classroom. Cost: FREE. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Teen Studio: Flower Printing Power
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.
This month, Art School is continuing its exploration of the big ideas in the Hirshhorn’s newest exhibition: Big Things for Big Rooms. The exhibition explores installation art, meaning large-scale artworks that wrap the viewer in a multisensory experience. This Saturday, we’ll experience Carrara Line (1985) by Richard Long. Then we’ll use gel printing plates and pressed flowers and plants to create vibrantly colorful works of art inspired by nature.
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…
Venue: Hirshhorn Museum. Event Location: Art School on the Lower Level. Cost: Free. Related Events: Teen Studio, Hirshhorn Art School, Art School Everywhere, Olafur Eliasson: Rainbow Reflections.
Saturday, March 28, 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, March 29, 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, March 29, 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, March 29, 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, March 29, 2026, 10:15 AM – 3:15 PM.
Guided Tours in French, Part of the 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival
One-Time Events
The National Museum of African Art is pleased to partner with Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. to offer guided tours in French as part of the month-long 2026 D.C. Francophonie Cultural Festival in March.
The tours will include highlights of the National Museum of African Art’s current exhibitions, with special attention to artists from Francophone Africa, resulting in a diverse group of works and historical time periods.
The 90-minute tours will take place from 1pm-2:30pm throughout the Festival on the following dates: Sundays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 , Thursdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 5, 12, 26 , Saturdays, 1pm-2:30pm: March 21, 28, Docents will meet guests at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion.
Tours are free, but registration is required.
For additional information on Alliance Française of Washington, D.C. please visit https://francedc.org/index.
Venue: African Art Museum. Event Location: Meet at the Visitor Information Desk in the Pavilion. Cost: FREE. Get Tickets/Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/alliance-francaise-de-washington-dc-afdc-6446446445. Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 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, March 29, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.eventbrite.com. 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.
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.
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 otaku 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.