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Free In-Person Special Event
Join the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture on the longest day of the year—free of charge—to explore the galleries and new exhibitions at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, and the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.
Step outdoors to enjoy lively musical and circus performances, play mini-golf, and make a flower crown. Ice cream, mocktails, and snacks will be available to purchase from food trucks and vendors. Don’t miss out on this popular event for all ages!
Sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture in collaboration with the Harvard Graduate Commons and the Harvard Summer School. Presented with the generous support of the Harvard FAS Community Renewal Fund.
This festival is part of HMSC’s 10-Year Anniversary celebration.
Free event parking will be available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Please note that Divinity Avenue will be closed to traffic during the event.
The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture are an 8-minute walk through historic Harvard Yard from the Harvard Square MBTA Red Line station.
Explore the Galleries
- Admire Harvard’s world-renowned Blaschka Glass Flowers and discover how these handcrafted plant models were created by Czech glass artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka.
- Come face-to-face with the ocean’s most famous, misunderstood megafauna in Swimming with Sharks: A Deep Dive into Shark Biology and Behavior.
- Enjoy an immersive, contemporary artistic interpretation of Henry David Thoreau’s plant collections in In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers: An Exploration of Change and Loss.
- Learn how scientific instruments have influenced the development of astronomy, navigation, physics, biology, medicine, electricity, and communication in Time, Life & Matter.
- Explore Shehuo: Community Fire, a new bilingual photography exhibition on the rapid transformation of an ancient rural Chinese festival.
- See Rice: A Story of Africa and the Americas which examines the legacy of rice cultivation in the Americas (located within the Resetting the Table exhibition).
- Learn how the movement of goods, peoples, and ideas around the ancient Mediterranean transformed the lives and livelihoods of people at all levels of society in Mediterranean Marketplaces: Connecting the Ancient World.
- See a spectacular reproduction of King Tut’s lion-legged throne. This piece faithfully recreates the detailed iconography of the original.
ACTIVITIES
Location: 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Activities are appropriate for all ages.
Flower Crowns
5:00–7:00 pm
Design a summer crown with seasonal flowers, garden greens, and ribbons (while supplies last).
Community Paint Project
5:00–7:00 pm
Participate in a community paint project with Boston-based artist Howie Green. All ages are welcome to help illuminate 40-inch wide spheres representing the Sun, Moon, and Earth.
Traveling Farm
5:00–8:00 pm
Meet and greet a small group of farm animals visiting the museums to celebrate the beginning of summer.
Sun-Sational Museum Mini Golf
5:00–8:30 pm
Enjoy a game of sun-themed mini golf and explore the wonders of the sun in HMSC collections.
Solstice Raffle
5:00–8:30 pm
Stop by the HMSC Information Booth to enter a raffle for museum gifts and a Household Membership.
Shopping
5:00–8:30 pm
Stop by the museum shop at the Harvard Museum of Natural History and take home a memento from your visit. Enjoy a 10% discount in celebration of HMSC’s 10 Year Anniversary.
PERFORMANCES
Time: 5:00–8:45 pm
Location: 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts
5:00 pm until sunset
Stilt walkers, jugglers, and acrobats will be performing throughout the event.
5:15 pm
Circus Arts Feature Show
In this annual tradition at the Summer Solstice Celebration, artists from Off the Ground Circus Arts will stage a daring performance of circus arts and acrobatics.
6:15 pm
GBCCA Chinese Music Ensemble
The Chinese Music Ensemble of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association (GBCCA) presents uplifting and joyful music to welcome the summer season. The ensemble, established in 1984 to promote awareness of Chinese culture and heritage, is one of the oldest groups of its kind in New England.
7:00 pm
Fabiola Méndez Trio
Fabiola Méndez is a Puerto Rican cuatro player, educator, and composer who blends folkloric, jazz & Latin musical genres. With the smooth bass lines of Juan Maldonado and the lively güiro and multi-percussion rhythms of Miguel Martínez, Fabiola highlights the pride and beauty of the Jíbaro & African roots in Puerto Rican culture.
7:45 pm
Kalifa & Koliba
Kalifa & Koliba brings together musicians from two continents to blend traditional and modern styles–including West African Rhythms, Hi Life, Reggae, Ska, Zouk, and more. Bandleader Mohamed Kalifa Camara takes listeners on a joyful journey from ancient Africa to modern, urban America with a sound and beat that brings audiences to their feet, dancing and singing along.
8:20 pm
Solstice Countdown
Countdown the minutes to the end of the longest day of the year!
REFRESHMENTS
Time: 5:00 pm until sunset
Location: 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
Bon Me pan-Asian delights
North East of the Border Mexican food
Zaaki Mediterranean cuisine
Craft House Bartending mocktails