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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Festivals and Event Series

Several times a year, the museum's Department of Education offers a festival or series of events related to a particular theme. Each thematic festival or series often includes separate programs for families, K-12 students, and adults; individual programs may also be listed on other pages on this website. Use the menu (above left) to visit pages for the museum's Family Programs and Adult Programs.

On This Page:

Current and Upcoming

Play Date at NMNH

A boy holding a magnifying glass over a cast of a fossil bed, while a woman stands over him making scary monster arms

This family-program series is a drop-in offering for the early learning audience (0-5 years old) and their caregivers and family members. Together, families will practice science skills such as observing, communicating, and asking questions through exploring topics in a variety of hands-on and collaborative experiences.

May 5, 2025: International Day of Women and Girls in Science

A woman sitting at a table, holding a tool towards a fossil lizard that is on the table. The woman has long reddish-brown hair and is wearing a blue-and-white striped button down shirt.

Please join us on the rescheduled date of Monday, May 5, to celebrate women and girls in science with a symposium in-person and online, and family friendly activities in the museum.

May 24 and 31, 2025: Bird Walks with the Natural History Museum

A group of about eight people, including some medium- and light-skinned people, standing on a path on the National Mall and looking up through binoculars. One woman is holding a camera. The Washington Monument is in the background along with some green, leafy trees.

We will host spring bird walks on the National Mall and at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Garden. Gather your family and friends and join us for some fun as we celebrate nature in the Nation’s Capital — no experience or equipment required.

 

June 5, 2025: World Ocean Day Celebration

Rocky island in a blue sea

Ocean scientists, researchers, and educators will provide an exciting series of interactive experiences celebrating our blue planet and exploring all the ways science and community action can connect us to our waterways.

Past

October 16, 2024: National Fossil Day

A fossil skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex posed biting down on a fossil Triceratops skeleton that is lying on its side.

We celebrated National Fossil Day with real dinosaurs and free, kid-friendly activities in the museum’s Hall of Fossils – Deep Time. Scientists and educators from the Smithsonian were on hand to welcome families and anyone interested in exploring Earth’s deep past.

April 18–20, 2024: Life on a Sustainable Planet: Exploring and Understanding our Natural World

Black and white images of a shell, beetle, butterfly, coral, feather, and leafy stem interspersed on a gradated background going from turquoise blue to light green.

In anticipation of Earth Day 2024, the museum presented a series of free events over three days: a Natural Science Symposium, a Careers Workshop for Undergraduates, and a family program featuring Company E and Sound Impact.

National Pollinator Week, June 19–25, 2023:
Pollinators + Plants

A black and brown butterfly sitting on an orange flower

Get to know and admire pollinators! Come to a pollinator celebration for families, participate in a community science event, and learn about these remarkable animals that feed the world and what you can do to help them.

Winter – Spring 2023:
Shared Planet, Shared Health

Scanning electron microscope view of small, light blue dots on a pink cell culture.

Watch videos of these online programs, which spotlighted leading research on the interconnection between humans, nonhuman animals, plants, and their shared environment.

April 2023: Nature in Our Cities

American bumblebee drinking nectar from a pink flower

This series of programs focused on the themes of biodiversity, urban nature, and pollinators. "Nature in Our Cities" featured events for K-12 students, families, and adults, culminating in the City Nature Challenge DC 2023, in which participants found plants or animals in the Washington, D.C., area, photographed them, and shared them via the iNaturalist app.

Fall 2022: In the Pandemic’s Wake

Social Change and Reflection with Asian American and Pacific Islander Leaders

A group of three dozen or more people holding red signs and a large red banner that reads, "Fight the Virus, Not the People."

Among the communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities faced severe challenges that continue to leave a lasting impact today. At this critical moment, the museum and Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American Center teamed up for a virtual three-part series to reckon with and reflect on these challenges and highlight the intricate relationship between humans and nature, and with each other, to enact community wellbeing, environmental justice, and social change.

September 2021–March 2022:
Unsettled Nature: Artist Event Series

Oil Spill #10 by Edward Burtynsky

Watch conversations with contemporary artists on the power of art to illuminate our relationship with the natural world. The artists' work is featured in the new exhibition, Unsettled Nature: Artists Reflect on the Age of Humans.

October 2021: Archaeology Family Weekend

Color illustration of an ancient human making art on a cave wall

We hosted two live virtual family programs — one in Spanish and English — with archaeologists and anthropologists from our museum and around the world.

July 2021: Challenging the Face of Science: Women Scientists Share Their Stories

Photo of two women looking at the camera holding their hats doing fieldwork

This series of online interactive webinars explored themes of women in STEM careers, mentorship, and community. Smithsonian scientists from the National Museum of Natural History discussed their career journeys. This program was part of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative – Because of Her Story.

Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World

Video screenshot of spike protein on a coronavirus next to a cell in a human body.

This series of video webinars, in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name, provides context for various public health topics, including COVID-19, vaccines, AIDS, and disease vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks.

Natural History Summer Explorations

Two girls smiling, looking at a tablet while standing in a garden with tall shrubs.

This free virtual summer program series in July and August 2020 allowed students in Grades 3-7 to explore the world of natural history science in a fun and interactive way. Each one-week session focused on different natural science-based themes (Deep Sea Animal Adaptations, Paleo Art: Edge of Extinction, and ¡Descubre la historia natural!) using a suite of daily live webinars, videos, activities, and projects.