Summer Solstice 2024: Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

The Summer Solstice Celebration will proceed as planned! If attending, please bring water and wear sun protection. Check this website for detailed information on how to Stay Safe During Extreme Heat.

Free In-Person Special Event

11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge MA, 02138

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, beverages, and snacks will be available to purchase from food trucks. Don’t miss out on this popular event for all ages!

Sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. Presented in collaboration with Revels, Harvard University Graduate Commons Program, Harvard Summer School, and ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts.

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.

In case of rain, museums will remain open, and a select number of activities will be available. Check the website for details.

Explore the Galleries

Enjoy Outdoor Activities

  • Make your own summer crown with fresh flowers and greens to wear during the event. 5:00–7:00 pm or until supplies last.
  • Marvel at circus performers and enjoy live music.
  • Purchase specialty mocktails and tasty treats from event food trucks and vendors.
  • Enter the free Solstice Raffle for a chance to win HMSC museum memberships and special gifts from our museum shop.
  • Play Sun-sational Mini Golf!

ACTIVITIES

Location: 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge

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 Chalking

5:00–8:00 pm

Participate in a community chalking project led by Cambridge-based artist Ponnapa Gift Prakkamakul. All ages are welcome to chalk along Divinity Avenue.

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 free 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.

PERFORMANCES

Time: 5:00–8:45 pm 

Location: 7 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge

5:00 pm until sunset

Pop-Up Performances

Stilt walkers, jugglers, and acrobats will be performing throughout the event.

5:00–6:00 pm

Look out for surprise outdoor performances from Muddy River Morris and Pinewoods Morris Men doing Morris dancing, a form of traditional English dancing. Also keep an eye out for a team of dancers, musicians, and characters who will perform the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, an ancient ritual dance from Staffordshire, England.

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 

Revels

Participate in a community sing-along led by Revels Summer Solstice songleader Donnell Patterson and steel-pan artist Kareem Thompson and his band. Be on the lookout for special guests from the Puppeteers Cooperative in Boston, who will mark the longest day of the year with dancing and singing. 

7:00 pm

New Inca Son

Composed of Peruvian and Bolivian musicians, New Inca Son performs a wide repertory of traditional Andean folk melodies, original compositions, and Andean interpretations of modern popular songs. New Inca Son’s signature instrument is the pan flute, one of the world’s most ancient instruments. This performance is presented in collaboration with Conexión.

8:00 pm

PK and the Mighty Seven

Dance to, or simply enjoy, a selection of funk, soul, R&B, Motown, and pop songs played by PK and the Mighty Seven, a nine-piece band based in Boston. This will be a fun party featuring melodies from the 1960s to the present.

8:20 pm

Solstice Countdown

Count down the minutes to the end of the longest day of the year!

REFRESHMENTS

Time: 5:00 pm until sunset

Location: 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream

BerrySweets chocolate-dipped strawberries 

Bon Me pan-Asian delights

Craft House Bartending mocktails 

Crepe Shop crepes and ice cream

Zaaki Mediterranean cuisine

Northeast of the Border authentic Mexican food

Arts Thursdays Logo

Photo credits left to right: © Tony Rinaldo, © Tony Rinaldo, © Caitlin Cunningham Photography LLC, © Tony Rinaldo, © Caitlin Cunningham Photography LLC