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 the new exhibition, The Blaschkas at the Microscope: Lessons in Botany on view in the Glass Flowers Gallery.
- Come face-to-face with the ocean’s most famous, misunderstood megafauna in Swimming with Sharks: A Deep Dive into Shark Biology and Behavior.
- Learn how scientific instruments have influenced the development of astronomy, navigation, physics, biology, medicine, electricity, and communication in Time, Life & Matter.
- Explore the new exhibition, Manifest: Thirteen Colonies, a photographic engagement with African American material culture housed in collections throughout the thirteen original United States colonies and Washington, D.C.
- 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.
- Enjoy Art of Intimidation: Journey to Ancient Assyria, an augmented-reality Snapchat lens that brings large casts of sculpted panels from the famed royal palaces of ancient Nineveh and Nimrud to life before your eyes.
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
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
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
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
Photo credits left to right: © Tony Rinaldo, © Tony Rinaldo, © Caitlin Cunningham Photography LLC, © Tony Rinaldo, © Caitlin Cunningham Photography LLC