Three Smithsonian museums will be open until midnight and others will have extended hours on June 24 to celebrate Solstice Saturday.
The National Museum of Asian Art and Enid A. Haupt Garden, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Museum of African Art will be open until midnight.
Free, advanced registration is suggested for the National Museum of Asian Art, where, in addition to late-night access to the exhibits, there will be performances and a set by Les The DJ.
At the National Museum of Natural History, you can take in the new “Cellphone: Unseen Connections” exhibit.
At 8 p.m., the National Museum of African Art will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop with its Sounds of Africa concert.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture will remain open until 10 p.m. and has several new exhibitions. Visitors can attend “Black Folk: A History of the Black Working Class with Dr. Blair LM Kelley,” a conversation between Kelley and NPR podcast host Gene Demby at 11 a.m.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and National Museum of American History also will be open until 10 p.m.
The National Museum of the American Indian will be open until 8 p.m. Musician Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the Apache Crown Dancers from Whiteriver, Arizona, will perform at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.
The National Air and Space Museum will stay open until 11 p.m., although no spots are left for its indoor programs. However, the National Air and Space Museum is offering a variety of outdoor, free activities, including the Astronomy Festival on the National Mall hosted by Hofstra University. Visitors can meet an astronomer and use a telescope. The Astronomy Festival takes place from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., across from the National Air and Space Museum.
This is the fifth year that the Smithsonian has held Solstice Saturday to celebrate the first Saturday of summer.
Feature image by Eric Long / Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
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