One-of-a-kind experiences inspired by the world of the Smithsonian

With themes from the local to the global, these 21-and-over after-hours gatherings combine music, food and drink, and unique settings to create evenings that are smart, adventurous, and memorably entertaining.

#SmithsonianAt8 is a production of Smithsonian Associates.

Upcoming Events

Invoke Your Pride: A Night at the African Art Museum

In collaboration with the National Museum of African Art and the Capital Pride Festival

Friday, June 1, 8–11 p.m. (7–11 p.m. for VIP ticket-holders)

National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC

Kick-off the annual Capital Pride Festival at this exclusive after-hours event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. Get special access to spectacular exhibitions, including Jim Chuchu’s stunning Invocations, and enjoy curators’ talks, music by DJ Alkimist, dancing, cocktails, and more.

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Future SmithsonianAt8 Events!

Friday, August 10, 2018
Enid A. Haupt Garden, National Museum of African Art, and the Freer Sackler

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Exploring Mars: What’s Next?

Monday, June 4, 6:45 p.m.

Join Kelly Beatty, senior editor for Sky & Telescope magazine, for an examination of the Red Planet from afar and up close-including a 3D tour that puts you right on the dusty Martian surface.

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David Bowie Is: Celebrating an Artist of Startling Transformations

Friday, July 20, 6:45 p.m.

The life and work of David Bowie, one of rock’s most pioneering and influential performers, are the subject of an exhibition, David Bowie Is, which ends its world tour at the Brooklyn Museum in July. Matthew Yokobosky, senior curator of fashion and material culture at the Brooklyn Museum, discusses how the exhibition creates an immersive, visitor experience featuring Bowie’s art.

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World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech: A Conversation with Melissa Chiu and Franklin Foer

Thursday, July 26, 6:45 p.m.

Franklin Foer, national correspondent at The Atlantic, sits down with Melissa Chiu, director of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, for a discussion about the vexing issues posed by the growing power of "Big Technology." Together they explore the tension between technology and privacy with which everyone who has a digital life has to deal.

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