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

A Garden Party: From Africa to Asia

Presented in collaboration with the National Museum of African Art and the Freer | Sackler Galleries

Friday, August 10, 8–11 p.m. (7–11 p.m. for VIP ticket-holders)

Entrances at 1000 Independence Ave. and 1100 Jefferson Dr. SW, Washington, DC

There’s no better place to celebrate summer than the Enid A. Haupt Garden, flanked on either side by the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery. Spend a late-summer evening in the dramatically lit garden, and enjoy exclusive late-night access to galleries featuring art from the African and Asian continents. Add music by DJ As-One, specialty cocktails, and curators’ talks, and you’ve got a garden party you just can’t miss.

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Modern First Ladies: Creating (and Re-Creating) an Identity

Tuesday, July 17, 6:45 p.m.

Andrew Och, author and producer of the C-SPAN series "First Ladies: Influence and Image," looks at how a number of 20th- and 21st-century residents of the White House created identities that reflected their personal outlooks and the issues of their times, and complemented the goals and profile of their husbands’ presidencies.

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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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Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor

Monday, August 6, 6:45 p.m.

Fred Rogers, whose beloved television program invited children into his neighborhood for nearly four decades, is enjoying a resurgence in the cultural spotlight these days. Join Karen Struble Myers of the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College to examine how a small-town childhood shaped his thoughtful children's programming.

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The Art of Burning Man: From the Desert to DC

Tuesday, August 7, 6:45 p.m.

For the exhibition No Spectators, the Renwick Gallery fills the complete museum—and some of the neighborhood streets—with the explosively fantastic experimental art spawned in the Nevada desert at Burning Man. Join Stephanie Stebich, director of the American Art Museum, for an overview of the exhibition, as well as insights from her own experience at Burning Man 2017.

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The Garden in Your Beer

Thursday, August 16, 6:45 p.m.

Since the beginnings of beer, brewers have used a variety of cultivated and foraged ingredients for added flavor and preservation. Take a look at the garden through the lens of the botanicals, spices, wild yeasts, fruits, berries, and hops that flavor your favorite beer.

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