The first day of summer is just nine days away, and this edition of the digest gathers some seasonal offerings-Smithsonian style. Spend an evening sampling unique events at Smithsonian museums on the Mall as they keep their doors open into the night on Solstice Saturday. With an emphasis on young people, this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival focuses on the future. Do some time-traveling as you enjoy echoes of the doo-wop era with a pioneer of the style and explore some of the most influential world's fairs in history. And find inspiration in art and poetry for your own written reflections on summer.
As always, this lively monthly offering is designed to make sure you continue to enjoy what you've come to value from Smithsonian Associates: programs and experiences that are entertaining, informative, eclectic, and insightful.
Stay Up Late on Solstice Saturday
Solstice Saturday at the National Museum of Asian Art
On Saturday, June 21, the Smithsonian marks the first Saturday of summer-Solstice Saturday-by staying open late and hosting special programming throughout the day and night. All museums on the National Mall will have extended closing hours, ranging from 9 p.m. to midnight.
For example, at the National Museum of the American Indian plans include demonstrations, gallery talks and tours, performances, and a book signing. The National Museum of African Art offers a variety of activities, such as a Burundi marketplace and basket-weaving workshop, a panel discussion, and performances by Burundi royal drummers and traditional dancers. And they'll be much more to discover at each museum.
Not a night owl? The Smithsonian's National Zoo celebrates Solstice Saturday with daytime events that are perfect for families. Visitors can view special demonstrations and meet some of the scientists, researchers, and animal experts who are shaping the future of wildlife conservation.
Learn More About Solstice Saturday
Folklife Festival 2025: A Salute to Youth
The Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists helps young musicians start their careers by developing relationships between protégés and mentors (Photo by Tom Keene @LAdigitalPhoto)
About 52 percent of the world's population is under 30, the highest in recorded history. Young people around the globe are working across generations and communities to understand and shape the world they will inherit. At the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival (July 2-7 on the National Mall), Youth and the Future of Culture highlights their stories, creativity, and aspirations.
From media production to traditional building trades, Indigenous language reclamation to lowrider-car innovations, and more, young festival participants express who they are in the present with an eye toward a vibrant, sustainable future.
Plan Your Festival Visit
Music for a Summer Night
From harmony to heartbreak, delve into the world of some of the early heroes of rock & roll whose voices shaped today's music. In a Sunday, June 22 program singer-songwriter Kenny Vance talks about the lives of these artists and the impact of doo-wop, the vocal harmony masterpieces of teen artists from the 1950s and '60s.
As co-founder of the seminal Sixties pop group Jay and the Americans, Vance shares stories with broadcast journalist and radio news anchor Budd Mishkin about his life alongside the community of artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Chantels, and Little Anthony & the Imperials. Through clips from Vance's documentary Heart & Soul: A Love Story, witness how these young street artists broke new ground, created harmony by singing as one, and ultimately formed a bridge to the popular music and youth culture of today.
Register for the Program
Spectacles of Innovation
The front entrance of the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London that housed the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first World's Fair
World's fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display advancements in technology, industry, art, and science, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Beyond technological marvels, the fairs embodied a sense of optimism, inspiring societies to imagine what could be achieved through human ingenuity and cooperation.
Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal world's fairs-London's Great Exhibition of 1851, the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago 1893, and the Exposition Universelle that brought millions to Paris in 1900-by examining how these landmark events showcased their eras' most groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, art, and architecture. The presentations take place on Monday, July 28, August 18, and September 29.
Register for the Program
Summer's Discoveries
Lake George (formerly Reflection Seascape) by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1922
Inspired by works of art by Georgia O'Keeffe and poetry by Mary Oliver, explore the lessons that the summer season offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the Tuesday, July 15 workshop led by Mary Hall Surface, founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art's Writing Salon, invites you to look at the world through the lens of painting and poetry and to respond through reflective writing.
Register for the Workshop
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