Memorial Day Open House: Museum of Fine Arts - Boston

Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts Open House free admission event for North Shore and  families

The Museum of Fine Arts will honor Memorial Day with an Open House and will waive all admission fees. Visitors can enjoy complimentary admission to the MFA's galleries, family activities and performances. This year, the MFA offers free admission—including access to the special exhibition “Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits”—for Massachusetts residents. Enjoy music, dance, art making, and more!

Events and Activities

Drop-In Art Making: Shimmering Embossed Creations

  • 10am-4pm | Huntington Avenue Lawn (rain location: Druker Family Pavilion)
  • Take a closer look at The Knowledge Keepers by Alan Michelson outside the Museum’s Huntington Avenue Entrance. It features two life-sized sculptures, cast in bronze and gilded in shimmering platinum, which represent contemporary local Indigenous stewards. Inspired by Michelson’s installation, create your own embossed metal artwork showcasing someone or something that has special meaning or inspires you!
  • The Knowledge Keepers is produced in partnership with the Boston Public Art Triennial, a citywide project with many other institutions around Greater Boston participating.

School Group Guide Info Table 

  • 10am–2pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard
  • At the MFA, we believe every student deserves to feel welcomed, inspired, and valued. If you are interested in sparking curiosity and discussion among young visitors, stop by to learn more about becoming a school group guide.

Free Guided Tours

  • 11am, Noon, 1 & 2pm | Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
  • Wondering where to start your visit? Experience the Museum on a free 60-minute guided tour. Led by knowledgeable guides, look closely at artwork across the MFA’s collections. Learn more about old favorites and discover something new! Participants of all ages and experiences are welcome.

Spotlight Talk: Art You Can Touch! Accessing 2D Art Through 3D Printing

  • 11:30 am and 12:30pm | Gallery 170
  • The MFA has transformed Anthon van Rappard’s drawing The Blind Weavers (1891) into a printed three-dimensional tactile object, making the artwork accessible to the blind and low-vision community while also creating a new experience for all visitors. Find out about the making of this 3D replica and get an opportunity to touch it, then discover what the Museum has learned over the last few months of visitor engagement. With Jessica Doonan, assistant director of Accessibility.

K-Pop Random Play Dance

  • Noon-1pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard
  • Catch music and dance from Teen Empowerment Studios. This program, formerly known as B4 Studios/B4 Records, is the Center for Teen Empowerment’s youth-run artist collaborative in Boston. With a profound commitment to artistic excellence, talented young artists from TE Studios create original professional-quality music, performance arts, and visual art that transcend boundaries and inspire social change.

Adobo-Fish-Sauce

  • 1pm | Gallery 168
  • Enjoy a performance by Adobo-Fish-Sauce, a duo comprised of artists Anthony Febo and Ricky Omg. The two fuse spoken word, cooking, intentionality, vulnerability, and joy to create a one-of-a-kind experience that can’t be found in any kitchen or open mic. Adobo-Fish-Sauce is an active choice to celebrate in the face of bitterness.

Music by Tim Hall

  • 1:45 & 3 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard
  • Dynamic spoken word artist and musician Tim Hall brings visitors an afternoon of storytelling underscored by jazz, neo-soul, and R&B music. Hall’s welcoming and tender words reveal his lived experiences, mapping the nuances of Blackness, masculinity, and life’s many beauties.
When: 
Monday, May 26, 2025 10am-5pm
Prices: 
Free
Phone: 
617.267.9300
Landmark Summer Program at Landmark School in Beverly Massachusetts

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem's So Sweet Festival

Salem Massachusetts' retailers have some sweet surprises in store during the Salem's So Sweet Weekend Festival
Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce invite you to come enjoy the annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival – a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping! Now in its 24th year, Salem’s So Sweet has become...
9:00 am to 10:00 pm

Winter Family Field Trip: Raptor Road Trip

Families are invited to Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts to learn about eagles and their behaviors. Photo: Bill O'Connor
With radios in hand, we will carpool to Bald Eagle viewing spots along the Merrimack River and walk short distances to spot eagles with our binoculars and birding scopes. We will be watch for fishing, and courtship displays. Stay warm and active with small group activities that feature raptor sound...
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Kidleidoscope at Breakheart Reservation

Kidleidoscope is a program designed for preschoolers at Breakheart Reservation in Saugus Massachusetts
Come join our park interpreter for a story time and nature walk! Complete a small craft and explore the woods! Walks are gently paced and approximately 1 mile, though not accessible for strollers. Appropriate for families with children 3-5 years old. Meet at the Visitor Center.
10:30 am to 11:30 am

Family Owl Prowl

Join a Family Owl Prowl  at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Santino
Experience the excitement of an owl prowl as we take a hike under the light of the moon to look and listen for Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, and Eastern Screech-Owls. Before we head out on our nocturnal adventure, we will learn fun owl facts in our cozy barn using real owl feathers, skulls, and...
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm

Saturday, February 7

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem's So Sweet Festival

Salem Massachusetts' retailers have some sweet surprises in store during the Salem's So Sweet Weekend Festival
Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce invite you to come enjoy the annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival – a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping! Now in its 24th year, Salem’s So Sweet has become...
9:00 am to 10:00 pm

NSNP Saturday Srolls at Choate Farm

Come to Choate Farm in Danvers Massachusetts to learn some basic Winter Survival Skills with your family!
Do you and your family have what it takes to survive out in the wilderness?
10:00 am to 11:30 am

CraneExplorer: Valentine's Coastal Craft

Make Valentines crafts from materials that we find along the shore at the Trustees of Reservations Crane Estate in Ipswich, Massachusetts
The Trustees of Reservations invites ages 12 and up to a valentine craft making workshop! This Valentine’s Day, give a gift from the sea! From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this workshop to learn fun craft ideas and make marine art...
10:00 am to 12:30 pm

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike

CraneOutdoors: The Castle Hill Hike at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts
Come explore the lesser-visited corners of Castle Hill and its surroundings with us this season. This hike is a CraneOutdoors guide favorite because it’s got a little bit of all the things that make the Crane Estate such a special place…
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Music and Movement at North Shore Children's Museum

North Shore, North Shore Childrens Museum in Peabody MA
Music and Movement with Marybeth Maes is an engaging music and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Marybeth brings her guitar and instruments for the children to use while they sing, dance, and play.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Children's Maple in the Barnyard at Appleton Farms

Visit Appleton Farms' sugaring operation and learn about making maple sugar syrup!
Maple Season is here! This special program for ages 3-11 & their families will focus on the magic of maple from start to finish. We will discover this tradition by observing trees, tasting sap, learning the tools involved, and finally, tasting the sweet product. We will make sure to have time...
10:45 am to 3:00 pm

Bald Eagles in the Wild for Teens

Teens are invited to Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport Massachusetts to learn about eagles and their behaviors. Photo: Bill O'Connor
Head to the most popular spots to search for Bald Eagles. Learn how to spot an eagle in flight, observe their behaviors, and learn how to identify Bald Eagles at different stages of life. Use binoculars, field scopes, and bird guides. Stay active and warm with group challenges about wingspan and...
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Sunday, February 8

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem's So Sweet Festival

Salem Massachusetts' retailers have some sweet surprises in store during the Salem's So Sweet Weekend Festival
Salem Main Streets and the Salem Chamber of Commerce invite you to come enjoy the annual Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival – a decadent tradition of delectable chocolate, sparkling ice sculptures, and Valentine’s Day shopping! Now in its 24th year, Salem’s So Sweet has become...
9:00 am to 10:00 pm