Celebrate the Spirit of the Season With These Festive Smithsonian Associates Programs
Get in the holiday spirit with programs, studio arts classes, and performances, offered online and in person
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It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year, and Smithsonian Associates offers plenty of ways to celebrate the sights and sounds of the holiday season.
Tune in online for a course that delves into the classical sounds of Christmas or hear stories and secrets of New York City’s iconic Radio City Music Hall. For those who like to lean into the dark, folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman share an array of chilling holiday folklore from around the world.
An online studio arts workshop invites creatives to incorporate nature into their holiday décor, while an in-person workshop at the Smithsonian offers a hands-on opportunity to create a unique holiday keepsake ornament. For families, Smithsonian Discovery Theater’s signature show illuminates seasonal holiday celebrations the world over.
Sunday, November 24
Holiday Keepsake Ornaments: This in-person workshop is an opportunity to create small hanging artworks that can be individualized in many ways to fit any gift-giving occasion. The workshop will take place at Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. $75-$90
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Wednesday, December 4
Modern Evergreen Wreath: Just in time for the holidays, create a modern wreath with fresh evergreens on a metal hoop. This workshop is presented on Zoom and open to beginners and to students with floral design experience. 7:30 to 9 p.m. ET. $45-$60
Thursday, December 5
Chilling Holiday Folklore: Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman share insights into the darker side of holiday lore, reintroducing you to a more complex vision of winter, one that’s easy to forget in an increasingly hectic and standardized season. This program is presented on Zoom from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. $20-$25
Classical Sounds of Christmas: From sleigh bells and sugarplums to the mystical beauties of the Nativity, every December is alive with the music of Christmas. In a two-session online course, lecturer and concert pianist Rachel Franklin revisits this most beloved seasonal repertory, hand-picking selections that explore how classical Western composers created a canon of both secular and sacred experiences that are now deeply rooted in our collective seasonal expectations. 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. The second session will take place Thursday, December 12. $50—$60
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Monday, December 9
Radio City Music Hall: Forever Spectacular: When the doors of Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, New Yorkers entered a new world: a dazzling Art Deco fantasy of an entertainment palace far removed from the drab realities of the Great Depression. In an online program, actor Tim Dolan surveys the history of this iconic theater, sharing its stories, secrets, traditions and trivia. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET. $25-$30
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Throughout December
Smithsonian Discovery Theater’s signature show, Seasons of Light, celebrates the history and customs of Diwali (Devali), Chanukah, Las Posadas, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia Day, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and the First Nations’ tradition of the Winter Solstice in an interactive event that bridges communities and cultures. The show is presented at Discovery Theater in the Smithsonian’s S. Dillon Ripley Center on select weekdays from Dec. 2-20 10:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. with additional 1 p.m. showtimes on Dec. 6, 11, 13.