Free MFA Admission on Memorial Day 2026: Museum of Fine Arts Open House
When:
Monday, May 25, 2026 10:00a -
5:00p
Monday, May 25, 2026 10:00a -
5:00p
Where:
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Art, Date Idea, History, Music
Event website:
https://www.mfa.org/event/open-house/memorial-day-open-house
Start your summer off right at our annual Memorial Day Open House. This year, the MFA offers free admission and special programming.
Start your summer off right at our annual Memorial Day Open House—featuring a puppet takeover from Puppet Showplace Theater! For one day only, meet roving magical creatures, take a tour led by fuzzy puppets, and experience art coming to life in a whole new way.
Admission to the Museum is free to all Massachusetts residents on Memorial Day. Free general admission and exhibition tickets are available in person on a first-come, first-served basis.
Free tickets to “Framing Nature: Gardens and Imagination” are for specific entry times, and capacity is limited.
ART-MAKING:
Painting with Pigments
10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Huntington Lawn (rain location: Shapiro Family Courtyard)
Did you know you can use natural colors, called pigments, found in plants to make art? Paint a picture using colors extracted from flower petals, and discover how to make your own at home!
Make a Puppet
10 am–4 pm (last entry 3:45 pm)
Druker Family Pavilion
Using a variety of materials, design and build your very own sock puppet! Once you create your character, bring it with you to meet one of the puppets from the Puppet Showplace Theater.
PERFORMANCES AND STORYTELLING:
Roving Puppet Creatures with Puppet Showplace Theater
10 am–1:30 pm
Multiple locations
Encounter fantastical puppet characters who gallop, prowl, and swim. Puppets are on the move across the Museum throughout the day—you can find them outside at the Huntington Avenue Entrance, in the Calderwood Courtyard at lunch, or as you wander the galleries.
Story Hour
11 am–Noon and 1:30–2:30 pm
Riley Seminar Room
Drop in for interactive children’s stories about gardens and nature. Stay for one story or enjoy multiple over an hour.
ASL interpreter available at 11 am
TOURS:
Let a Puppet Be Your Guide! Kid-Friendly Edition
10:30–11 am and 11:30 am–Noon
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
What does a furry puppet monster know about art? Find out as you giggle your way through the Museum! A knowledgeable MFA guide teams up with a very silly puppet “assistant” from Puppet Showplace Theater to bring you a 30-minute tour of works on view. Participants of all ages are welcome.
ASL interpreter available at 10:30 am
Guided Tours
11 am, Noon, 1 pm, and 2 pm
Meet in Sharf Visitor Center
Wondering where to start your visit? Experience the Museum on a 60-minute guided tour. Led by a knowledgeable guide, look closely at artwork across the MFA’s collection. Learn more about old favorites and discover something new! Participants of all ages are welcome.
ASL interpreter available at noon
Let A Puppet Be Your Guide! Adult Edition
1:30–2:15 pm
Meet in Gallery 260
The MFA is teaming up with Puppet Showplace Theater to bring you a 45-minute tour of the exhibition “Subvert, Repair, Reclaim Contemporary Artists Take Back the Nude.” With Carmen Hermo, Lorraine and Alan Bressler Curator of Contemporary Art and exhibition curator, explore works of art that critically engage with representations of the nude in Western art history—featuring colorful commentary from a puppet!
Recommended for visitors 18 years and older.
ASL interpreter available
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