The Fall Edition of National Gallery Nights is nearly upon us with three unique events planned by the National Gallery of Art (NGA) to give Washingtonians a unique opportunity to mingle and appreciate art, music, pop-up talks, and so much more!
National Gallery Nights are incredibly popular and usually come twice per year, once during the spring season and another during the fall season, each time offering a handful of specialty events being held in The East Building of the NGA to provide a unique and memorable experience to Washingtonians, promoting culture, open-mindedness, and appreciation of the arts.
What are National Gallery Nights?
National Gallery Nights is an after-hour program hosted at the NGA that provides an opportunity for Washingtonians to connect and learn to appreciate the arts and cultures being displayed at the National Gallery of Art that they may not take the time to acknowledge otherwise.
The events are often once a month during the spring and again during the fall, so typically there are three National Gallery Nights in each of the two seasons.
Each month there is a National Gallery Night the theme of the occasion changes, it may reflect the season, such as cherry blossom season in the spring, or it could relate to a holiday, such as Halloween in the fall, but it could be as simple as what art is exhibit is currently on display.
What are the National Gallery Night Events this Fall?
This Fall, there are three unique National Gallery Night events:
- A Night in Paris – Thursday, September 12th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
- Día de los Muertos Celebration – Thursday, October 10th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
- To the District, with Love – Thursday, November 14th, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
What is the ‘A Night in Paris’ event?
The first National Gallery Night of Fall ’24 on Thursday, September 12th, will spotlight the impressionist movement of late 1800s Paris – displaying paintings from notable artists like Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and more!
The event will have classic French music, film, food, and of course, art, so be sure to come dressed the part to ensure you are fully immersed in the theme!
What is the ‘Día de los Muertos Celebration’ event?
Taking place on Thursday, October 10th, this National Gallery Night event will highlight the cultural celebrations of Día de los Muertos with incredible culturally authentic snacks, live music, and art.
The event is going to also encourage guests to wear their costumes for Halloween, so the holiday spirit for either Halloween and/or Día de los Muertos will play a major role in the occasion!
What is the ‘To the District, with Love’ event?
On Thursday, November 14th this National Gallery Night is going to focus on Washington, D.C.’s incredible people and culture!
The music, treats, activities, and art of this event will all be highlighting D.C.’s incredible local artists.
How to get tickets to National Gallery Night
As a result of the immense demand for tickets to attend each National Gallery Night event, the tickets are distributed via a lottery system which opens the week before the event is scheduled from Monday at 10 am until Thursday at noon. The registration will be open on the specific event page on the National Gallery Nights website.
For this Fall’s National Gallery Night events, the registration dates are as follows:
- A Night in Paris – Registration opens on Monday, September 2nd at 10 am and closes on Thursday, September 5th at noon.
- Día de los Muertos Celebration – Registration opens on Monday, September 30th at 10 am and closes on Thursday, October 3rd at noon.
- To the District, with Love -Registration opens on Monday, November 4th at 10 am and closes on Thursday, November 7th at noon.
Following the close of the registration period, those who have been selected from the lottery to move forward with their registration to attend the event will be notified on the Friday the week before the event.
If you aren’t selected, fret not, there’s still a chance you could get a ticket; the last additional passes to join the event are available at the East Building entrance on the day of the event starting at 5:30 pm, but be warned it’s first come, first serve, which means show up early or you’ll be likely to miss out.