This Summer at the Penn Museum
Free Admission Days and Happy Hour Concerts in the Gardens
PHILADELPHIA, May 2, 2024—This summer, the Penn Museum is opening its doors to everyone with free admission days in June; live concerts during happy hour at Garden Jams on Wednesdays in July; and Summer Wonder, family zones offering hands-on educational activities with a museum visit.
Free admission
As a 2024 Blue Star Museum, the Penn Museum offers free admission to military personnel and their families all summer—from Armed Forces Day (May 18) through Labor Day. Military veterans and teachers (with ID) receive free admission to the Penn Museum all year long.
In advance of the official holiday, the Penn Museum will host an inaugural Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 15 from 10:00 am—4:00 pm with free admission. Featuring local performance artists and a community marketplace spotlighting Black-owned businesses, the daylong festival concludes with Forum Philly’s Juneteenth Honors Program. Additional information, including a line-up of events and a link to register, is available here.
As part of the annual Wawa Welcome America Festival, the Penn Museum will offer free admission on Friday, June 28. Registration is required. Registration is available here.
Garden Jams: Live concerts and cocktails in the historic courtyard
The Penn Museum’s outdoor summer concert series returns July 10 with the West Philadelphia Orchestra. Other bands include Zydeco-a-Go-Go on July 17, Glenn Bryan and Friends on July 24, and Guachinangos on July 31. Garden Jams features happy hour in the gardens with food trucks Wednesday evenings, and the galleries are open until 8:00 pm.
$15 general admission; $5 PennCard holders; free for Penn Museum members.
For the kids
Beginning June 25, families can embark on an interactive adventure in the Summer Wonder family zones. Featuring an exciting array of art-making opportunities, a reading nook filled with children’s books, daily story time at 11:30 am, and an engineering space with building challenges each day, it is a chance for kids of all ages to explore the incredible world of archaeology (the study of objects people left behind) and anthropology (the study of what makes us human). Summer Wonder runs daily through August 18 and is included with Museum admission.
Penn Museum’s Anthropology Camp has a few spots left. Now in its 26th year, this summer camp makes archaeology and anthropology accessible with hands-on workshops, educational talks, and immersive gallery exploration for ages 6-13. Diverse weekly themes include ancient fashion and how it inspires today’s trends, ancient writing systems, and how music is used in celebrations for cultures around the world. More information is available here.
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About the Penn Museum
The Penn Museum’s mission is to be a center for inquiry and the ongoing exploration of humanity for our University of Pennsylvania, regional, national, and global communities, following ethical standards and practices.
Through conducting research, stewarding collections, creating learning opportunities, sharing stories, and creating experiences that expand access to archaeology and anthropology, the Museum builds empathy and connections across diverse cultures
The Penn Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 am-5:00 pm. It is open until 8:00 pm on first Wednesdays of the month. The Café is open Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00 am-3:00 pm and Friday and Saturday, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. On Sundays, the Café is open 10:30 am-2:30 pm. For information, visit www.penn.museum, call 215.898.4000, or follow @PennMuseum on social media.