Events, Programs, and Resources

MPM offers unique events, programs, and resources throughout the year.


Visitors: The Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium is temporarily closed through Friday, September 13 for its annual deep cleaning.

Upcoming Events: Visitors and members enjoy unique events hosted by the Museum throughout the year. Explore ↓

Planetarium: Take a tour of the universe with an awe-inspiring Planetarium program or learn about the wonders of our world with a giant screen film. Explore ↓

Ongoing Programs and Initiatives: Together with our partners, MPM's programs and initiatives make learning about the wonders of the world accessible, engaging, and fun for the community. Explore ↓

Online Resources: Want to learn more about your favorite MPM topics? Check out our educational videos, virtual exhibit tours, and partner links. Explore ↓


Upcoming Events

Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
Two Saturdays per Month
Now through December 28

Join us for special viewings of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon on two Saturdays of each month. Includes an additional live 25-minute Planetarium program plus concessions.

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Free with admission
Groundbreaking exhibition
Now through January 20, 2024

Explore the innovation and evolution of Milwaukee Public Museum throughout its 140 year-history and learn more about its new home at this special exhibition.

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Native American Heritage Celebration on Kohl's Thank You Thursday
Thursday, November 7, 2024
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Enjoy FREE admission as part of Kohl's Thank You Thursday—MPM's free admission day on the first Thursday of every month, thanks to support from Kohl's. Stop by the Second Floor to learn about Wisconsin tribes, as well as Native American foods and histories from Museum Educators.

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Light the Path Documentary Screening
Thursday, November 7, 2024
6 - 7:30 p.m.

Attend a FREE screening of the local documentary, Light the Path, which tells the inspiring story of the Indian Community School in Franklin, Wisconsin. School representatives will be on hand to answer questions.

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Member Perk
Native American Heritage Month Dinner
Thursday, November 14, 2024
5:30 - 9 p.m.

Indulge in the delicious Indigenous cuisine of Ketapanen Kitchen, Chicago's first Native American catering company, during this special after-hours event at MPM. The evening will include a presentation by a local Oneida sculpture who is creating an Indigenous art installation for MPM's future home.

Tickets: $125 for non-members; $100 for members

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Not a member? Learn more and join today!
Free with admission
Deck the Streets and Village
November 16, 2024 - January 26, 2025

Experience the magic of the holiday season inside two of MPM's most beloved exhibits, Streets of Old Milwaukee, and European Village, where the walkthrough turn-of-the-century streetscapes have been transformed into a winter wonderland.

Virtual Lecture
Thursday, November 21, 2024
6 - 7:30 p.m.

Attend this free, virtual lecture, titled “Returning to the People: How MPM works with Indigenous groups to bring their history and ancestors home,” to learn about the federal law that regulates how museums collect, interpret and care for Native American items.

Register

Free with admission
Holidays in History Tour
Saturdays in December (no tour Dec. 14)
1 - 2 p.m.

Join our docents for a tour that explores how the holiday traditions that were brought by European immigrants to Milwaukee blended to create our modern celebrations. Capacity 25; meet at the top of the Grand Staircase (First Floor).

Member Perk
Science on Tap
"Wisconsin's Silurian Sea: From Reef to Rock"
Thursday, December 5, 2024

Long before the age of dinosaurs, Wisconsin was covered by a shallow sea that thrived with life. This presentation from Dr. Jonathan R. Hendricks will introduce the Silurian fossil record, highlight its representation in MPM’s Silurian Reef diorama and collections, and comment on the modern economic importance of this geologic past.

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Free with admission
Florentine Opera Concert
December 9, 2024
1 p.m.

The Florentine Opera's Baumgartner Studio Artists return to MPM to perform Christmas hymns and classic holiday songs in front of the Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium (First Floor).

Old Milwaukee Mixer
Thursday, December 12, 2024

Join us to celebrate the season with an after-hours mixer. Learn more about how people celebrate the season during the Victorian period while strolling the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit decked for the holidays.

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Free with admission
European Village Alive!
December 14, 2024
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Explore the sights, sounds, and scents of the season as the European Village exhibit “comes to life.” MPM docent interpreters will transport you to holiday celebrations of the past.

Free with admission
Winter Break Programming
December 26-30, 2024
10 a.m. - Noon; 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Stop by MPM Educators' tables throughout the exhibit floors to learn about cold weather animal adaptations.

Sustainer+ Members Only
Cocoa and Candy Canes with Santa
Saturday, December 9, 2023

Get your photo taken with Santa at MPM! While you wait, enjoy hot cocoa, candy canes, and holiday-themed arts and crafts.

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Not a member? Learn more and join today!
Sustainer+ Member Perk
Mystery at MPM: Family Edition
Saturday, January 25, 2024

The family version of our after-hours mystery caper! Test your MPM knowledge at this interactive scavenger hunt game. Get an extraordinary opportunity to get up close and personal with one (or two) of our rarely seen objects!

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Not a member? Learn more and join today!
Sustainer+ Member Perk
Mystery at MPM: Adult Edition
Friday, October 11, 2024

Test your MPM knowledge at this interactive scavenger hunt game. Solve a series of clues that will take you around all three exhibit floors.
This event is sold out.

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Not a member? Learn more and join today!
Free with admission
¡Celebración Latina!
Saturday, September 28, 2024
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

¡Celebremos juntos! Join us as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with hands-on activities that explore Hispanic history, instruments, foods and much more.

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Annual Gala
October 5, 2024

Attend our annual fundraising gala for an evening of cocktails, gourmet dining, and dancing, where you and your guests will get the chance to talk with the exhibit designers and architects of the Future Museum project as well as our world-class curators.

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Free with admission
Indigenous Peoples' Day
Monday, October 14, 2024

MPM celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day on the second Monday of October with special programming and educational resources that highlight indigenous cultures, traditions, and history.

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Shop Your Favorites

This holiday season, shop your favorite Museum merch! Our onsite and online marketplaces feature unique, local gifts.

Shop Now

 
Spring Break at MPM

No sunscreen necessary!

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Solar Eclipse Viewings
Monday, April 8
2 p.m.

Safely view the solar eclipse at MPM or other local safe-viewing locations with special telescopes and/or special eclipse glasses, available in the MPM gift shop for $2. Meet near the clock on Wells Street, outside the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium.

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Members Only
Halloween Hauntings
October 25-26, 2024 (hours vary)

Trick-or-treat through the Museum's exhibits (costumes encouraged), where you'll also encounter live birds of prey and critters like snakes and frogs. You'll also enjoy arts and crafts, ghost tours, and much more!

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Not a member? Learn more and join today!

Planetarium

Now Showing at the Daniel M. Soref Theater and Planetarium

Check out the Planetarium programs and giant films playing daily.

November 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024

10:15 a.m. Wisconsin Stargazing
11 a.m. T. REX
Noon Space Aliens
12:45 p.m. T. REX
2 p.m. Wisconsin Stargazing
2:45 p.m. T. REX
3:45 p.m. Space Aliens
4:30 p.m. Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon*

*Join us for special viewings two Saturdays of each month: October 12 and 26, November 16 and 30, December 14 and 28, from 5:45-8 p.m. Includes an additional live 25-minute Planetarium program plus concessions. $18 all members, $20 non-members.

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Ongoing Programs and Initiatives

Kohl's Thank You Thursdays
First Thursday of every month

All visitors enjoy free admission to MPM thanks to generous support from Kohl's.

Learn More

Science on Tap

Grab a brew (or root-brew!) and meet us at the Museum or online to listen to a lecture from some of the best minds in natural and cultural sciences. Lectures are scheduled every couple of months.

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Docent Tours

Explore the hidden wonders of our exhibits and galleries with free half-hour docent tours every Saturday at 1 p.m.

SPARK!

This program is designed for people in the early-to-mid stages of memory loss to visit with their family and care partners. Programs are offered at MPM at 1 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month.

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Summer Connections

MPM's annual summer initiative provides free, educational programming and access to the Museum for K-8 students throughout Milwaukee in coordination with community partners.

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Wisconsin Statewide Community Science Project

This community-based initiative seeks to make science accessible to a broader audience throughout Wisconsin, even nationally, so the public can feel trust towards science by participating directly in it. The data is then used for future research.

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MPM Book Club

A volunteer-led monthly program that invites interested adults to join lively monthly discussions about nonfiction books of a scientific nature that relate to Museum exhibits, research, or programs.

Learn More

 
 

Online Resources