NEW Exhibition: Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend

Often called the unicorns of the sea, narwhals have fascinated people across cultures for centuries. These highly recognizable creatures spend their lives in the Arctic waters of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia. Dive deeper into the world of these unique ocean dwellers and learn about their changing arctic ecosystem through firsthand accounts of scientists and Inuit community members. Hear soundscapes of the Arctic and narwhal vocalizations and touch an 8-foot-long cast of a real narwhal tusk. This family-friendly exhibition in The Dotty Brown Art &amp; Nature Center is part of PEM’s Climate + Environment Initiative. ​​ Follow along on social media using #NarwhalsatPEM Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend&nbsp;is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. This exhibition at PEM is made possible by Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. We thank Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard, James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Chip and Susan Robie, and Timothy T. Hilton as supporters of the Exhibition Innovation Fund. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum and the support and guidance of the Art &amp; Nature Center Visiting Committee.

Peabody Essex Museum

K-Pop Dance Party at PEM

Know before you go In-person event Location: Peabody Essex Museum $25 members; $30 nonmembers; $10 students &amp; Salem residents This program includes amplified music and moderately loud live music (synthesizers, vibraphone, drums, electronic music) This event involves participants dancing and jumping on a hard floor and may be noisy This program includes bright, flashing or strobing lights Ages 18 and up admitted. Please bring a valid ID. Food and beverages are not included with ticket purchase. Limited seating is available for this program. Join us for a vibrant K-pop dance party celebrating the openings of PEM’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/yu-kil-chun-gallery-of-korean-art-and-culture">Korean Art</a>&nbsp;gallery and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/jung-yeondoo-building-dreams">Jung Yeondoo: Building Dreams</a>! Dance the night away to tunes by DJ Gamma Vibes. Dancers from Boston’s own StyleMe Dance Studio will get you on your feet during their special pop-up performances in the crowd, while our featured galleries will be open all night for partygoers to explore. Enjoy Korean snacks for purchase, sip on a creative cocktail from our cash bar and party with PEM as we bring Seoul to Salem! Opening weekend programming for the Yu Kil-Chun Gallery of Korean Art and Culture is supported by the Korean Cultural Center, Washington, D.C.

Whale Watch with 7 Seas and the Peabody Essex Museum

Know before you go In-person event Location: Offsite: 7 Seas Whale Watch, Seas Wharf, 63 Rogers Street #7, Gloucester, MA 01930 Members: Adults: $50; Children ages 4–16: $35 Nonmembers: Adults: $65; Children ages 4–16: $45 Preregistration required. Tickets are limited and nonrefundable (except in the event of weather cancellation). Tickets available through Thursday, April 24 at midnight. Suitable for children ages 4 and up. This is an outdoor tour on a moving boat; please dress for the weather and bring sunscreen and water in a reusable bottle. More details will be included in your event confirmation email. Please note that tickets are nonrefundable, unless 7 Seas Whale Watch cancels due to inclement weather. Come along with us on a whale watch in celebration of PEM’s two exhibitions about whales: <a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/draw-me-ishmael-the-book-arts-of-moby-dick">Draw Me Ishmael: The Book Arts of Moby Dick</a> and <a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/narwhal-revealing-an-arctic-legend">Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend</a>. Join 7 Seas Whale Watch on their first boat trip of the season! April is a particularly active month for spotting whales, so bring your binoculars and your spirit of adventure as we journey out to sea with the expert crew and a seasoned naturalist. You’ll be joined by PEM’s Dan Lipcan, Curator of Draw Me Ishmael, Jane Winchell, Curator of Narwhal, and Jim McCoy, Essex County Ornithological Club president and seabird expert. We’ll bring along tales and fun props from both exhibitions and help you identify whales and seabirds!

7 Seas Whale Watch

Connie Converse at 100: America's Cassandra

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission Advance registration recommended. When the music of the previously unknown Connie Converse was released in 2009, decades after she deliberately disappeared in 1974 (never to be heard from again), it created a new reference point in American music, and a need to rewrite the music history books. In early 1950s New York, more than ten years before Bob Dylan and his contemporaries popularized the "singer-songwriter" identity, Converse was writing and performing witty, introspective, literary songs for voice and guitar. She was also a brilliant scholar, visual artist, activist and public thinker far ahead of her time. Join Howard Fishman, author of&nbsp;To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse, in conversation with Boston Globe contributor James Sullivan and Trevor Smith, PEM’s Associate Director–Multisensory Experience and Curator of the Present Tense. Their conversation will cover the Converse family's long history in America, dating back to their 1630 arrival in Salem, and Converse’s relationship to the American songbook. They will also play samples from Converse’s pioneering recordings and haunting melodies. A book signing will follow the talk.

PEM Reads:  Donna Walker-Kuhne: Champions for the Arts

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission Preregister and receive free general admission for the day of the event. Join author and community engagement legend Donna Walker-Kuhne as she delivers a keynote address on engaging audiences today. She will discuss her upcoming book,&nbsp;Champions for the Arts, and her classic book on community engagement,&nbsp;Invitation to the Party. Stick around after the talk for a book signing and light reception. PEM Reads celebrates the art of literature and the creative act of writing through a year-round series of collaborative book club readings and author events, both in person and online. By gathering to read and discuss world-class literature and meet authors, PEM Reads seeks to deepen our sense of community and celebrate great storytelling. We hope you’ll join us! This program is generously supported by the Lowell Institute.

Curator Conversation at PEM: Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission; same-day tickets required. Tickets available at the Admissions or Information desks. Join us for an insider's look at&nbsp;Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks&nbsp;with Karina Corrigan, Associate Director–Collections and the H. A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art. Corrigan served as PEM's coordinating curator for this major presentation of Flemish art from The Phoebus Foundation in Antwerp, Belgium. Discover more about the paintings and other works on display and learn how PEM adapted this traveling exhibition for our audiences. The discussion will also highlight some of the works of Asian Export art and natural history from PEM's collections that enhance the exhibition’s Cabinet of Wonders.

PEM Presents | The New York Neo-Futurists: The Infinite Wrench

Saturday, March 8, 2025 from 7:30—9 pm Sunday, March 9, 2025 from 2—3:30 pm Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Saturday: $25 members; $35 nonmembers Sunday: $25 members; $35 nonmembers (includes admission for the day) Saturday performance may include adult themes, humor, language and content. Sunday performance is family-focused and appropriate for all ages. Join the New York Neo-Futurists for an off-the-wall theater experience at PEM. Watch this experimental ensemble attempt to perform 30 short plays in one hour with&nbsp;The Infinite Wrench. Each play offers something different — something funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irrelevant, terrifying or musical. PEM Presents seeks to surprise and delight audiences with world-class artistry in music, theater, dance, film and more. This series allows audiences to learn about the artistic process and supports the development of artists with local, regional, national and global perspectives. PEM Presents further activates the museum as a global center for art, culture and creativity with artist residencies, live performances, lecture series, symposia and conferences. PEM Presents is a collaboration between Learning and Community Engagement and the Present Tense initiative. PEM Presents is made possible by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.

PEM Presents | Shayok Misha Chowdhury: RHEOLOGY

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission Preregistration is required for this event. Award-winning playwright and director Shayok Misha Chowdhury will spend a week as an artist in residence at PEM, developing his new play RHEOLOGY. This work is a performance memoir created with Chowdhury’s mother, the physicist Bulbul Chakraborty. Her specialty is rheology, the laws governing the malleability and movement of matter under force. Hear excerpts from the play, then participate in a short Q&amp;A hosted by David Snider, PEM’s Director of Learning and Community Engagement. A light reception will follow. RHEOLOGY will have its world premiere at the Bushwick Starr in Brooklyn in May 2025. PEM Presents seeks to surprise and delight audiences with world-class artistry in music, theater, dance, film and more. This series allows audiences to learn about the artistic process and supports the development of artists with local, regional, national and global perspectives. PEM Presents further activates the museum as a global center for art, culture and creativity with artist residencies, live performances, lecture series, symposia and conferences. PEM Presents is a collaboration between Learning and Community Engagement and the Present Tense initiative. PEM Presents is made possible by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation and the Lowell Institute.

NEW Exhibition: Agustina Woodgate: Ballroom

Encounter&nbsp;Ballroom, an installation that invites you to interact with and navigate your way through a field of geographic globes on the gallery floor. Each globe has been meticulously sanded to remove nations and human-made boundaries. Is the artist’s erasure a utopian gesture in recognition of our common humanity? Or is it a dystopian premonition of the world being destroyed by human greed and human-made catastrophes? For its premiere installation at PEM,&nbsp;Ballroom&nbsp;is installed with a group of historical navigation instruments drawn from the museum’s collection, many of which have long been outmoded by digital navigation tools. Accompanying the installation is a video in which the artist uses artificial intelligence to reconstruct images from an erased atlas. Born in Buenos Aires in 1981, Woodgate lives and works between Amsterdam and Buenos Aires. She is best known for her public installations that address social issues by investigating the relationships between people and institutions. Her projects have been commissioned by the Bienal de las Américas, Denver; ArtPort, Tel Aviv; PlayPublik, Poland; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC; The Bass Museum of Art, Miami; Kulturpark, Berlin; and Mass MoCA, Massachusetts, among others. The artist previously exhibited a series of rugs made from deconstructed plush toys in PEM’s 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/playtime" target="_blank">PlayTime</a>&nbsp;exhibition. Follow along on social media using #AgustinaWoodgate Agustina Woodgate: Ballroom&nbsp;is organized by the Peabody Essex Museum. This exhibition is made possible by Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. We thank Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard, James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Chip and Susan Robie, and Timothy T. Hilton as supporters of the Exhibition Innovation Fund. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

Event: The Mysteries of Anna Eva Fay

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission This event includes loud, sudden noises. Join Jennifer and Gene Yee of Yee Magik to unveil the life and secrets of spiritualist and magician Anna Eva Fay! Born in 1851, Fay toured internationally as a medium and mentalist and became a household name during the late 19th and early 20th century. Together with her second husband David Pingree, she also became a highly successful philanthropist, collector and entrepreneur, owning multiple quarries and a steamship line. The Fay-Pingree home in Melrose, Massachusetts, Heathman Manor, was visited by Fay’s notable friends such as Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Fay’s great-grandniece Jennifer Yee and Jennifer’s husband Gene will present an interactive lecture on Fay, who is still revered today. Follow the Yees’ decades-long search for lost history and genealogy as they tell how they came to reside at Heathman Manor and carry on Fay’s legacy. Besides broadsides, lithographs and ephemera from Fay’s performances, including one of her earliest-known public photos, audience members might catch a glimpse of a levitating object or a galvanometer with which scientists attempted to divine Fay’s secrets! The performance will also offer a rare peek behind the scenes at spirit cabinets and their roles in art and performance. After a short Q &amp; A, be prepared to witness a rare performance of the cabinet — don’t blink, or you’ll miss something! The Yees will be available for a meet-and-greet in Morse Alcove after the performance.

Event: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

Know before you go In-person event Location: Create Space Studios FREE All visitors enjoy free admission for the day! Programming begins at 11 am. Join us as we celebrate the legacy and leadership of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Come explore&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/bethany-collins-america-a-hymnal">America, A Hymnal</a>, David Boxer’s&nbsp;The Black Books, Alison Saar’s&nbsp;Weight&nbsp;and other works that examine social justice, identity and freedom across the generations. Explore the galleries 10 am–5 pm Art Making | Pour Art with Rahim Gray 11 am, 11:40 am, 12:40 pm, 1:20 pm, 2 pm, 2:40 pm Create Space Studios Preregistration required. Same-day tickets available at the Admissions and Information desks. Learn how to make your own fluid acrylics masterpiece with a local artist! To allow for instructor demonstrations, this activity is offered once every 40 minutes for groups of no more than 30 people.

Event: Curator Conversation: Conjuring the Spirit World with George Schwartz

Know before you go In-person event Location: Morse Auditorium Included with admission; preregistration required. Tickets available at the Admissions or Information desks. Join us for a captivating conversation with George Schwartz, the curator of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/conjuring-the-spirit-world-art-magic-and-mediums">Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Mediums, and Magic</a>, and explore the exhibition's origins and its connections to local North Shore stories. The discussion will illuminate the significance of some fascinating objects from PEM's collection that bring the themes of spirit communication and magic to life. Discover how this exhibition intertwines with other works at PEM to create a rich narrative that resonates with our community's history.

Event: Winter Solstice Celebration at PEM

Know before you go In-person event Location: Anila Quayyum Agha’s&nbsp;All the Flowers Are For Me; East India Marine Hall, Main Atrium, Gallery 115 Sound Bathing: $5 members and Salem residents, $10 nonmembers Ritual: $10 members; $20 nonmembers (includes museum admission) No experience with sound bathing or mindfulness is needed to participate. Come as you are — we’ll meet you there! Celebrate the longest night of the year through an array of nurturing programs. Be transported through a meditative sound bathing session, experience a solstice ritual, design your own beeswax candle and enjoy joyous Celtic harp music while sipping on something warm in our café! Sound Bathing –&nbsp;This event is SOLD OUT 9-10am | Anila Quayyum Agha’s&nbsp;All the Flowers Are For Me Preregistration required. Join us in welcoming the winter season with an immersive solstice sound bathing experience in Anila Quayyum Agha’s&nbsp;All the Flowers Are For Me, facilitated by Brandy Lefsyk. Sealed water is permitted in the galleries during meditation. We recommend you bring a yoga mat, wear comfortable clothing and silence your devices to get the most out of this experience. Drop-in Art Making: Beeswax Candles 11 am–3 pm | Main Atrium Included with admission Prepare for the longest night of the year by making your own source of light: a hand-rolled beeswax candle! Candles have symbolized hope and light for cultures all over the world for centuries. These beautiful, customizable candles make the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one. Live Music: Harp Performance by Mary King 1-3 pm | Main Atrium Included with admission The harp is one of civilization’s oldest instruments and is central to rituals and celebrations throughout the world. Join us for a performance by master harpist Mary King, showcasing Celtic, classical and seasonal tunes. Workshop: Winter Solstice Community Circle and Ritual with Tam Willey and Rev. Tracy Rich 2-4 pm | Gallery 115 Pregistration required. Bring your curiosity and wonder as we make time to connect with the rhythms of the natural world with Tam Willey of Toadstool Walks and Rev. Tracy Rich of Welcoming Journey.

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S19: interest based

WBUR’s 75th birthday celebrations 💫

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.