After Dark Series
After Dark is a monthly adults-only, after-hours event at the museum. Full of science and surprises, expect demonstrations, tastings, conversation and interactive play. Our galleries will be open for you, and we'll always have live music, cash bar, and bites for purchase by culinary specialists from around the city.
6pm–9:00pm
21+ only
Admission:
General Admission - $20
MIT ID holders - $10
Space is limited. Pre-registration strongly suggested.
Please note that backpacks and large bags are not permitted.
Junk
This November, we're celebrating the art and the science of junk. Enjoy a performance by Reynaliz Herrera's bicycle rock band Ideas, Not Theories, take in a talk from Peter Mui, the founder of the Fix it Clinic movement, meet a team of repair advisors, and learn from entrepreneurs creating fashion and design from chopsticks and banana crop waste.
Plus, explore a special installation from the Footwear Collective and create art with "MIT junk" collected from across campus.
Brews from Aeronaut and dumplings from Mei Mei will be available for purchase.
Co-presented by MIT's Office of Sustainability.
Made in the '90s
Before we dive into the New Year, join us for a night of nostalgia. Catch a performance of '90s video game music, try your hand at retro board games and consoles, and make your own (fuzzy) copy of Dolly the sheep to take home.
Dress to impress in your favorite '90s fashion, while enjoying sets by DJ Philip Tan. Local beers by Lamplighter Brewing Company and Jamaican eats from Cocobelly Bites will be available for purchase.
Past Sessions
Vision
Spend your evening at the Museum exploring the mysteries of vision. Best your friends in a blindfolded LEGO build-off, catch a talk with visual neuroscientist Pawan Sinha, and challenge your perceptions with a camera lucida.
Local beer from Winter Hill Brewing and BBQ from Scott Brothers available for purchase.
3D
Venture into the third dimension at our September After Dark. Join us for a night of drinks, eats, and music while catching a talk on holograms, checking out 3D printed wonders, and diving into brand new VR experiences. Plus, visit our Maker Hub to create your own 3D illusion.
Tasty treats from Lola's Pinoy Pastry and quality craft beer from Arlington Brewing Company available for purchase.
Color
Start August off with a splash (of color). Investigate the secrets of butterfly colors, check out polarized light mosaics, and make your own stained-glass window (minus the glass) to take home!
Look for the Shiny Objects with Tuft's Giulia Guidetti or explore how auroras form with the MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center.
Local brews from Aeronaut and tasty rainbow (!!) dumplings from Mei Mei available for purchase.
Bugs
Join us in July for a night filled with astro ants, Alaskan insects, and edible crickets. Catch a talk with Biologst Yukiko Yamashita on fruit flies and evolution, or enjoy an arthropod petting zoo. Then head over to our Maker Hub to build and race your own buzz bug.
Timeless pizza pies and delicious drinks from Johnny Pomodoro available for purchase.
Speed
Join us in June as we take on the science of speed. Explore high-speed photography with MIT Professor J. Kim Vandiver; meet MIT students building and racing solar cars, autonomous boats, aircrafts, and rockets; and construct, decorate, and battle your own spinning top.
Zippy tunes by DJ Philip Tan, plus tasty eats from Mostly Pasta and Lola's Pinoy Pastry, and local brews from Remnant available for purchase.
Teeny/Tiny
Join us as we explore science and technology at the smallest of scales. Meet Professor Kevin Chen, Head of MIT’s Soft and Micro Robotics Laboratory, and get a close-up look at his insect-inspired (and sized!) research. Then, head over to our learning labs to manipulate magnetic fluids or shrink a microbe to take home.
Local brews from Lamplighter and tasty pizza pies from Za available for purchase.
Grow
Calling all nature lovers. Celebrate an early earth day at the Museum and discover the growing world all around us. Learn about fungi, local foraging techniques, musical mushroom modulation, and more. Prepare for spring with a letter-locked seed packet or create your own tiny terrarium, plus meet an MIT trained architect trying to answer the question, can we grow buildings?
Handrolls from Pagu and craft beers from Arlington Brewing Company available for purchase.
Threads
At our March After Dark, weave your way through an exploration of traditional textile techniques, emerging technologies, and everything in between. Artist talks by Chloe Bensahel and Ganit Goldstein; felt painting activities; smart textile demos; and more.
Delicious dumplings from Mei Mei and tasty brews from Aeronaut available for purchase.
Connections
Investigate the art and the science of connections at our February After Dark. Join us for Tutti—a participatory music-making experience, meet someone new while speed friending, team up with AI in our very first poetry contest, and get creative as you learn how to wire a circuit.
Small batch beer from Winter Hill Brewing and unique pies from Za available for purchase.