Lunar New Year
Free First Thursday - February, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
3 - 9 pm
Throughout the Museum
Thursday, February 6, 2025
3 - 9 pm
Throughout the Museum
Join us for an evening of joyous celebration for the Lunar New Year!
During February’s Free First Thursday, get creative in the Bertucci Education Studio and learn how to create intentional traditional Chinese calligraphy characters with artist and educator Rayna Lo.
Enjoy music by U-NA and ALMA VATYA as they create an innovative fusion of Korean traditional music and American Delta blues, and Shuo Zhang, a third-generation erhu virtuoso.
Gain insight into the Gardner’s Asian art collection through a public gallery talk by Assistant Curator of the Collection and Exhibitions, Gabrielle Niu.
Lunar New Year 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, and celebrations continue through February 12, 2025. It is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the snake.
Calligraphy with Neighborhood Salon Luminary Rayna Lo
Studio and Living Room
5 - 8 pm
Spotlight Talk on Asian art with Gabrielle Niu, Assistant Curator of the Collection and Exhibitions
Chinese Loggia
5 - 5:15 pm & 5:30 - 5:45 pm,
Performance by U-NA and ALMA VATYA on the ajaeng, guitar, and banjo
Courtyard
6 - 6:45 pm,
Performance: Shuo Zhang on the erhu
Courtyard
7:30 - 8:00 pm
Join us on the first Thursday of every month for a dynamic evening of sanctuary and community. Museum admission is free from 3 pm through 9 pm and programs kick off at 5 pm. Explore the magic of the Museum’s gardens and galleries at night, stop by Café G for dinner, snacks and drinks, and shop at Gift at the Gardner.
Advance registration is encouraged for free timed entry tickets for Museum general admission.
Registration opens two weeks before the event for the general public and four weeks in advance for members. Reserve your tickets online by clicking the button above.
Limited tickets will be available in-person at the Museum’s main entrance, starting at 3 pm, the day of the event. Please note that day-of tickets are not guaranteed.
Questions about accessibility? Please call the box office at 617 278 5156.
Free Admission is generously supported by Fidelity Investments.
Free days are supported in part by the Wallace Minot Leonard Foundation, the Board of Advisors 2022 Fund for Access, and Thomas G. Stemberg Charitable Foundation.
Education and community programs receive support from the Vertex Foundation, Rowland Foundation, the Yawkey Foundation, The Beker Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, and Janet Burke Mann Foundation.
Studio activities are generously sponsored by the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust.
The Neighborhood Salon is supported in part by the Anne Hawley Fund for Programs and the Polly Thayer Starr Charitable Trust.
The Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which is supported by the state of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.