Los Angeles, CA — The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) announce their slate of spring and summer programming for the Natural History Museum (NHM) in Exposition Park and La Brea Tar Pits in Hancock Park. This mix of family-friendly and adult programming and events features a wide range of exhibitions, hands-on activities, talks, and performances both in-person and online. In addition, NHMLAC community scientists will spearhead a number of research initiatives and expeditions open to the public that will highlight the Museums’ ongoing impact and discoveries and allow Angelenos to get involved.
Below is a list of currently-scheduled* programming and exhibitions, as well as community science projects, research initiatives and new curator announcements. Visit NHM.ORG and TARPITS.ORG for future updates and more information
*All programs and events are subject to change. Check our websites for the latest information and updates
Natural History Museum
Orcas: Our Shared Future — Making its West Coast debut, Orcas: Our Shared Future dives deep into the remarkable relationship between orcas, people, and the oceans we share. Visitors will experience how science and culture together illuminate the world of these intelligent, family-centered animals through immersive installations, life-size models and original Indigenous artwork. This exhibition will also inspire visitors to learn more and take action as a part of NHM’s ongoing mission as a leading voice in biodiversity and habitat conservation.
Schedule: Opens to Members on April 24 and to the public on April 26
Admission: $12 per person + Museum admission or free for Members
Prehistoric Fight Nights — Join Rextooth Studios’ Ted Rechlin, award-winning graphic-novelist, animator, film-maker and science communicator, as he goes head to head with experts from NHM and La Brea Tar Pits over two nights to battle it out and crown the toughest champions of each prehistoric era. On the first night, we’ll travel to the Mesozoic for a colossal rumble among the dinosaurs, and on night two we’ll take a trip to the Pleistocene for an epic Ice Age brawl. Both evenings will also include getting up-close to rarely seen fossils from both museums’ collections, a book signing by Ted Rechlin, interactive activities, and more. More information is available at: nhm.org/prehistoricfightnights.
Schedule: February 20 and 21, 5:30–9 pm
Admission: $15 General Admission | $10 Members
First Fridays | 20th Anniversary Season — First Fridays celebrates 20 years as Los Angeles’ premier museum after-hours experience, where exclusive nighttime access to NHM brings music, science and culture together for an engaging evening of conversation and community. Throughout the night, guests are free to explore the Museum at their own pace, exploring galleries and exhibitions with live music, DJs, topical discussions, signature cocktails, pop-up experiences, and much more. More information is available at nhm.org/firstfridays.
Schedule: March 6, April 3, May 1. 6-10 pm.
Admission: $30 for Public | $20 for Members
Butterfly Pavilion — Walk among beautiful butterflies in our seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. This outdoor exhibition features hundreds of butterflies, colorful native plants, and plenty of natural light to help you see these creatures shimmer. With lots of flight space and a variety of resting spots, come get one of the best views in Los Angeles of these amazing insects. More information will be available at nhm.org/butterflies.
Schedule: March 22 – August 23
Admission: $10 + Museum admission or free for Members
Earth Day — Celebrate Earth Month with NHMLAC. In addition to our annual Earth Day celebration on April 19, we’ll also debut a new environmental film series called Green Screen. The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. By understanding the world around us, past and present, we gain a better appreciation for our planet and for all who share it. More information is forthcoming at nhm.org/earthday.
Schedule: April 19, 9:30 am–5 pm
Admission: Free with Museum admission | Free for Members
City Nature Challenge — Every April, just in time for Earth Day, this popular community science global initiative returns, now in its 11th year! Participants the world over are invited to document nature in their own cities with smartphones and cameras to help scientists better understand local biodiversity. Learn more at nhm.org/citynaturechallenge.
Schedule: April 24–27
Bug Fair — Join NHM for a two-day festival celebrating our winged, multi-legged, and squirmy friends for the 40th annual Bug Fair! Visit a variety of exhibitors and see everything from exotic insect collections to unique and cool bug-related products. More information is available at nhm.org/bugfair.
Schedule: May 16 and 17
Admission: Free with Museum admission | Free for Members
Unearthed: Raw Beauty — Featuring pieces of all sizes, shapes, and colors, Unearthed: Raw Beauty showcases the magnificence of some of the finest mineral specimens ever discovered. From learning about what gems, minerals and crystals are to the various ways NHM scientists use minerals to build a sustainable future, this exhibition invites guests to discover how specimens preserved from destruction can help us appreciate and understand our natural world. Unearthed reveals the natural beauty of minerals, because (unlike previous shows in NHM’s Gem Vault, which focus on cut gemstones) this exhibition will highlight amazing mineral crystals in their uncut state. Normally mined and ground up for raw materials, these spectacular specimens were preserved to inspire people to respect the natural wonders of our Earth. This temporary exhibition will feature incredible specimens loaned from the collection of eminent mineral dealer Dr. Robert Lavinsky (among others) alongside NHM’s own specimens. More information available at: nhm.org/unearthed.
Schedule: On view through April 18, 2027
Admission: Free with Museum admission
Reframing Dioramas: The Art of Preserving Wilderness — The Natural History Museum’s historic diorama halls are the largest exhibitions at the Museum, showcasing over 75 incredibly detailed habitats ranging from arctic tundra to tropical rainforest. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dioramas, NHM is restoring and reopening a diorama hall that has been closed for decades. There, visitors will experience immersive new installations — by artists RFX1 (Jason Chang), Joel Fernando and Yesenia Prieto (working as a three-artist team), as well as Saul Becker and Lauren Schoth — that call attention to dioramas as a unique combination of art and science and explore biodiversity, ecology, conservation, colonialism, and changing museum display techniques. More information is available at nhm.org/reframingdioramas.
Admission: Free with Museum admission
Ocean Encounters — Fun, educational, and interactive, the new Ocean Encounters live performance features life-size sea creature puppets for a prehistoric undersea adventure. Ocean Encounters is family-friendly, and each performance is about 20 minutes long. More information is available at nhm.org/oceanencounters.
Schedule: Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 am and 11:30 am
Admission: $10 per person + Museum admission or free for Members
T. REX 3D Film — This captivating science adventure celebrates the greatest of all tyrants, starring NHM’s own Thomas the T. rex. The big screen production on this iconic dinosaur—and its carnivorous Cretaceous cousins—aims to be the most dazzling and accurate T. rex documentary ever made. More information is available at nhm.org/TREX3D.
Schedule: Showtimes vary by day
Admission: $10 per person + Museum admission or free for Members
Collective Knowledge from Our Changing World — Now open alongside the new NHM Commons, Collective Knowledge invites visitors to take a fresh look at NHM’s collections through the lens of photographer Craig Cutler. Twelve large-scale photographs bring objects and specimens to life, and behind-the-scenes stories highlight some of the incredible research taking place every day. More information is available at nhm.org/collectiveknowledge.
Admission: Free with admission
Animals Alive!* — Every week, meet our Living Collections team and their furry, scaly, slimy, or leggy friends that help make L.A. a biodiversity hotspot—along with creatures from all over the planet. Discover how they survive in our sprawling city as well as habitats across the globe, and what we can all do to help protect our animal neighbors. More information is available at nhm.org/animalsalive.
Schedule: Wednesdays, 10:30 am and 11 am
Admission: $5 or free for Members
*Animals subject to change
Collections Revealed — Every week, explore the 99% of Museum Collections not on display that drive research and discoveries at NHM and across the globe. From tiny marine invertebrates and extraordinary artifacts to newly described species and the oldest things on Earth, get an up-close look at the rarely seen Museum Collections we study and care for.More information is available at nhm.org/collectionsrevealed.
Schedule: Thursdays at 11 am
Admission: Free with paid admission or free for Members.
Nature Gardens Exploration — Swing by the Nature Gardens to dive into Nature Garden Explorations, tours led by Museum Educators and focused on topics such as birding, bug netting, nature journaling, and ponding. Topics rotate over the course of the year, so be sure to check online to see which explorations are currently available. More information is available at nhm.org/naturegardens.
Schedule: 11 am on weekends, meet near the pond in the Nature Gardens
Admission: Free with Museum admission
Scanning Electron Microscope Demonstration — Visit the Mineralogy Lab in the back of the Gem & Mineral Hall to see a live demonstration of NHM’s Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in action from our Curator of Polychaetes, Dr. Kirk Fitzhugh. This is a unique opportunity to get a real-life glimpse into technology often reserved for the world’s top laboratories (and often seen in movies).
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am
Admission: Free with Museum Admission