The Arnold Arboretum and The Young Friends of the Arnold host Afterglow at the Arnold on Thursday, September 24, in the Arnold Arboretum’s Explorers Garden. The VIP experience begins at 5:30pm, and the afterparty begins at 7:30.
This enchanting evening of discovery under the stars celebrates the Arboretum as a free public park in the City of Boston, a “museum of trees,” a conservation and research institution, and a community resource for education and well-being. The event will be hosted in our Arnold Arboretum’s Explorers Garden on Bussey Hill, where plants collected from around the world are cultivated to support the study and preservation of biodiversity. Guests will engage with Arboretum experts while enjoying cocktails and passed food in the living collections, followed by music and dancing under a tent.
Keep in step with science and the Young Friends of the Arnold! Meet us for an unforgettable evening at the Weld Hill Research Building on Thursday, December 4 from 6:30–9:30pm. This special event is tailored for those aged 21-45 or anyone young at heart who enjoy learning about nature, conserving biodiversity, and engaging with a community of plant enthusiasts. Enjoy seasonal refreshments, explore the Arboretum’s cutting-edge research, and learn how your support helps preserve one of Boston’s most treasured landscapes. Whether you’re a longtime member or new to the Young Friends, this is a fantastic opportunity to deepen your engagement with the Arboretum and meet others who value trees, science, and sustainability. Your participation helps fund vital programs and supports our mission to connect people with the natural world. Don’t miss this festive and meaningful gathering—purchase your tickets today and get ready for a night of discovery and delight!
Mark your calendars for an unforgettable celebration of art, culture, and community! On Saturday, October 4, 2025, the Arnold Arboretum will host MassQ Ball: Color, a free, day-long festival open to all and created and co-produced by Castle of our Skins and multimedia artist Daniel Callahan. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Arboretum landscape, the Ball will feature live performances, music, dance, storytelling, and interactive art experiences that invite all to reflect on the power of color and connection. The event centers around the ritual of “MassQing”—the creation of intricate, symbolic face paintings that express personal and cultural identity. We are honored to co-sponsor MassQ Ball: Color as a community event that shares our values of education and environmental equity in the landscape. Stay tuned for more details—and prepare to be inspired.
The much-anticipated event will include a curated lineup of musicians, dancers, culture bearers, and visual artists from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds including: Anjali Nath (Classical North Indian Kathak Dance); Danza Orgánica (Social Justice Dance); Floor Lords (HipHop Dance); Hyde Square Task Force Ambassadors (Afro Latin Youth Music, Dance, and Theatre); Jean Appolon Expressions (Haitian Dance Ensemble); Gund Kwok (Chinese Lion Dance); Isaura Oliveira & Power of Skirts (Afro-Brazilian Indigenous Performance Ritual); Cornell Coley (African Drum Circle); Steph Davis (Ghanaian Gyli); Dis N’ Dat Band (Trinidad & Tobago Steel Pan); Christopher Robinson (ASL Spoken Word Artist Griot); Teen Empowerment (Spoken Word Artist Griots); Ifé Franklin (African American Ring Shout); Shaw Pong Liu (Chinese American Installation Artist); Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. (Nipmuc Installation Artist); Crystal Bi (Taiwanese-American Installation Artist); Lilly Manycolors (Installation Artist); and Naoe Suzuki (Japanese American Installation Artist). For complete details click HERE.
On May 11, experience the springtime bloom of The Arnold Arboretum’s renowned collection of over 400 lilacs. Visit for tours with Arboretum experts, hands-on children’s programming, dancing, meditation, chalk art, and more. Picnicking in the Arboretum landscape is permitted on this day only.
Located primarily on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arboretum (many of which can also be enjoyed at this time), only the lilac is singled out each year for a daylong celebration.
Pack a picnic and make your way to the lilac collection on Bussey Hill Road. Register
At the beginning of May, flowers are just starting to emerge from the trees and shrubs of the Arboretum: cherry trees, dogwood, redbuds, and magnolias are all blooming this time of year. Join Arboretum docent Paul Eldrenkamp on May 3 at 10 am in front of the Hunnewell Building to see, smell, and learn about these early spring blooms! This tour will include paved roads and woodchip paths. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and closed toe walking shoes. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; temperatures below 20 degrees; or other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancelation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center at (617) 384-5209 between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/early-spring-blooms-302/?occurrence=2025-05-03
The Explorers Garden rests in a microclimate just below the summit of Bussey Hill. This nearly five-acre site provides ideal growing conditions for many species that have been challenging to grow in less protected areas of the Arboretum. As such, it has proven to be a perfect testing ground for plants collected in the expeditions of E. H. Wilson in the early 1900s to the NACPEC (North America-China Plant Exploration Consortium) expeditions of our own time. Join docent Marie Herbert on May 10 at 1 pm for a guided tour to learn more about some of the plants showcased in this special collection and to hear stories of the plant exploration expeditions that brought them to the Arboretum. This tour will include paved roads and woodchip paths. Please wear weather-appropriate clothing and closed toe walking shoes. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; temperatures below 20 degrees; or other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancellation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center at (617) 384-5209 between 10:00am and 4:00pm. Free but register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Meet at the Centre Street Gate.
Part of the mission of the Arnold Arboretum is stewardship of the earth’s botanical diversity and its essential value to humankind. This May 4 one hour tour through the landscape, led by docent Vicki Amalfitano, will highlight important Arboretum historical conservation efforts that have preserved distinct native and exotic species, and current efforts in our living collections to mitigate habitat disruption and climate impact. Learn about plant expeditions to preserve species in the face of climate change and new pathogens, research initiatives, as well as the Arboretum’s green initiatives and local collaborations to improve our urban canopy.
Accessibility: This tour covers slightly over 1 mile in distance over terrain of asphalt, crushed granite, and mulch. Please be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable, closed toe footwear you don’t mind getting dirty. Tours may be canceled in cases of the following weather conditions: severe wind, snow, ice, thunder or lightning events; temperatures over 90 degrees; and temperatures below 20 degrees. Tours may be canceled due to other weather events at the discretion of Arboretum staff. In the case of cancelation, you will be contacted by Arboretum staff no later than 2 hours before the start of the event. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email or call the Visitor Center between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is thrilled to announce its inaugural Young Friends event on Thursday, October 10 from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm in the Leventritt Garden. The evening will feature festivities and activities in the landscape after dark – a time when the Arboretum is usually closed to the visiting public. Designed to appeal to those 21 – 40 or who are young at heart, this event is a premier opportunity to immerse yourself in the plants, purpose, and peacefulness of the Arnold Arboretum, with other metropolitan nature enthusiasts. You will be supporting your urban oasis. This is a 21 and older event. $75 for members, $110 for nonmembers. Register HERE.
How can you tell different goldenrods apart? How can you use shape and scent to identify a plant? And what exactly is that aster in your backyard? Join Arnold Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan for a Native Wildflower Identification class to answer these questions and more, and find out which ones to plant in your garden along the way. This program takes place at the pollinator meadow at Weld Hill, a haven for native wildflowers at the Arboretum. The program is on Saturday, September 7 at 2 pm. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/
Did you know you can eat staghorn sumac berries? What about stinging nettle? Join local foraging expert Tyler Akabane at the Centre Street Gate of the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday, September 1 at 2 pm for a plant foraging walk to look for wild edibles in the Arboretum landscape, and learn how to identify and safely prepare a wide variety of wild edible plants. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/
