The Franklin Institute is Celebrating Gay Pride Month With a Special Science After Hours & Family Pride Day
The Franklin Institute is proud to get loud in celebration and support of the Pride movement and our region’s LGBTQ+ community with back-to-back special events in June highlighting local performers and featuring programming that explores what makes us happy and proud.
Science After Hours: Summer Ball
Friday, June 24 | 7:30 pm-11:30 pm
Science After Hours returns with a special celebratory event to mark LGBTQ+ Pride month. Attendees to this Pride Month edition of Science After Hours will experience an evening of LGBTQ+-inspired performances, dancing, science, and revelry as the Franklin Institute celebrates with local drag queens to highlight happiness. Adults 21+; $40 per person in advance at fi.edu; $45 at the door
Ticket includes:
- Themed programming and live performances.
- Evening access to core exhibits and galleries.
- Limited edition lapel pin created exclusively for Summer Ball.
- Roof deck access for guided stargazing and spectacular views of the city (weather permitting).
- Food and drink are available at cash bars throughout the museum.
Event Highlights:
- DJ Electric Honey holds a dance party in the Planetarium, while Liquid Light Lab debuts a new dome visual created exclusively for the Fels Planetarium.
- Drag performances curated by local drag queen and show producer, The Eric Jaffe, including Drag Bingo with fabulous prizes!
- International director and choreographer Kemar Jewel explores ballroom culture, offering history, performances, and lessons.
- Flash talks on “What Feels Good?” with local artists and scientists, led by Franklin Institute’s Chief Bioscientist, Jayatri Das, Ph.D.
- Science demonstrations to tantalize and excite, presented by our “Cloud 9” crew of performers.
- More to be announced.
Family Pride Day
Saturday, June 25 | 12pm-4pm
A community celebration for all—designed to support our LGBTQ+ community and provide an opportunity to experience visibility, solidarity, and joy. Family Pride Day highlights the contributions of some of the amazing Philadelphia organizations that help uplift, educate, and nourish our LGBTQ+ community, especially our young members and their families. Guests are invited to celebrate with whimsical shows and demonstrations that blur the line between science and performance.
Included with museum admission.
Presented by Braskem, Official Diversity & Inclusion Partner of The Franklin Institute.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration
Saturday, May 21 | 12pm-4pm
In recognition of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Franklin Institute presents a full day of programming that highlights the contributions of some of the amazing Philadelphia organizations that help celebrate, educate, and nourish our AAPI community.
Highlights include block printing with the Asian Arts Initiative, “Your Brain: Behind the Scenes” with Jayatri Das, Ph.D., a performance by community-based dance company Modero, an engineering challenge with Merck Asian Pacific Association (PA Chapter), and cancer prevention and management with the Center for Asian Health, Temple University’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
Included with museum admission.
Presented by Braskem, Official Diversity & Inclusion Partner of The Franklin Institute.
Ingenious: The Evolution of Innovation
NEW 8-episode Video Series
New episodes every Wednesday at beyond.fi.edu
The Franklin Institute digs deep into its curatorial vault to explore the evolution of innovation in Ingenious, the season two debut of the Institute’s original video series that takes a fresh look at objects inside its collections and connects them to the radical innovation shaping today’s world. Franklin Institute curator Susannah Carroll and co-host Trace Dominguez peel back the curtain on the most innovative inventions of all time to show their evolution from the spark of an idea through to the technology of tomorrow.
Night Skies@Home LIVE with Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts
Thursday, June 2 | 7:45 pm on Facebook
The ever-popular cosmic viewing event continues on the first Thursday of each month, hosted by our Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts. Fans across the region can log on to the Franklin Institute’s Facebook Page to learn sky-watching techniques and the latest cosmic phenomenon to look for, plus more.
