MUSEUM FREE DAYS

Cost

Free

Check the website for locations; some museums require advance registration

Event Series Dates

Daily, May – October, check website for times

Event Schedule

August 2026

  • Saturday 22nd 10:00 AM
  • Sunday 23rd 10:00 AM
  • Monday 24th 10:00 AM
  • Tuesday 25th 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday 26th 10:00 AM
  • Thursday 27th 10:00 AM
  • Friday 28th 10:00 AM
  • Saturday 29th 10:00 AM
  • Sunday 30th 10:00 AM
  • Monday 31st 10:00 AM

September 2026

  • Tuesday 1st 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday 2nd 10:00 AM
  • Thursday 3rd 10:00 AM
  • Friday 4th 10:00 AM
  • Saturday 5th 10:00 AM
  • Sunday 6th 10:00 AM
  • Monday 7th 10:00 AM
  • Tuesday 8th 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday 9th 10:00 AM
  • Thursday 10th 10:00 AM

A beloved annual tradition spanning more than two decades, this region-wide event opens the doors of over 30 cultural institutions across Southern California — from Santa Barbara to Orange County to Palm Springs — completely free of charge for one day. Many locations recommend advance reservations, one museum a day, every day. 

Upcoming Events

October 1 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm -
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$0.00 - $7.00

Hollyhock House Tours

Experience the interior of Hollyhock House at your own pace with a self-guided tour. Docents are on hand to provide information and answer questions.

September 30 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm -
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Free

Shifting Perspectives: Cheech Collects

Over the past year and a half, artists and collectors have donated 80 works by almost 35 artists to The Cheech Center Collection. This year's exhibition will highlight some new additions alongside works from Cheech Marin's initial gift of 500 works. The latest exhibition, Cheech Collects, explores different forms within the Cheech Marin Collection. It introduces photography and sculpture alongside paintings, prints, and mixed media works for which the collection is celebrated. See website for ticket prices.

September 30 @ 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm -
See event website.

Construction, Occupation

Construction, Occupation presents the work of 24 artists and collectives that engage art’s potential to shape the city through the power of community. Drawing on myriad visual languages and poetics grounded in collective action, the exhibition investigates a radical urban vocabulary that blurs art and activism to address questions of infrastructure and vulnerability, circulation and segregation, and the body in public

September 30 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm -
$0.00 - $19.00

BEHIND BARS: INCARCERATION IN THE WEST

This installation features some of the many forms that incarceration has taken in the American West over time, in conversation with a new photo series by fine art photographer Pep Williams, taken in a California state prison. Located in the jail cell area of the Autry’s firearms galleries, the installation brings past and present into dialogue.

September 30 @ 10:00 am - 5:00 pm -
$0.00 - $15.95

Bernard Hoyes: Out from Under the Net

Presenting the evolution of Bernard Hoyes’ signature Rag Series, developed during the 1970s and expanded through collage, painting, and printmaking. His rhythmic compositions reflect Afro-Caribbean spirituality, rituals, and the power of women across music, dance, and magic. The works explore themes of race, identity, memory, and liberation through layered visual language.