Celebrate! PAFA for the Holidays
This Holiday Season, Put PAFA Museum on Your List
Looking for holiday events in Philadelphia? Make PAFA Museum part of your plans in Center City.
From November 20 through December 31, see PAFA Museum’s Historic Landmark Building light up Broad Street, then come inside for Friday night events, live music, art-making, gallery experiences, family-friendly holiday activities, and unique shopping at the PAFA Museum Store.
See What’s Happening This Holiday Season:
- Inaugural PAFA Museum Holiday Lighting Celebration
- Fridays After 5
- Holiday Week at PAFA Museum
- Holiday Shopping and Gift Giving
- View All PAFA Holiday Events
Holiday lights. Friday nights. Art, music, making, and unexpected gifts.
Make PAFA Part of Your Holiday Plans
There’s more happening at PAFA this holiday season. Come be part of it.
Visiting Christmas Village or Dilworth Park? PAFA Museum is just a few blocks away. Explore the galleries, grab a drink, make something of your own, and shop for gifts made by local artists.
Explore everything happening at PAFA Museum this holiday season.
November 20 | PAFA MUSEUM HOLIDAY LIGHTING
Start the Holidays with a Night to Remember. Join us November 20 for the first-ever holiday countdown and lighting of PAFA Museum’s spectacular Historic Landmark Building, along with art-making, food, drinks, music, and entertainment. Before the countdown begins, stop by Top Hat Cafe and order a Nutella Hot Chocolate, made with dark chocolate and hazelnut and topped with whipped cream and a Nutella drizzle!
Interested in supporting PAFA for the Holidays? Join the Women’s Committee of PAFA for the inaugural Cocktail Reception on November 20. Individual tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available, with proceeds benefiting PAFA’s holiday initiative. Learn More →
Starting November 20 | Fridays After 5
Select Fridays | 5–8 PM | An evening experience for adults
Experience PAFA after hours with music, DJs, cocktails, food, gallery access, and hands-on art-making in historic Cast Hall. Normally reserved for PAFA artists and classes, Cast Hall opens to the public after dark for these special evenings.
Come for happy hour. Stay for the art. Make a night of it.
$15 admission includes gallery access and Fridays After 5 programming.
Presented in partnership with
December 26–31 | Holiday Week at PAFA Museum
Family in town? Kids home from school? Looking for something to do between Christmas and New Year’s?
Start outside, where PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building is lit for the holidays. Then come in and spend the day surrounded by art, music, and hands-on creativity.
Every day from December 26–31, PAFA Museum is filled with reasons to stay. Make art together in the Family Holiday Studio, explore the galleries, join a 1 PM guided tour, enjoy a daily 2 PM holiday concert, and stop by Top Hat Coffee Lounge for a specialty drink, drip coffee, or a waffle.
 | FAMILY HOLIDAY STUDIODecember 26–31 | 10 AM–3 PM daily Drop into the Family Holiday Studio daily and create something inspired by the art and spaces around you. No experience needed. Just come ready to make. Then keep exploring. Head into the galleries, join the 1 PM tour, or find a spot in the Washington Foyer for the 2 PM Holiday Concert Series. Less scrolling. More making. More time together. |
 | 2 PM HOLIDAY CONCERT SERIESDecember 26–31 | 2 PM daily | Washington Foyer Every afternoon at 2 PM during Holiday Week, the Washington Foyer becomes the setting for a special holiday concert. Come for the concert. Explore the galleries. Make something in the Family Holiday Studio. See PAFA lit for the season. Six days. Six concerts. One more reason to make PAFA part of your holiday plans. HOLIDAY CONCERT SCHEDULE
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 | TOP HAT COFFEE LOUNGEDecember 26–31 | Open Daily Make a day of it. Grab a specialty drink, drip coffee, or a waffle from Top Hat Coffee Lounge, then explore the galleries, create in the Family Holiday Studio, and enjoy the daily 2 PM Holiday Concert Series. Looking for a gift or a taste of PAFA to take home? Pick up a bag of PAFA’s exclusive 1805 Coffee Blend. Created by Top Hat Coffee and inspired by the Historic Landmark Building, this locally roasted medium roast features notes of dark chocolate and caramel brownie. Buy Now → |
Choose Your Holiday Week Visit
Each day includes museum admission, gallery exploration, access to the Family Holiday Studio, a 1 PM guided tour, and a 2 PM holiday concert.
Holiday Shopping
 | Give Something They Won’t Expect Skip the same-old holiday gifts. The PAFA Museum Store is filled with artist-made objects, original prints, jewelry, books, home goods, creative experiences, and distinctly Philadelphia finds you won’t see everywhere else. Browse the PAFA Holiday Gift Guide, then visit us at 128 North Broad Street in Center City Philadelphia, Thursday through Monday from 10 AM to 5 PM. |
 | Give a PAFA Museum Membership Or give something that lasts beyond the holidays. A PAFA membership means a year of art, exhibitions, events, experiences, and reasons to come back, along with discounts on Museum Store purchases, summer camps, and adult art classes. PAFA Member Holiday Sale: December 3–7 |
Art First. Dinner Next.
Don’t Just Meet for Dinner. Do Something First.
Your night doesn’t have to end when PAFA closes.
Start with art, drinks, music, and Fridays After 5 at PAFA. Then head into Midtown Village for dinner at a participating Schulson Collective restaurant, just a few blocks from the museum.
Visit Sampan, Harp & Crown, Via Locusta, or Giuseppe & Sons. Pick up a Curated Palette Passport at PAFA or download one before your visit, then collect a stamp at each participating location.
Come Celebrate the Holidays at PAFA
Discover holiday events at PAFA in Philadelphia, featuring festive lights, live music, Friday night programs, family-friendly art-making, and one-of-a-kind gifts. There’s more happening at PAFA this holiday season. Buy Tickets →
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We're so excited you're planning to visit PAFA!
Make time for art — visit us Thursday to Monday.
Before reserving your tickets, please review helpful information about museum hours, accessibility, building access, and special admission programs.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at visitorservices@pafa.org — we’d love to help!