Special Events

Museum After Dark

Two costume contest participants in dark robes holding square faces stand in front of the inspiration for their outfits, Leonora Carrington’s Twins.
Image credit

Photo: Kristina Giasi

Museum
October 29, 2026 7–10 p.m.

The Museum comes alive after dark for an evening of festive fun!

Kick off your Halloween weekend with a late night at the Museum. Join us for an evening of free-to-all fun, featuring a silent disco, art making, and the return of our Collections Costume Contest, with categories for kids and adults! 

Event Schedule

Live Judging: Collections Costume Contest* 
7–8 p.m.
Grand Hall

Compete in an imaginative costume contest with an outfit inspired by an artwork from our collections. With categories for adults and kids, it’s your chance to flaunt your costuming skills—and your finest strut. (Or just come by to watch!) Entries will be judged live at Museum After Dark on Thursday, October 29, at 7 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Prizes will be awarded for:

  • First Place (Adult)
  • Second Place (Adult)
  • Third Place (Adult)
  • First Place (13 and younger)
  • Second Place (13 and younger)
  • Third Place (13 and younger)

Judges:

  • Caroline Harris, Diane W. and James E. Burke Senior Associate Director for Education, Princeton University Art Museum
  • Ysabella Olsen ’28, vice president, Student Advisory Board of the Princeton University Art Museum
  • Christina Ramos, costume director, McCarter Theatre

*All costumes must be safe and inclusive. This means no weapons (including fake weapons or objects that pose a risk to people or artwork), no costumes that perpetuate discrimination or violence, and no full-face masks or full-face makeup.

Art Making
7–9:30 p.m.
Creativity Labs

Stop by the Creativity Labs and get hands-on with art supplies to exercise your imagination! Create your own wearable art piece—jewelry, headbands, and more—inspired by the Museum’s collections.

Explore the Galleries
7–10 p.m.

Explore our collections and special exhibitions—the galleries will be open late!

Silent Disco 
8–10 p.m. 
Grand Hall

Pick up a set of headphones and dance to your own music in the Museum’s Grand Hall.

Film Screening: Psycho (1960)
8–10 p.m.
Tuttle Lecture Hall

Director Alfred Hitcock’s Oscar-winning psychological thriller follows a secretary on the run who takes refuge at a secluded California motel. Rated R; 109 minutes
 

LATE THURSDAYS! The Museum’s Late Thursdays programming is made possible in part by Heather and Paul G. Haaga Jr., Class of 1970.

Explore More

For Photographer Minor White, a Moment of Celebration

New Study Rooms Deepen Students’ Connection to the Collections

The Museum as Classroom: Redefining How Students Learn, Think, and See in ART 101

Mosaic Restaurant