Host Your Special Event

The Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery are both superb venues for entertaining guests on the beautiful, historic Washington National Mall. Organizations that offer a substantial, unrestricted donation to the Galleries are invited to celebrate their gift by co-sponsoring a special event on the premises.

The Freer Gallery of Art, designed by architect Charles Platt and inspired by Italian Renaissance palaces, is an elegant setting for special events. The Freer's skylit galleries surround a graceful central courtyard, conveying the feeling of a private mansion. The exhibition galleries, always open during events, provide places of tranquility for quiet reflection or conversation.

Seating capacity: 290
Standing capacity: 400

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is a contemporary subterranean structure, which guests enter via the verdant Haupt Garden on Independence Avenue. The above-ground entrance pavilion is a splendid space in which to entertain, enhanced by windows that provide views of the Smithsonian Castle and National Museum of African Art. Surrounded by smooth stone walls, the long, elegant central staircase appears to float above the spaces below, leading the visitor to the underground chambers where the museum's treasures are displayed.

Seating capacity: 180
Standing capacity: 400

The Galleries are not available for fund-raisers or events of a political, religious, promotional, or personal nature (e.g. weddings, birthdays, retirement parties, etc.).

To learn more, please download the Freer and Sackler Special Events Brochure (PDF, 814KB).