Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights

Enjoy an evening of art, music, and activities celebrating Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights. Join us for a for an evening of lively musical performances, engaging tours, art making and family-friendly activities. Discover the MFA’s collection of Judaica. View a one-of-a-kind Hanukkah menorah created by local artists Silvina Mizrahi and Sean Clarke, then enjoy a community candle-lighting.

Special Events

Welcome and Community Candle Lighting

6:30 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Join us to watch as the menorah is illuminated, marking the fourth night of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah Menorah Installation: Nes

4–10 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

View Nes (miracle in Hebrew), a Hanukkah menorah created by artists Silvina Mizrahi and Sean Clarke that evokes the surviving stones of the Second Temple and the miracle of light.

Face Painting

4–6:30 pm, Gallery 163

Wear your Hanukkah happiness on your cheek! Hosted by the Vilna Shul.

Brighter Together: Installation and Scavenger Hunt

4:30–9 pm, Riley Seminar Room, 156

Pick up a family-friendly scavenger hunt and search for artwork with the theme of light. Collect glow-in-the-dark beads at all three locations, then return to Room 156 and add your light to this radiant installation by local artist Tova Speter.

Supported by Outside the Box Foundation.

Music and Storytelling

Voice of the Turtle Duo

5:30–5:50, 7:15–7:35, and 7:55–8:15 pm, Gallery 247

Enjoy beautiful acoustic renditions of traditional Sephardic folk music from across the Mediterranean.

Family Song and Story Time

4:30–6 pm, Education Center in Druker Family Pavilion, Room 160

PJ Library hosts Hanukkah singing and an interactive reading led by song educator and producer Stephen Brickman, founder of the Sing-Together Project. Recommended for young children.

Concert and Instrument Petting Zoo

5:30–6:15 pm, Remis Auditorium

Enjoy a concert by an ensemble from the Josiah Quincy School and get up close to instruments after.

Free performance ticket required. Tickets available outside Remis Auditorium. First come, first served.

Jim Guttmann’s Besserabian Breakdown

6:45–7:10, 7:30–7:50, and 8:10–8:30 pm, Shapiro Family Courtyard

Bassist Jim Guttmann of the Klezmer Conservatory Band fuses big band jazz and klezmer. Join the fun and follow along with our klezmer dance leader.

Tsvey Brider (Two Brothers)

7:10–7:30, 7:50–8:10, and 8:30–8:50 pm, Gallery 268

Anthony Mordechai Zvi Russell and Dmitri Gaskin create contemporary interpretations of new and traditional Yiddish music.

Rabbi Dan Judson, Stories

7:15, 7:45, and 8:15 pm, Gallery 133

Join Moth storytelling champion Rabbi Dan Judson as he shares Hanukkah-inspired tales.

Art-Making Activities

Symbols in Judaism

5–9 pm, Gallery 168

See how many lions you can find around the Museum and collage your own lion masterpiece.

Dreidel Making

5–9 pm, Education Center in Druker Family Pavilion, Room 159

Create your own clay dreidel to celebrate Hanukkah.

Tours and Talks

Meet the Artist

4:30, 5:15, and 6 pm, Gallery 258

Join artist Boris Bally for a 15-minute talk about his work as a jeweler/silversmith and the MFA’s recent acquisition of his Man’orah.

Spotlight Talks

7:15, 7:45, 8:15, and 8:45 pm, Gallery 127, Gallery 142, Gallery 149, Gallery 258

Drop in to the galleries for a 15-minute talk on an object from the MFA’s collection of Judaica.

American Sign Language Tour

7 pm, Meet at the Sharf Visitor Center

Join Stephen Weiner to learn about works of Judaica in the MFA’s collection. No spoken English translation.

Hanukkah Treats

Enjoy potato latkes in the New American Café or treat yourself to pastries—rugelach, kichlach (Star of David cookies), and sufganiyot, a top-your-own-donut bar—in Taste Café. All for purchase.

Judaica in the Galleries

See "The Maccabees and the Hanukkah Story," a special installation in Sharf Visitor Center.
Objects of Judaica are located in the following galleries:

Musical Instruments, Gallery 103D
Art of the Americas, Galleries 127 and 336
Art of Europe, Galleries 142, 144, 149, and 248
Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, Gallery 258

Learn more about the MFA’s Judaica collection

Additional Information