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The Met To Host Festival for Reopening of Rockefeller Wing
May 26, 2025, 11:42.35 pm ET

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Photo: Cititour.com

On Saturday, May 31, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a daylong festival to celebrate the grand reopening of The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, marking the public’s first opportunity to explore the museum’s newly renovated galleries for the Arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas, and Oceania. Closed since 2021, the wing has undergone a multiyear transformation led by WHY Architecture in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle and The Met’s Design Department. The new space features updated gallery designs inspired by regional architecture and showcases over 11,000 works dating as far back as 3000 BCE.

The celebration kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 9 to 10:30 am, followed by festival programming from 12 to 6 pm throughout The Met’s Fifth Avenue building and outdoor plaza. Visitors can expect live performances, artist-led workshops, film screenings, food experiences, and more. Highlights include curated dishes from Queens Night Market chefs inspired by pre-colonial cuisine; art-making sessions with mosaic artist Manny Vega; weaving demonstrations by artists from Peru and Oceania; and music and dance from groups such as Te Ao Mana, MAX Percussion, and Mariachi Real de México. Programming will be offered in multiple languages and is designed to engage all ages. Outdoor events are free, and indoor events are free with museum admission.

Additional programming will include talks by Met curators and scholars, a community hub featuring local cultural organizations, and a conversation with architect Kulapat Yantrasast and Met Director Max Hollein exploring the vision behind the renovation. For a full schedule of events, visit The Met’s official website.


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