This event is also occurring on Sunday, December 17.
Included with paid museum admission; free for members
Celebrate the holidays at MIM! Join us for our annual holiday program featuring musical performances, sleigh bell craft-making activities, holiday music workshops, face painting, and more!
Gifts for Purchase in the Museum Store 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ’Tis the season to celebrate MIM-style with festive gifts from around the world at the Museum Store, featuring ornaments, holiday decor, gifts for hosts, and musical instruments to make every celebration special.
Instrument Spotlight: Handbells 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Drop in and try your hand at a tune on MIM’s set of handbells. Volunteer team members will guide you through the simple steps to make a joyful sound on these fun instruments.
Photo Booth 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Get into the spirit of the season with festive costumes and props at MIM’s photo booth; pose for a picture and instantly get your own copy to take home.
Sleigh Bells Craft-Making Activity 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Create the sounds of the season with your own craft sleigh bells. Bells of all kinds are used around the world for celebrations and festivities, and for many, sleigh bells have come to represent winter time. Listen for their merry sound in perennial holiday favorites such as James Pierpont’s “Jingle Bells” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” Oh, what fun it is to make this cheerful jingling instrument!
Klezmer Folk Music Performance 10:30–11:15 a.m. Rural Street Klezmer Band joins MIM to celebrate Hanukkah and share traditional Jewish “soul music” inspired by music from Eastern Europe’s traveling Ashkenazi Jews. This ensemble blends elements of folk, jazz, blues, and rock music together to fill MIM’s courtyard with the distinctive sounds of klezmer music.
Face Painting 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Add a burst of holiday cheer to your face with a custom design by artists from Hello Face Paint!
Aguinaldo Music-Making Workshop 11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Come celebrate the season—Latin America style! Aguinaldo is a folk genre of Christmas carols used to spread holiday cheer in several South and Central American countries and the Caribbean. Join the group Jíbaros sin Fronteras to learn about how the rhythms and melodies of Puerto Rican aguinaldo can bring good tidings of comfort and joy. Guests are encouraged to join in the fun.
Special Holiday Menu Available for Purchase 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Stop in at Café Allegro for some of your favorite holiday dishes and treats—including carved turkey, chianti beef short ribs, and hot cocoa-inspired brownies.
Handbell Choir Performance 12:45–1:30 p.m. For over twenty-five years, the handbell choir Desert Bells International has been sharing the art of English handbell ringing at celebrations throughout Phoenix and beyond. Made up of members with a wide range of ages, the ensemble has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, recorded with the Tonight Show orchestra, and appeared at international handbell conferences. Join this talented handbell group for a heartwarming performance of their favorite seasonal songs.
Holiday Chorus Performance 2:00–2:45 p.m. The Phoenix Girls Chorus Cantabile Choir is an international award-winning vocal ensemble based in the Valley. They have performed throughout the United States in venues ranging from Phoenix-area churches to New York City’s Carnegie Hall. They will join us at MIM to sing a sampling of holiday songs. Come hear selections from their winter program, “A Merry English Christmas.”
Winter Harp Ensemble Performance 3:15–4:00 p.m. Experience the live sounds of harps from around the world! Members of the Phoenix Chapter of the American Harp Society will share music from global winter festivals and holiday traditions. These musicians will be playing harps from various regions of the world in small ensembles and will even collaborate with violins, cellos, and guitars. You won’t want to miss the festive tones.