Spring Arts Events Round Up

With a diverse student body and numerous museums and organizations, Harvard is blessed with high-quality performing and fine arts events year-round. For Harvard affiliates, events that people would pay good money to see are usually free or discounted. Below are some events coming to the Cambridge art scene in Spring 2026.

Theater:

With four Harvard College theater troupes running shows this spring, the season is sure to be busy. To start, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club has a lineup of 12 shows it is producing. From popular hits like “Mean Girls” and Harvard staples like the annual “First Year Musical,” the shows are sure to excite and please audiences throughout the year. Information can be found online, but most performances take place in March and April. Students should expect ticket prices to be $10, and the location varies by show.

Hasty Pudding Theatricals is showcasing their 177th musical comedy “Salooney Tunes,” entirely written and composed by a team of Harvard students. The show features an outlaw, ROBIN YABLIND,  and his lesser-known sidekick, WYATT AINTME, as they go on an adventure with an unsuccessful gold heist, and a goal to get WYATT a wanted sign. The show will be hosted in Farkas Hall from Feb. 6 to March 8, before continuing to the rest of their tour in New York City and Bermuda.

The American Repertory Theater, which hosts professional theater shows at the Loeb, is running two shows this semester. “Wonder,” based on the novel and film of the same name, is currently ongoing, running until Feb 15. The show follows a young boy named Auggie and his experiences as he begins going to school, navigating change, identity, and what it means to belong. ART will later host “Black Swan,” which runs from May 26 through June 28. “Black Swan” is a stage adaptation of a 2010 film about a ballerina fighting for the lead role in “Swan Lake.” The ballerina spirals as she faces the pressure of the situation. 

The Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players have yet to announce their spring show on its website.

Museums:

Some of the most underappreciated parts of the Harvard campus are the 11+ museums we walk past daily. Each museum hosts professional curators and caretakers and typically offers free admission. Many host special exhibits throughout the year, so, beyond the amazing permanent attractions, here is what students can look forward to in the spring.

The Harvard Art Museums (the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler Museums) are hosting two special exhibits in the spring. The first, “Critical Printing,” is running from Jan. 24 to May 10. The exhibit will offer a small collection of prints to “generate experimental thinking.” The second exhibit will be “Celtic Art Through The Ages,” from March 26 to Aug. 2, which will explore the world of people who have been labeled “Celts,” from 800 BCE to the present, through art. 

Not to be outdone, the Carper Center for Visual Arts will be hosting two special exhibits: “Signal and Strata” and “Cosmos Falling.” Both run from Feb. 5 to April 5. According to the website preview, “Signals and Strata” combines media to pay homage to the Andean landscape, while “Cosmos Falling” features works by various artists on the theme of, as the name implies, the wondrous expanse of space.

At MetaLabs, “the Data Twist” is running through Aug. 2026. It is an interactive art exhibit that “invites people to discover their togetherness in difference through movement, rather than division.” The participatory art exhibition uses survey data and the game Twister (referred to as the “data twist” on the website) to spark public discourse. 

The Graduate School of Design Art Museum has three exhibits running this spring: “Rational Form Making,” Feb. 8 to Mar. 15; “Cores and Peripheries: Designing Cities in Transition,” Jan. 27 to Mar. 22; and “Designers of Mountain and Water: Alternative Landscapes for a Changing Climate,” Jan. 20 to May 15. These exhibits examine works created by students studying architecture, urban planning, and landscape architecture. 

The Alain Locke Gallery of African & African American Art is continuing its viewing of “Renaissance, Race, and Representation in the Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art” through June 6. The Kelley family collection features works from artists such as Aaron Douglas, William H. Johnson, and Jacob Lawrence, and seeks to feature African American Art that “reads like a ‘who’s who’ of landmark works.” 

Out of Harvard’s five science and history museums, there are two particularly special exhibits. The natural history museum is featuring “Swimming with Sharks” until Nov. 8. As the name suggests, the attraction focuses on the fascinating sea creatures that share its name. The Peabody Museum is hosting “Castaway: The Afterlife of Plastics” until April 26, which examines plastics found on a beach in Australia and how the natural world interacts with them.

A Cappella/Singing:

With over 10 different groups on campus, many of the a cappella groups are offering spring performances to showcase their pipes. Most of the groups have not yet announced their on-campus spring concert dates on their websites. However, the Pitches, Callbacks, and Veritones will perform on Apr. 3 at 6 p.m.in Sanders Theater for a Harvard A Capella Jam. Keep an eye out for the rest, because each group typically hosts one or two joint concerts with other groups in the spring. 

The Harvard Glee Club finds itself in a similar boat with no official concerts announced yet.

The Harvard College Opera is performing “Le Nozze di Figaro” in Agassiz Theater from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1. Viewers can expect an Italian-language opera with English subtitles. 

Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum spring concert takes place on Mar. 6 at 8 pm, along with an additional Arts Fest showing at 8 on May 1, both in Sanders Theater.

Orchestra/Bands:

For its instrumentally talented students and community members, Harvard hosts numerous concerts in the spring. 

One of the most popular, the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, has two performances planned for March 7th and May 2nd at 8 pm. For those interested in attending, tickets cost $25, but Harvard students are able to view the show for free. 

The Bach Society Orchestra has concerts on Feb. 27, and Apr. 18 at 8 pm in Paine Hall. The Mozart Society Orchestra is putting together its spring concert on Apr. 25 at 8 pm in Paine Hall. The Harvard Wind Ensemble gathers in Lowell Lecture Hall for showings on Feb. 27 and Apr. 17, both at 8 pm. 

For those interested in semi-professional performances, Harvard also hosts non-student groups. The Boston Chamber Music Society has four concerts in Sanders Theater on Feb. 15, Mar. 8, Apr. 12, and May 10, all at 3 pm. Normal ticket prices can reach $79, but student tickets cost $9 and are only $6 at the door (subject to availability). 

The Kendall Square orchestra hosts two concerts in Sanders on Mar. 13 and May 15. Students get tickets for 80% off at $10 ($15 at the door). 

Arts Fest:

Happening Apr. 30 to May 3, Harvard annually hosts the Arts Fest to celebrate the vibrant community of creativity existing on the campus. The festival features performances, showcases, and opportunities for students to create their own art throughout the four days. 

Dance:

With over 25 dance groups on campus, from Harvard Ballet Company to the Asian American Dance Troupe, there is plenty to look forward to.

The AADT will hold its annual eastbound spring concert, although the dates have not been announced. 

Harvard Ghangaroo—which celebrates South Asian culture through dance, music, art, and more—will take place on Feb. 19-21. 

Many groups have not yet announced their 2026 spring shows on their websites, so follow along with their Instagrams or websites to stay up to date. 

These are just some of the excellent viewing opportunities we have on campus. While I inevitably missed some arts-related events in this roundup, make sure to check the Indy arts section for reviews of these events and more. We can’t wait to bring you the finest coverage for one of Harvard’s finest qualities: the fine arts. 

Kalvin Frank ’28  (kfrank@college.harvard.edu) is the Arts Editor for the HarvardIndependent.