Attend a Virtual World’s Fair at the DAR Museum

Every summer, the DAR Museum hosts a turn-of-the-century World’s Fair complete with food, music and guests from local embassies and cultural centers. Together, we give museum visitors a taste of what it was like to attend a World’s Fair in 1893 Chicago or 1904 St. Louis. This event traditionally attracts approximately 1,000 visitors, who can admire the beauty of the DAR’s Memorial Continental Hall while learning about objects relating to the World’s Fair in the DAR Museum’s collection. Activities and games of the period, plus a peek into the art, music and cuisine from cultures around the world, complete the experience.

This year, we are bringing this event to you at home! Rather than cancel the DAR Museum’s World Fair due to ongoing restrictions in the District of Columbia related to the pandemic, we have partnered with global organizations and individuals to present a variety of activities, interviews and demonstrations spread over three days. This will give participants the chance to experience the World’s Fair at the DAR Museum from anywhere and everywhere! Some of the material is especially made for students, while other components will be enjoyed more by adults.

Here’s how it works: All events will stream through the DAR Museum’s YouTube channel. Some videos are available to watch now; some will premiere at a specified time; and some will be coming to you live. You can watch everything through YouTube with no action needed. However, if you would like to receive a reminder every day of the Fair with direct links to each event, register here for a free ticket. You can even choose to go a step further and register for one of the (free) live events through Zoom Webinar; then you will be able to ask questions directly to the guest speaker! These events will still stream through YouTube Live, so if you would rather just watch and enjoy, you can do that too.