PSA (No-Host Event): The Blue Star Museums Program, May 17-September 1, 2025

I am posting this information as a public service announcement and not as an event. It is for our active-duty military families, to spread the word about the Blue Star Museums Program that includes free admission to over 2,000 museums across our country from May 17th to September 1st.

Local events are being offered to celebrate the start of the Blue Star Museums program (see below for the National Museum of American History). Since I have to create an event in Meetup, I am using the National Museum of American History event to post the PSA. I am not able to attend this event, but please read on to find out more, and spread the word.

Summer is a wonderful time for families to visit museums, history and science centers, and zoos. Museums, however, can be very expensive. Active-duty military personnel and their families are on very tight budgets, and frequently one partner is deployed.

To offer these families an opportunity to have a family day at a local museum, the Blue Star Museum Program offers free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day, with a particular focus on the roughly two million children who have had at least one parent deployed.

Since the summer of 2010, this collaborative program has been offered by the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and the participating museums themselves. The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military–Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard–including Reservists, National Guardsman (regardless of status), U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members.

From Armed Forces Day on May 17, 2025, to Labor Day, September 1, 2025, more than 2,000 museums within the Blue Star Museum system across the country are participating in the event, including children’s museums, art museums, history and science museums, zoos, and nature centers.

On Saturday, May 17th, the National Museum of American History (that recently became a Blue Star Museum) will be offering its Blue Star Museums Celebration to recognize its becoming a member of the Blue Star Museums: https://americanhistory.si.edu/events/calendar/blue-star-museum-celebration. Admission to the NMAH is always free, but its joining helps to celebrate this amazing program that supports our active-duty military families.

If you can't attend or aren't local to the DMV, check out other museums that are participating. Remember the program runs from May 17th to September 1st. Always check to see if the museum you want to attend is participating.

• For the list of participating institutions, see the map: https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums
• For more information on the requirements to attend, see the FAQ at the National Endowment for the Arts page: https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/blue-star-museums/frequently-asked-questions
• For information on the Blue Star Museums from the Blue Star Families organization, see https://bluestarfam.org/family-life/blue-star-museums/

This article from 2019 is a nice example of how the program has affected one military family: https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2019/how-blue-star-museums-making-difference-one-military-familys-story

Since the focus on the program is for active-duty military personnel and their families, veterans are not included in the program. However, many museums offer special or reduced rates for the veteran population. Veterans should contact the museum they’re interested in visiting to inquire about reduced admission fees.

I hope that if you are an active-duty military member, you can take advantage of this program. Please share this information with anyone you know who could participate. It really is an important way we can support our active-duty military personnel in 2025 and share the arts and culture found in our amazing cultural, historical, and natural science institutions.
Photo Attribution: Blue Star Families. https://bluestarfam.org/family-life/blue-star-museums/