Category: Events

Register for Public Events

Register for Public Events
February 26, 2024

Upcoming Public Events

ONGOING

First Saturday of Every Month, 1 PM
Discover Mount Auburn Introductory Walking Tour
These docent-led 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried here.
Saturday, April 6
Saturday, May 4
Saturday, June 1
Saturday, July 6

Forest Bathing: A Mindful Nature Experience
Stefanie Haug (LICSW) will guide our Forest Bathing experience including simple warm-up movements, a natural history of the area, guided breathing and centering awareness, mindful walking with sensory activities, and finding a nature meditation/sit spot. 
Saturday, April 20, 1 PM
Sunday, August 11, 10 AM
Saturday, September 14, 1 PM
Saturday, October 19, 10 AM

Community Connections Walks
Join guest guide, Stefanie Haug LICSW, for a series of theme-based Community Connection Walks. Each walk includes nature-based mindfulness practices and space to listen and share what may arise around the theme of our walk.
Sunday, April 21 at 10:00-11:30am: Elderhood
Sunday, Aug 11 at 1:00pm-2:30pm: Elderhood
Saturday, Sep 14 at 10:00-11:30am: Navigating Loss
Saturday Oct 19 at 1:00-2:30pm: Navigating Loss

Morning Writes
Lead by Mount Auburn Cemetery Public Events Producer, Julie-Anne Whitney, Morning Writes is an informal writing time and a chance to meet up with other creative thinkers. Each session will begin with a few writing prompts to get you started, followed by 30-40 minutes of writing time. 
Saturday, June 15, 10 AM
Saturday, August 17, 10 AM
Saturday, September 21, 10 AM


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Electronics Recycling: Sat, Jan 6, 2024

Electronics Recycling: Sat, Jan 6, 2024
December 5, 2023

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, January 6, 10 am – 1 pm

Bring your old electronics over to Mount Auburn’s Preservation Services Building to recycle!  Enter at 24 Cottage St. Watertown, MA 02472.

When you arrive on site please observe signs and directions from staff to help us safely and orderly unload your vehicle (walk-ups welcome as well).

Recycling Services provided by Northeast Material Handling, Inc., Haverhill, MA

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Summer SOLSTICE 2023

Summer SOLSTICE 2023
June 1, 2023

The Summer SOLSTICE approaches on June 21st. Spend the longest day of the year at Mount Auburn, where we’ll be hosting a number of different activities, tours, and concerts for all to attend.

Public Event with people sitting on the lawn under brightly colored umbrellas in Hazel Dell
Public Event in Hazel Dell, photo by Sarah Hinzman

SCHEDULE

10:00am-11:15am | Forest Bathing ($15; walking tour) 


Join guest guide Stefanie Haug (LICSW) as we explore Mount Auburn Cemetery by slowing down, being attentive to nature with all our senses, and deepening our appreciation for this special slice of our Cambridge neighborhood. Our Forest Bathing experience will include simple warm-up movements, a natural history of the area, guided breathing and centering awareness, mindful walking with sensory activities, and finding our nature meditation/sit spot.  

What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes, small mat or towel to sit on, water. 


12:30pm-1:30pm | Midday Sound Meditation ($15; Hazel Dell) 

An outdoor Guided Meditation, Relaxation and Sound Experience. Sound Healing practitioner Marlene Boyette welcomes all to be held by the earth, to find refuge, to rest, and to be led through a guided meditation intended to bring the mind and the body into unison, while also engaging the senses. Weaving together the sounds, vibrations, and energy of our natural surroundings with a variety of instruments (including deeply resonant crystal and metal singing bowls and chimes), participants will be bathed in layers sonic acoustics. 

The experience will close with an opportunity for all to reflect and set intentions for the new season through dialogue and / or journaling. 

What to bring: a yoga mat, blanket or towel, a journal and writing utensil. A limited amount of chairs will be provided. 


12:45pm-1:45pm | Cyanotype Workshop (Free; Halcyon Lake) 

Cyanotypes are one of the oldest photographic printing processes in the history of photography. The distinctive feature of the print is its shade of cyan blue, which results from its exposure to ultraviolet light. 

A light blue print of plants pressed on a dark blue background

Cyanotypes were first introduced by the astronomer, scientist, and botanist John Herschel in 1841. The cyanotype process was later used by botanist Anna Atkins Atkins to make the first ever photographic book in 1843.  

Join Former MAC Artist-in-Residence Madge Evers for a workshop on how to make your own cyanotype compositions. Evers will teach participants an experimental form of the cyanotype process by which she will create a series of images on paper that use and depict the flora of Mount Auburn Cemetery. 


1:00pm-2:00pm | Violinist at Asa Gray Garden (Free) 

Join musician Lilly Innella at Asa Gray Garden for an hour of free music. Innella is a wedding and event violinist based out of New England and is a member of the Ashley Jordan Band and the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Innella is classically trained and plays a variety of different genres including pop, rock, country, and musical theatre. Drop by! No registration required.


2:00pm-3:00pm | Long Blooms (Free; walking tour) 

Join Mount Auburn’s Director of Ornamental Horticulture, Steph Almasi, for a walking tour of the grounds as you explore some of the longest blooming flowers on the longest day of the year. 


2:15pm-3:15pm | Vibraphonist at Willow Pond (Free) 

Join musician Denver Nuckolls at Willow Pond for an hour of free music. Nuckolls will be playing a vibraphone, a percussion instrument that encourages reflection and relaxation within washes of sound. Nuckolls is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator based in the Boston area. When performing, Denver assumes the role of communicator, aiming to inspire honest human connection through the bridging of differing artistic settings and musical styles. Drop by! No registration required.


3:00pm-3:45pm | Yoga for the Mind, Body, and Soul ($15; Hazel Dell) 

Led by Artemis Yoga teacher Tracy Affonso 
Tracy’s classes are a fun physical practice infused with a sense of calming energy. She mindfully instructs her students through sequences, while offering them the space to listen to their bodies and move with intention. 

What to bring: water, a yoga mat, flexible/comfortable clothing. 


3:30pm-4:30pm | Violinist at Asa Gray Garden (Free) 

Join musician Lilly Innella at Asa Gray Garden for an hour of free music. Innella is a wedding and event violinist based out of New England and is a member of the Ashley Jordan Band and the New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Innella is classically trained and plays a variety of different genres including pop, rock, country, and musical theatre. Drop by! No registration required.


4:00pm-5:15pm | Forest Bathing ($15; walking tour) 

Join guest guide Stefanie Haug (LICSW) as we explore Mount Auburn Cemetery by slowing down, being attentive to nature with all our senses, and deepening our appreciation for this special slice of our Cambridge neighborhood. Our Forest Bathing experience will include simple warm-up movements, a natural history of the area, guided breathing and centering awareness, mindful walking with sensory activities, and finding our nature meditation/sit spot.  

What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes, small mat or towel to sit on, water. 


4:15-5:15pm | Mount Auburn’s Medicinal and Edible Landscape | (Free; walking tour) 

Come join local herbalist and former Mount Auburn arborist Alex Klein for a saunter through the cemetery where we’ll get to know the medicinal and culinary aspects of some of the cemetery’s planted and wild collections.

We’ll talk some of the historical and cultural uses of our favorite trees, how to use the weeds as food and medicine, as well as some natural history and ecology of this garden landscape. It will be a leisurely stroll, that will venture off the roads at times, including a likely foray into the Dell. 


4:15pm-5:15pm | Vibraphonist at Willow Pond (Free) 

Join musician Denver Nuckolls at Willow Pond for an hour of free music. Nuckolls will be playing a vibraphone, a percussion instrument that encourages reflection and relaxation within washes of sound. Nuckolls is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator based in the Boston area. When performing, Denver assumes the role of communicator, aiming to inspire honest human connection through the bridging of differing artistic settings and musical styles. Drop by! No registration required.


5:30pm-6:45pm | Bluegrass & Folk Concert (Free; Hazel Dell) 

Opener: STONEFACE MOUNTAIN. A young bluegrass band from the Boston area who share a common love of music. Their hard-driving Bluegrass sound is influenced by legends such as Flatt & Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs, and Bill Monroe. Stoneface Mountain has been astounding crowds at many popular New England venues for the past five years, such as the Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival, Podunk Bluegrass Festival, Ossipee Valley Bluegrass Festival, Club Passim, and others. They are the emerging future of Bluegrass music. 

Headliner: IRA KLEIN(MAC 2022-2023 Artist-in-Residence), KEVIN BARRY, and HAZEL ROYER. You may remember this trio of musician friends from a concert on Bigelow Lawn in September 2022. We liked them so much, we just had to bring them back! 

Ira Klein holding a guitar standing on the lawn next to the Sphinx Memorial
Photo by Rafi Sofer

Ira Klein is an award-winning interdisciplinary guitarist, composer, producer, and educator from Jerusalem, Israel. Performing and recording extensively in New England and beyond, Ira aspires to create deeply rooted, fresh, and idiosyncratic contemporary music. 

Kevin Barry is a professional guitarist who has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, and Ray Lamontagne, among others. He has performed with Jackson Browne, Rob Thomas, Sara Mclachlan, Bonnie Rait, and many other national acts. 

Hazel Royer is a Boston-based upright bassist, guitarist, and singer. She plays a variety of styles including folk, bluegrass, old-time, rock, and blues. Hazel grew up playing folk and bluegrass music in the Boston music scene with her father, Eric Royer. 

SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light

October 7, 2022

Join us this December for

SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light

Created by MASARY Studios
Commissioned by Mount Auburn Cemetery

SOLSTICE: Reflections on Winter Light is an annual event at Mount Auburn Cemetery that includes an outdoor journey through large-scale light and sound artworks, and an indoor experience with live music and candle lighting. Guests are invited to walk through the light-filled landscape and explore the Winter Solstice atmosphere, and to reflect on moments of change as the year ends and a new cycle begins. Connect to a landscape of exceptional beauty, consider an intention for the new year, or commemorate the memory of a loved one. Let the Solstice light your way as you encounter the unique spirit of Mount Auburn. 

This year’s event takes place December 10 – 21 and tickets will go on sale for the general public on November 2nd.

Join or renew your membership today!  Members will get advanced access to ticketing and receive a 50% discount on all Adult General Admission tickets. 

Event Dates & Times:

Dec 10-11; Dec 13-18; Dec 20-21

Timed entries begin at 5:00 PM and continue every half-hour. The final nightly entry time is 8:30pm.

Ticket information:

Adult, FOMAC Members: $15
Adult: $30
Youth(ages 6-16): $5
Child (5 and under): Free

Member Ticketing pre-sale begins Oct 26, 2022; Public Ticketing starts November 2nd.

Images and video by Aram Boghosian.