Events

It is true that Mount Auburn is first and foremost a cemetery, but it is also a National Historic Landmark, a botanical garden, an outdoor museum of art and architecture, and an important habitat for urban wildlife. Attend one of our many events and discover for yourself what makes this place so special!

 



Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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Reborn: Musical Innovations with the Bigelow Chapel Organ Pipes

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Join 2023-2024 Artist-in-Residence Eden Rayz for a death-aware musical performance that celebrates the 100th Anniversary homecoming of the Bigelow Chapel pipe organ* after it was decommissioned by Mount Auburn and reformed by Eden as a new multi-component instrument called Argent and Sable**. Performed alongside the cello with vocals, electronics, and percussionist Austin Birdy, Eden's original compositions, "Aboriginal Sensible […]

Mount Auburn’s Medicinal & Edible Landscape Tour

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

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 […]

$12

Early Risers Horticulture Walks

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Mondays at 8 AM: April 22 & 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27 Check-in for the […]

Spring Migrants with Jeremiah Trimble

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Join us for a spring bird walk searching for both migrant and breeding birds. Bring your binoculars and field guides. All skill levels welcome. Led by Jeremiah Trimble, Curatorial Associate, Ornithology, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Thursdays at 6:45 AM: April 18 & 25, May 2, 9, 16 & 23 Check-in will be on […]

Bigelow Chapel Open House

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Come and explore Mount Auburn’s first chapel, originally constructed in the 1840’s.  Staff and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about the Chapel and point out some of its most interesting features.  FREE … Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on […]

Early Risers Horticulture Walks

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Join our staff for any or all of these hour-long early morning excursions to discover what’s in bloom and any other items of horticultural interest. From early bulbs to magnificent flowering trees, we will try to catch them all. Mondays at 8 AM: April 22 & 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27 Check-in for the […]

Sense & Sensuality: Writing with the Five Senses

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

"I am not an intellectual, I write with my body," wrote Clarice Lispector in 1977. What is it to write with the body? What is it to drop out of the brain and into bowels (or lower) and write from there? How can we channel our senses to enliven our writing? And how do we […]

$15 – $20

Discover Mount Auburn Introductory Walking Tour

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

Mount Auburn, designated a National Historic Landmark, is one of the country’s most significant designed landscapes. Here the arts of horticulture, architecture and sculpture combine with the beauty of nature to create a place of comfort and inspiration. This 1.5-mile walking tour will focus on stories of history, monuments, and the lives of those buried […]

Free – $10

Burial Info Session (Virtual)

Curious about burial and memorialization at Mount Auburn Cemetery? Come learn about our various burial options, including cremation burial, natural burial, and conventional casket burial, and about the ways a person can be remembered at Mount Auburn whether they are buried here or not.  You’ll have the opportunity to ask your own questions whether you attend in person or […]

An (Un)common Inheritance: The Beauty & Wonder of Mount Auburn’s Ecosystem

Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge

“…It is the duty of the living thus to provide for the dead. It is not a mere office of pious regard for others; but it comes home to our own bosoms, as those who are soon to enter upon the common inheritance.” ~Joseph Story, Mount Auburn Cemetery Consecration address, 1831 For nearly two hundred years, […]