Receptions
Reception for up to 100 guests
Small receptions are perfect in the
Vertebrate Paleontology gallery. Food stations, a bar, and café tables
can be set up amidst the dinosaurs, coelacanth, and other fossils. The
42-foot long Kronosaurus forms a unique backdrop for your event.
Vertebrate Paleontology is adjacent to the Friends Gallery, where the
exhibition Dodos, Trilobites and Meteorites - Treasures of Nature and
Science at Harvard is currently on display. Guests can wander through
the exhibition while also enjoying the reception next door.
Reception for up to 250 guests
Large receptions are ideally set in the Mineral Hall. The cases are
filled with some of the most beautiful mineral and gem specimens in the
world, including a 1600 lb. amethyst geode of exceptional quality. The
Mineral Hall is also adjacent to the Glass Flowers Gallery, and a few
steps from the exhibition Climate Change: Our Global Experiment.
Your guests will be able to mingle and take the time to tour these
popular exhibitions.
Receptions for more than 400 guests
Very large receptions and galas are held museum-wide. Food stations and
bars can be placed in the Mineral Hall, Vertebrate Paleontology, the special exhibit galleries, and in the Great Mammal
Hall with café table seating throughout.
Dinners
Dinner for 30
The Great Mammal Hall offers one of the most spectacular settings in
the Greater Boston area for a small dinner for 30. We suggest beginning
with a cocktail reception in Vertebrate Paleontology. Then take your
guests through the zoological galleries filled with hundreds of animal
specimens to the end of the corridor, where the space suddenly opens up
into the Great Mammal Hall. Overhead are giant whale skeletons. Glass
cases of exotic animals surround you as you dine. You’ll think you’re
on safari when we dim the overhead lights and highlight the animals on
display.
Dinner party for up to 100 guests
The Vertebrate Paleontology gallery in the museum provides a dramatic
backdrop to a seated dinner for up to 100 guests. The focus of the
gallery is our 42-foot-long Kronosaurus, largest of its species, found
almost intact in a limestone deposit in Queensland, Australia. Other
creatures in the gallery include a Triceratops, a Plateosaurus, and the
world’s largest freshwater turtle shell. We also have on view a
Coelacanth, once thought to be extinct, but found off the coast of
Madagascar in 1938. The Vertebrate Paleontology gallery is also an
ideal venue for a presentation or after-dinner speaker.
Larger seated dinners
There are flexible options for dinners of more than 100 people. Tables
can be grouped throughout the museum in adjacent galleries.
Meetings for up to 250 guests followed by a reception
The HMNH can arrange for the use of auditoriums within the museum
complex with lecture-style seating, one of which can seat approximately
250 people. It must, however, be followed by a reception in our
galleries. Price is upon request and dependent on availability.
Fees
Fees include use of the museum galleries during the specified hours, regular security, and standard custodial services and typically range from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on the nature and duration of the event. Discounts are available to Harvard University affiliates charging to a 33 digit code and to student groups. Please contact us at 617.384.7296 for additional information.
Terms
The HMNH is available for private functions only after 6 pm,
after the museum closes and the custodial staff has cleaned the space.
Evening events should end by 11 pm. Caterers may
have access to the prep space by 5 pm. Rental equipment may be dropped
off in the basement corridor after 9 am the day of the event.
The museum is not available for rent on Easter, Independence Day,
Thanksgiving, or the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.
During Commencement Week, the museum is available only to Harvard
University Alumni Reunions. Other blackout dates may apply as well.
The museum is not available for weddings or other milestone events.
Catering fees and rental equipment are arranged between the client
and the catering company chosen from the museum’s list of approved
caterers (see below).
Parking is available in the underground garage at 52 Oxford
Street. Please allow a minimum of three weeks notice if you wish us to
arrange event parking.
The Museum Shop is open on request during evening events. We can also assist with
corporate gift options for your guests or for an honoree.
The museum is happy to recommend a variety of additional services
to enhance your event. Some examples of the vendor services we can
recommend are audiovisual equipment, technicians, floral
arrangements, and music.
For additional information, please call 617.384.7296 or email
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. Upon approval, a 50% deposit is required to secure a date. This deposit
is applied to the balance due. Groups reserving the museum will be
invoiced for the remainder of the rental fee and additional charges.
Final payment must be received prior to the time of license contract.
