July 16 | 4 – 8 PM | Throughout The Park

Please note that we’ll be starting to close our celebration on the Farragut Lawn starting at 6 PM due to the hazy conditions. Thank you for understanding!

Join Madison Square Park Conservancy for a celebration inspired by our Moon Tree, an American Sweetgum sapling grown from seeds that traveled around the Moon aboard NASA’s Artemis I mission. 

Commemorating the 57th anniversary of the first lunar space launch, this free, all-ages event will feature safe solar viewing, hands-on science experiments, scavenger hunts, an interactive Moon Tree art gallery, guided tours of our Celestial Gardens, and “Ask a Scientist” sessions with working experts. And don’t miss the unveiling of a specially commissioned poem by New York State Poet Laureate, Kimiko Hahn, in honor of our Moon Tree!

The day’s main celebration will take place from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, including a special children’s presentation at 4:30 PM and closing remarks at 7:15 PM.

Inspired by the Terrestrials episode: The Travelers: How Moon Trees Hide Among Us, the podcast will present an outdoor exhibition in Madison Square Park featuring original “moon tree” artwork created by listeners nationwide. Terrestrials will invite listeners to see their artwork on display, draw their own moon trees, and even meet Terrestrials SongBud Alan and a real moon tree seed!  

Click the link to view the full event schedule and plan your visit. Free and open to all.

This program is supported by Simons Foundation International and administered by Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.

The Madison Square Park Moon Tree is part of NASA’s Artemis Moon Tree initiative, developed in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. The summer celestial poetry installation is presented in partnership with the Poetry Society of America.