The Huntington’s Centennial Celebration kicks off Sept. 5, 2019, setting in motion a yearlong series of exhibitions, public programs, new initiatives, and more—inviting people with a range of interests to engage with the venerable institution’s collections and the connections they offer, and to join an exploration of ideas that will shape the future. The Huntington also announced today that it will enter a float in the 2020 Rose Parade® in Pasadena for the first time in 50 years in order to train a spotlight on its Centennial Celebration and welcome a wide audience to participate.

The Sept. 5 festivities will begin with a special event for press and Southern California civic, higher education, and cultural leaders. Soon after kickoff, Centennial activities and new initiatives will unfurl, designed to broadly explore the human experience through the interdisciplinary lens of The Huntington’s incomparable collections. Centennial activities confirmed as of June 4 include exhibitions, performances, conversations on topics ranging from the mysterious “bad quarto” of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the history of California, a new membership giveaway program geared toward college students, a lively Centennial website, and a family day. In the spring of 2020, eight acres of new features in The Huntington’s Chinese Garden will open to the public. More Centennial news and events will be announced at the launch on Sept. 5. 

“This institution’s reach is already wide,” said Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence. “Each year, hundreds of researchers mine and interpret our collections, thousands engage with us over social media, and hundreds of thousands of visitors come to wander the galleries and gardens, take classes, attend concerts or lectures, or celebrate special occasions. We are seizing this moment to amplify our invitation to new audiences in our Southern California communities and beyond, as well as to welcome artists, writers, and scholars to explore new synergies across the library, art, and botanical collections.”