Please note that tickets are sold out to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ensemble Shakespeare Theater returns to Descanso for a fully immersive theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bring your running shoes, as this experience will have you chasing through the Gardens to follow fighting lovers, dancing fairies, and a bewildered donkey, on an adventure filled with laughter and love.

$25 members, $35 non-members. Advance tickets required. Please note that this program is non-refundable.

Please note that tickets are sold out to A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ensemble Shakespeare Theater returns to Descanso for a fully immersive theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bring your running shoes, as this experience will have you chasing through the Gardens to follow fighting lovers, dancing fairies, and a bewildered donkey, on an adventure filled with laughter and love.

$25 members, $35 non-members. Advance tickets required. Please note that this program is non-refundable.

Work with artist Carole Kim to make your own pieces of art with foraged material. All ages welcome. Meets in the studio of the Boddy House each Sunday this August from 1–3pm.

Carole Kim‘s exhibition, Shine a Light, is currently on view at the Sturt Haaga Gallery.

Please note that the End of Summer Celebration is sold out.

The gardens stay open extra late for the End of Summer Celebration. Grab a cold drink and relax to the tunes of the The Flashdance DJs, wander through the gardens to the sounds of live music. Enjoy the sunset, then end the night with some stargazing in the Oak Woodland. Bring your own flashlight! Advance tickets required.

Please note that tickets are limited to 6 per household; those reserving more than 6 tickets will have all additional tickets invalidated.

Schedule:

• The Flashdance DJs | 5:30–10pm
• Crafting | 5:30–9:30pm
• Barbecue and Drinks by Patina | 5:30–9pm
• Live Music | 6–8pm
• “Bark” performance by Carole Kim | 8–10pm
  • Descanso’s artist-in-residence is joined by Ursula Brookbank, Odeya Nina, and Laura Steenberge for a durational collaborative performance.
• Stargazing | 8:30–9:30pm
  • See the night sky through a telescope with the help of the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers.

On Sept. 7, Descanso welcomes SILENCE, a new concert series presenting music and performance unconstrained by genre, at specific sites within the Gardens. At SILENCE: Ritual, Zola Jesus, Low Leaf, and Miya Folick perform their own music, Saul Williams speaks, and artists Archie Carey, Jonah Levy, Odeya Nini, and Brian Walsh perform the spatial masterpiece Patangis Buwaya by Jonas Baes.

Tickets are $30 for Descanso Gardens members and $37 for non-members. Get your tickets here:

ABOUT SILENCE

Created by artistic directors Christopher Rountree, the conductor/composer who founded Wild Up, and Anna Bulbrook, the indie-rock musician and founder of Girlschool, SILENCE presents artists at the intersection of experimental popular music and classical new music. SILENCE explores three themes – Ritual (Sept. 7), Light (Sept. 21), and Listening (Sept. 28) – bringing unbounded sounds to the special outdoor space at Descanso Gardens.

ARTISTS

Archie Carey | Miya Folick | Jodie Landau | Low Leaf | Jonah Levy | Zola Jesus | Odeya Nini | Brian Walsh | Saul Williams | Jonas Baes, composer

MEDIA SPONSOR

Join artist-in-residence Carole Kim in the Sturt Haaga Gallery on Sept. 8 at 1pm or Sept. 17 at 10am as she discusses the method, inspiration and background behind the Shine a Light exhibition featuring her work.

Join artist-in-residence Carole Kim in the Sturt Haaga Gallery as she discusses the method, inspiration and background behind the Shine a Light exhibition featuring her work.

Discover SILENCE, a new concert series presenting music and performance unconstrained by genre, at specific sites within Descanso’s “living collection” of horticulture. On Sept. 21, we explore the theme Light with artist Suzanne Ciani. Mia Barcia-Colombo, Yuri Inoo, Cristina Montes Mateo, Vicki Ray, and Diana Wade perform Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s In the Light of Air.

Tickets are $30 for Descanso Gardens members and $37 for non-members. Get your tickets here:

ABOUT SILENCE

Created by artistic directors Christopher Rountree, the conductor/composer who founded Wild Up, and Anna Bulbrook, the indie-rock musician and founder of Girlschool, SILENCE presents artists at the intersection of experimental popular music and classical new music. SILENCE explores three themes – Ritual (Sept. 7), Light (Sept. 21), and Listening (Sept. 28) – bringing unbounded sounds to the special outdoor space at Descanso Gardens.

ARTISTS

Suzanne Ciani | Mia Barcia-Colombo | Yuri Inoo | Cristina Montes Mateo | Vicki Ray | Diana Wade | Anna Thorvaldsdottir, composer

MEDIA SPONSOR

SILENCE, a new concert series unconstrained by genre within the Gardens, concludes on Sept. 28 with an exploration of the theme: Listening. L’Rain and Julia Holter perform their own works; Lisa E. Harris performs her pieces alongside the participatory deep listening pieces of Pauline Oliveros; and Gloria Cheng performs selected John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano. 

Tickets are $30 for Descanso Gardens members and $37 for non-members. Get your tickets here:

ABOUT SILENCE

Created by artistic directors Christopher Rountree, the conductor/composer who founded Wild Up, and Anna Bulbrook, the indie-rock musician and founder of Girlschool, SILENCE presents artists at the intersection of experimental popular music and classical new music. SILENCE explores three themes – Listening (Sept. 7), Light (Sept. 21), and Ritual (Sept. 28) – bringing unbounded sounds to the special outdoor space at Descanso Gardens.

ARTISTS

Gloria Cheng | Lisa E. Harris | Julia Holter | L’Rain | John Cage, composer | Pauline Oliveros, composer

MEDIA SPONSOR

Join Urban Forager author Elisa Callow from 2:30–3:30pm on October 6 and November 3 in Van de Kamp Hall for a tasting and book signing. Books will be available for purchase.