Princeton Events

There are so many things to see and do in the Princeton area.  Check out our calendar of events below.  If you're looking for a place to stay while in Princeton, check out our great hotels.  We also have a variety of wonderful restaurants and things to do.  There are also a few great annual events in the Princeton area.  Enjoy your visit with us!

 

01/29/2012 - 02/04/2012

Featured Events

Winter Wonders at Grounds For Sculpture

  • Date(s): 11/26/2011 - 02/26/2012
  • Recurring daily
  • Times: November 26, 2011-February 26, 2012
  • Location: 19 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton NJ 08619, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: Coby Green-Rifkin
  • Phone: (609) 586-4305
  • Admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students; children 5 and under are free.
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Winter Wonders at Grounds For Sculpture will run through February 2012. During those three months, we'll host ice carving demonstrations, horse drawn carriage rides, holiday artisan boutiques, a White Hot Russian Vodka dinner, screenings of the Black Maria Film Festival, and even lectures by organic gardening guru Mike McGrath, plus we'll be celebrating Chinese New Year with a performance by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, amazing paper-cutting by Hou-Tien Cheng, and even a special dinner at Rat's Restaurant when Scott Swiderski of Buddakan teams up with Rat's executive chef Shane Cash for a most memorable meal.

Textures and Trails Art Exhibit

  • Date(s): 12/12/2011 - 02/10/2012
  • Recurring daily
  • Location: D&R Greenway Land Trust, Johnson Education Center, One Preservation Place, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 924-4646
  • Admission: free
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An art exhibit exploring trails and nature through uncommon media. Landscape quills, metals, textiles, and objects from nature will be combined to celebrate the many paths that wind through the New Jersey landscape.

Myths, Tales, and Poetry in Japanese Art

  • Date(s): 01/24/2012 - 05/06/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: OPEN Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
  • Location: Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-3788
  • Admission: Free and open to the public
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Literary narratives are modified and sometimes mystified in their long afterlives, as their audiences change and expand. So, too, are visualized narratives. Works from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, selected from the Museum’s collection of Japanese art, offer a glance at the narrative myths embedded in pictures. Featured in this exhibition are two recent acquisitions: Monochrome Handscroll of the Tale of Genji, dated to the late fifteenth century, and a set of four prints, Famous Sites of Edo in the Four Seasons, by And? Hiroshige. The Tale of Genji, a court romance that is arguably the earliest novel in the world, has had a profound impact on visual culture in Japan for more than one thousand years. The newly acquired small-format scroll depicts two of the fifty-four chapters of the Tale of Genji. It is composed of eight pictures and extensive calligraphy that copies excerpts, with some modifications, from Chapters 10 and 11 of the tale. The pictures are drawn in fine lines of monochromatic ink, with lips accentuated by tiny red dots. The painter used extremely economic brushstrokes to delineate the faces, and yet the figures have revealing expressions. According to the connoisseur’s note at the end of the scroll and the writings on the box cover, the calligraphy was written by Inoo Tsunefusa (1422–1485), a famed calligrapher who served as a secretary for the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa (1436–1490).

Qian Du (1764–1844) and Style in Qing Dynasty Painting

  • Date(s): 01/24/2012 - 04/22/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: OPEN Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
  • Location: Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-3788
  • Admission: Free and open to the public
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The early nineteenth-century landscape painter Qian Du created works for high officials, wrote treatises on painting, taught, and produced a large body of work. Curiously, despite his achievements, Qian Du’s landscapes are rarely discussed in the larger context of Qing dynasty (1644–1912) painting—in part because a distinct painting style separates his work from that of his more "orthodox" and "individualist" contemporaries. Qian’s landscapes can be characterized as airy and elegant, combining long brushstrokes of built-up dry ink with pale washes of crystalline color and concentrated zones of patterned foliage. These stylistic attributes stand in contrast to most other Qing dynasty landscape paintings, which focused on calligraphic brushwork technique at the expense of pattern and color. Organized around a core group of Qian Du’s landscapes, this exhibition brings together Qing landscape painting from the Museum's collection and from private lenders and explores the ways in which Qian's painting style differed—in subtle but important ways—from most other Qing landscape painting. By focusing on Qian's use of specific modes of color, pattern, and brushwork, his style can be distinguished from the so-called Orthodox and Individualist schools of Qing painting.

Exhibition at Morven|Puzzles of the Brain: An Artist's Journey through Amnesia

  • Date(s): 01/26/2012 - 06/03/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: Wednesday through Friday: 11am-3pm; Saturday & Sunday: Noon-4pm
  • Location: Morven Museum & Garden | 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ
  • Contact: Michelle Sheridan
  • Phone: (609) 924-8144
  • Admission: Adult: $6, Seniors/Students: $5
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Princeton native, Lonni Sue Johnson, whose work appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, contracted encephalitis in 2007 and suffered severe amnesia as well as a complete loss of artistic productivity. This fascinating exhibit, on loan from the Walters Art Museum, explores the artistic evolution of her work from her pre-professional career through her astounding "recovery art."

Winter Happy Hour

  • Date(s): 01/27/2012 - 02/17/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Friday
  • Times: 4:00 - 7:00pm
  • Location: Rat's Lounge, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: Emily Carr
  • Phone: (609) 584-7800
  • Admission: Free
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Join us every Friday from 4pm to 7pm for Happy Hour and celebrate Chinese New Year. Enjoy complimentary Asian inspired appetizers and drink specials.

United Financial Empowerment Center

  • Date(s): 01/31/2012 - 04/17/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Tuesday
  • Times: 11:00am-8:00pm
  • Location: 3131 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville
  • Contact: Ely Mateo
  • Phone: (609) 896-1912
  • Admission: Free
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United Way of Greater Mercer County will be opening the United Financial Empowerment Center on January 31st. The center will offer free financial services including tax preparation. Open on Tuesdays from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm at 3131 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville, NJ. For more information, (609) 896-1912 or email financialempowerment@uwgmc.org.

Wine Quizzo & $39 Prix Fixe Menu

  • Date(s): 02/02/2012 - 02/23/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Thursday
  • Location: Rat's Restaurant Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: Emily Carr
  • Phone: (609) 584-7800
  • Admission: $25 - $39
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Every Thursday in February, enjoy a special 3 course dinner for $39.00 and a special half price wine list. Thursdays in February & March, we'll be having a Wine Quizzo at 7pm in the Lounge at Rat's.  If you think you and your friends know a lot about wine (and beer and booze, bring your best team to participate in blind tastings and answer booze-related trivia questions from regional wine experts. Each night the winning team will receive prizes such as gift cards to Rat’s, wine and more. $25.00 per guest plus tax and gratuity. For more information and reservations please call 609-584-7800

Ongoing Events

Pattern/Picture

  • Date(s): 10/05/2011 - 02/05/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  • Location: Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-3788
  • Admission: Free and open to the public
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This eye-popping installation features photographs from the Museum’s collection that explore the dynamic range between graphic pattern and illusionistic image. At the center is a group of 15 works from the archives of the Clarence White School of Photography. White School students variously framed rhythmic patterns they found in real-world situations, arranged objects in the studio to create patterns in the camera’s eye, or crafted picture-puzzles out of multiple prints of a single image. Other featured photographers include Lilo Raymond, Ray K. Metzker, Torbjørn Rødland, Jean-Pierre Sudre, Harry Callahan, Danny Lyon and Harold Edgerton.

Instrumental Transitions - Michael Dunbar

  • Date(s): 10/16/2011 - 04/22/2012
  • Recurring daily
  • Times: Park Hours: Open year-round Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 6 pm, closed Mondays. GFS reserves the right to close to the public for special events throughout the year.
  • Location: Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: info@groundsforsculpture.org
  • Phone: (609) 586-0616
  • Admission: Free with Admission; Admission to the Park: Members - Free, Adults (18-64) - $12, Seniors (65+) - $10, Students (6-17) - $8, Children (5>) - Free
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ON THE MEZZANINE OF THE DOMESTIC ARTS BUILDING, we showcase the meticulously crafted metal sculptures of Michael Dunbar, capturing the power and elegance of Dunbar’s monumental work, but on the personal and intimate scale of models and miniatures.

The 12th Annual ISC Exhibition

  • Date(s): 10/16/2011 - 04/22/2012
  • Recurring daily
  • Times: Park Hours: Open year-round Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 6 pm, closed Mondays. GFS reserves the right to close to the public for special events throughout the year.
  • Location: Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: info@groundsforsculpture.org
  • Phone: (609) 586-0616
  • Admission: Free with Admission; Admission to the Park: Members - Free, Adults (18-64) - $12, Seniors (65+) - $10, Students (6-17) - $8, Children (5>) - Free
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IN THE DOMESTIC ARTS BUILDING,view work by some of the most talented student artists in the United States and beyond in an annual juried exhibition sponsored by The International Sculpture Center (ISC).

White Hot Expressions in Iron - A Group Exhibition

  • Date(s): 10/16/2011 - 04/08/2012
  • Recurring daily
  • Times: Park Hours: Open year-round Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 6 pm, closed Mondays. GFS reserves the right to close to the public for special events throughout the year.
  • Location: Grounds For Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
  • Contact: info@groundsforsculpture.org
  • Phone: (609) 586-0616
  • Admission: Free with Admission; Admission to the Park: Members - Free, Adults (18-64) - $12 Seniors (65+) - $10, Students (6-17) - $8, Children (5>) - Free
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IN THE MUSEUM we present a powerful group show of work in cast and fabricated iron by Dave Carrow, Kate Graves, Rory Mahon, Gina Miccinelli, Joe Montroy, Matt Reiley, Ken Payne, Scot Thompson, and Jay Wholley.

Lee Friedlander: Cars and The New Cars

  • Date(s): 10/29/2011 - 02/05/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  • Location: Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-3788
  • Admission: Free and open to the public
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Lee Friedlander’s restlessly inventive eye is nowhere in stronger evidence than in his photographs of cars in the American scene. Highlighted here, among works from the collection of Randi and Bob Fisher, are 14 prints from the artist’s recently rediscovered project “The New Cars 1964.” Asked by Harper’s Bazaar magazine in late 1963 (as Andy Warhol had been the year before) to produce a feature on the next year’s models, Friedlander characteristically placed his subjects in settings such as gas stations and parking lots. These Pop Art masterworks, declined by the magazine, make their American debut here.

“Holiday Gift Drive Brings Joy to Local Families”

  • Date(s): 11/07/2011 - 12/14/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  • Location: Enable, Inc., 13 Roszel Road, Suite B110
  • Contact: Kirsten Yard
  • Phone: 6099875003,ext124
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Enable, Inc., a non-profit enabling individuals with disabilities to live full and independent lives in the community, is launching its annual Holiday Gift Drive to meet the unmet needs and wishes of individuals with disabilities. Donate gift items between Nov. 28th and Dec. 8th at Enable’s headquarters in Princeton, NJ. Financial donations also help grant wishes and meet program needs. For more information, send an e-mail to kyard@enablenj.org, or call Kirsten Yard at (609) 987-5003, ext. 124.

Leadership Development and Executive Coaching

  • Date(s): 11/23/2011 - 12/09/2012
  • Recurring every 2 days
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Take a five minute survey to assess your team's performance regarding productivity, customer satisfaction, and value. The 8 questions reveal common pitfalls that lead to overwhelm, rework, and poor morale. We will share with you methods to improve your team's performance and value. Take the survey now!

Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum

  • Date(s): 12/03/2011 - 02/12/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 am - 10:00 pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
  • Location: Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-3788
  • Admission: Free and open to the public
  • Add to Itinerary

Visitors to the Princeton University Art Museum will experience a rare glimpse inside the spiritual lives and religious customs of medieval Christians during the run of Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition of 60 panels and freestanding figures is drawn from the world’s largest collection of medieval alabasters, which were displayed in the homes, chapels and churches of both aristocratic and non-aristocratic Christians. Dramatic and intricately crafted, these works are some of the finest examples from the prolific school of religious sculpture that flourished in England from the late 14th through the early 16th centuries. The creation of these objects came to an abrupt end with the Protestant Reformation in the 1530s, a time when many sculptures were defaced or destroyed. The exhibition is on loan from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

Winter Preschool Nature Programs

  • Date(s): 12/06/2011 - 02/28/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Tuesday
  • Times: 10:00-11:30AM
  • Location: Buttinger Nature Center, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ
  • Contact: Maryann Polefka
  • Phone: (609) 737-7592
  • Admission: fee per child: $10 Watershed members/$15 non-members
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Under the guidance of the SBMWA Naturalists, children 3-5 years old learn about nature in nature! Topics change weekly and always include outdoor exploration - come dressed for wintery weather, boots recommended. Registration is required and parent must stay with child younger than 4. No class on December 20, 27 and February 7.

Winter Preschool Nature Programs

  • Date(s): 12/07/2011 - 02/29/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Wednesday
  • Times: 1:00pm - 2:30pm
  • Location: Buttinger Nature Center, 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington, NJ
  • Contact: Maryann Polefka
  • Phone: (609) 737-7592
  • Admission: fee per child: $10 Watershed members/$15 non-members
  • Add to Itinerary

Under the guidance of the SBMWA Naturalists, children 3-5 years old learn about nature in nature! Topics change weekly and always include outdoor exploration - come dressed for wintery weather, boots recommended. Registration is required and parent must stay with child younger than 4. No class on December 21, 28 and February 8.

The Convert

  • Date(s): 01/13/2012 - 02/12/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
  • Times: Tue - Thur - 7:30pm; Fri - 8:00pm; Sat - 3:00pm & 8:00pm; Sun - 2:00pm & 7:30pm
  • Location: McCarter Theatre Center: Berlind Theatre, Princeton, NJ
  • Phone: (609) 258-2787
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It’s 1895 in the region that would become Zimbabwe. Jekesai, a young village girl, escapes a forced marriage by becoming the newest convert of a well-meaning black catechist for the Catholic Church. When a civil uprising against colonial white rule disrupts their lessons, the girl and her teacher must find their place in a new world order that threatens their heritage, history, and faith. Prodigiously talented playwright Danai Gurira (Eclipsed and In the Continuum) has written an unflinching, startling, and compelling new play, filled with humor and compassion.

Wednesday Tea & Tour at Morven Museum & Garden

  • Date(s): 01/18/2012 - 11/21/2012
  • Recurring weekly on Wednesday
  • Times: Tea is served at 1 p.m. Tours can be scheduled at 12:15 or 2:15 p.m.
  • Location: Morven Museum & Garden | 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ
  • Contact: Michelle Sheridan
  • Phone: 6099248144x106
  • Admission: $16 Members, $20 Non-Members
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Relax in the classic elegance of Morven's Garden Room overlooking the Colonial Revival Garden. Featured menu items include tea sandwiches, scones, and an assortment of fresh fruit and sweets. Tea is served each Wednesday (January - November) at 1 p.m. A docent-led tour of the home can be scheduled at 12:15 or 2:15 p.m. Reservations are required so please contact Michelle Sheridan at (609) 924-8144 ext. 106 or at msheridan@morven.org for reservations.

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