The Phillips Collection is free 3rd Thursday monthly 5pm–8pm. Third Thursdays are free: the museum stays open until 8 pm, admission is free from 5 to 8 pm, and you don't need to register. The next posted dates are Oct 15 and Nov 19, 2026. Tickets are also pay-what-you-wish every day from 4 pm to close (5 pm on regular days), and visitors 18 and under always get in free. Third Thursdays need no registration. The museum recommends booking ahead for the daily 4 pm pay-what-you-wish tickets, and encourages it for regular general admission. Verified on The Phillips Collection's own page, last checked 2026-10-02.
| Free day | 3rd Thursday monthly 5pm–8pm |
|---|---|
| Who qualifies | Everyone; no residency requirement. Ages 18 and under are free every day. |
| Reservation | Third Thursdays need no registration. The museum recommends booking ahead for the daily 4 pm pay-what-you-wish tickets, and encourages it for regular general admission. |
| What's included | General admission, including special exhibitions. For example, 'Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea' (Oct 24, 2026 to Jan 24, 2027) is included with general admission. Third Thursdays add Spotlight Talks at 6 and 7 pm. |
| Regular adult price | $20 adult |
| Source | phillipscollection.org · checked 2026-10-02 |
Regular adult admission at The Phillips Collection is $20, so timing the visit to the free window keeps $40 in a couple's pocket and up to $80 for a family of four — each month it comes around. And since this free day is open to everyone, it's the cheapest possible way through the door.
Regular tickets ($20 adult) are on phillipscollection.org — skip third-party sellers, the official price is the floor. A membership card from another city's museum or zoo might work here too — the reciprocity lookup answers it in one search.
National Gallery of Art (always free) · Smithsonian Museums & National Zoo (always free) · Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (always free) · Smithsonian's National Zoo (always free) · National Air and Space Museum (always free) · Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (National Air and Space Museum) (always free) · Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (always free) · National Museum of American History (always free) — or see the full free museum days in Washington guide.
Washington's free-day calendar, condensed to one email a month — verified dates and resident rules only.
↥ Check another museum → Browse all free museum & zoo days →
Third Thursdays are free: the museum stays open until 8 pm, admission is free from 5 to 8 pm, and you don't need to register. The next posted dates are Oct 15 and Nov 19, 2026. Tickets are also pay-what-you-wish every day from 4 pm to close (5 pm on regular days), and visitors 18 and under always get in free.
Third Thursdays need no registration. The museum recommends booking ahead for the daily 4 pm pay-what-you-wish tickets, and encourages it for regular general admission.
General admission, including special exhibitions. For example, 'Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea' (Oct 24, 2026 to Jan 24, 2027) is included with general admission. Third Thursdays add Spotlight Talks at 6 and 7 pm.
$20 adult. That figure is the payoff for planning around the free day.
At $20 per adult, two adults keep $40 and a group of four paying adult prices keeps up to $80 per visit — before parking and extras.