Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — open to the University and local community:
Performances
Centre Stage Sneak Preview – 5:30-7:30 p.m., Sept. 17, Theatre Building, University Park campus. The Penn State Centre Stage Sneak Preview event will offer audiences an exclusive look at the productions, artists and experiences that will shape the 2026–27 season, with hors d’oeuvres and performances featuring upcoming scenes and songs. With the season theme “Out of Many — One,” the stories presented invite audiences to consider how theater connects people from all walks of life.
Lil Wayne – 7 p.m., Sept. 18, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Lil Wayne will bring his 2026 North American tour to the Bryce Jordan Center. The tour celebrates more than 20 years of the “Tha Carter” album series, a collection widely credited with shaping modern hip-hop.
Magic Rocks! With Leon Etienne – 7:30 p.m., Sept. 18, The Pullo Center, York campus. Illusionist Leon Etienne reimagines classic magic as a modern live experience in this show featuring grand illusion with a rock 'n' roll attitude.
Bach's Lunch – 12:10-12:45 p.m., Sept. 24, Eisenhower Chapel, University Park campus. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly concert series during the school year. These popular concerts are brief in order to make it possible for the University community to attend during the lunch hour. Free.
Events
National Hispanic Heritage Month events – Multiple dates and locations throughout September and October. From mid-September through the end of October, Penn State units at campuses across the commonwealth will hold events in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as a time to honor and celebrate the historic background, culture, heritage and many influences of the Hispanic and Latino communities throughout the years. The unifying theme for this year’s observances is "La unidad es nuestra fuerza" — “Unity Is Our Strength."
Harvest Fest – 4:30-7:30 p.m., Sept. 17, Ross Student Farm, University Park campus. Hosted by the Student Farm Club, this annual festival offers farm-grown food samples from local chefs and caterers. Guests can make sun prints, plant a succulent, visit a petting zoo and participate in other farm-themed activities.
Intoxicating Plants Walk – 4-5 p.m., Sept. 18, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Discover the stories of the plants that humans and other animals use as intoxicants during a guided walk led by Arboretum programs coordinator and plant nerd Rebecca Horwitt.
Alumni and Campus Celebration Day – 11 a.m., Sept. 19, multiple locations, Harrisburg campus. Celebrate Penn State Harrisburg’s 60th anniversary at this full day of events across campus, featuring food trucks, live music, bathtub races and more. Registration is requested.
Homecoming Week events – Multiple dates and locations from Sept. 20-27. With a Wiffle ball tournament, the Allen Street Jam, the Best of Penn State Carnival and many more, Homecoming Week will be packed with activities to demonstrate school spirit and celebrate Penn State traditions.
Looking at US Guided Tour – 1 p.m., Sept. 20, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Led by a Palmer Museum educator, travel through downtown State College to explore 19 large-scale reproductions of artworks from the Palmer’s permanent collection. Along the way, discover the stories behind the artworks and explore how public art can foster connection and a deeper appreciation of American art. Registration is required.
Arboretum Explorers Family Hike – 10:30 a.m.-noon, Sept. 21, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park. Join childhood educators from the Arboretum for a guided exploration of the Arboretum’s wild areas. The walk will depart from the Overlook Pavilion and proceed to Hartley Wood. Registration is required.
With These Hands: A Collaborative Poetry Experience – 12:15 p.m., Sept. 21, Perkins Student Center, Berks campus. Erin Murphy, 2026-27 Penn State Laureate and award-winning poet and prose writer, will read from and discuss her latest books. Attendees will have the opportunity to create their own lines of poetry as part of a collaborative project.
Nature Sketching – 10-11:30 a.m., Sept. 22, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. This art class for adults explores a variety of art materials and techniques as we connect art and nature. All experience levels are welcome, from beginner to professional. Free.
Yoga and Mindfulness at the Palmer – 12:30 p.m., Sept. 23, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Join Sima Farage for yoga, mindful movement and meditation at the museum. All bodies are welcome, and no experience is necessary.
Yoga in the Gardens – 6-7 p.m., Sept. 23, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Join a serene yoga experience amidst the beauty of nature. Bring your own mat for optimal comfort.
Bird Walk – 8-9:30 a.m., Sept. 24, the Arboretum at Penn State, University Park campus. Drop in for a morning bird walk led by an expert birder! Central Pennsylvania is an exceptional birding location, where diverse habitats and long, parallel ridges and valleys that create natural ‘leading lines’ for the waves of migrating birds.
Art After Hours: Dreaming of US – 5-8 p.m., Sept. 24, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Create your own dreamscape collage, reflect on the nation’s past and future with a poetry exercise, and hear from Penn State student artists. Get ready for election season by adding your voice to a civic engagement discussion with the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development and chatting with Penn State Votes about voter registration and resources.
Lectures
Artist Talk: Malcolm Mobutu Smith – 11:30 a.m., Sept. 23, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Penn State alumnus Malcolm Mobutu Smith is an artist and teacher, currently serving as associate professor of ceramic art at Indiana University Bloomington. Smith’s vessels are inspired by the intersections of graffiti art, comic books, hip-hop and jazz merging with playful organic abstractions of ceramic cups, bottles and vases.
In-person exhibits
"In Dreams" – Through Sept. 20, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibition features 100 sculptural rabbits, each transformed by a unique handcrafted mixed-media mask and paired with a specific song. While the sculptures share a common form, each mask introduces its own visual language and personality. One original gray clay rabbit stands apart from the others, reinforcing the exhibition's exploration of sameness and individuality.
“Still Creating: The UArts Community Lives On” – Through Oct. 1, Henry Gallery, Great Valley campus. In the wake of the unexpected closure of the University of the Arts (UArts) in 2024, the creative community was left with a deep sense of loss. "Still Creating: The UArts Community Lives On" emerges from a shared belief that art can preserve memory, honor resilience and reconnect people across time and place.
“Beyond the Ridge” – Through Oct. 2, Art Space, Schuylkill campus. Artist Jon Bond often finds subject matter for his art in the nature surrounding his Berks County home, and twenty-five works in this show were inspired during Jon’s hikes on the lands surrounding Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. In this selection of paintings, his muted palette brings forth mysterious elements, scenarios and objects with an almost dreamlike quality.
Hidenori Ishii – Through Oct. 31, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. Hidenori Ishii's practice encompasses painting, screen-printing, and installation, focusing on the complex interplay between civilization and nature. A diverse array of paintings, mixed media pieces, and installations delve into themes of reflection and transparency, as well as the connections between inside and outside spaces.
“Dreaming American Futures: Invitational 250” – Through Nov. 29, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, the Palmer invited artists to submit works that address the following themes: Activating Change, Bridging the Divide, Pursuit of Happiness and A More Perfect Union. The works on view include paintings, sculpture, ceramics, mixed-media assemblages, photographs and works on paper.
“Telling Stories: Rethinking American Art at the Palmer” – Through Nov. 29, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. This installation experiments with thematic approaches to the Palmer Museum of Art’s American art collection, grouping works of various genres, styles and periods together under the themes “Follow the Money” and “American Places" and exploring multiple interpretations of individual artworks.
“Out of the Shadows: Drawings and Watercolors by American Women” – Through Dec. 6, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Brought literally and figuratively out of the shadows, these works by American women artists from the 1820s to the 1950s illuminate an often overlooked yet fundamental history of American art. The audience is invited to consider the relationships between access, medium, and gender that this exhibition brings to light.
“LIGHT” – Through Dec. 11, Ronald K. De Long Gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. This group of artists examines the layered definitions of a single concept, LIGHT. Through a deliberate juxtaposition of contrasting materials and conceptual frameworks, the exhibition fosters dynamic, unexpected visual relationships.
“America Works: Building and Sustaining the Nation” – Sept. 16 to Dec. 13, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. “America Works: Building and Sustaining the Nation” traces the deep connections among work, power and nation-building in the United States. While exploring the culture and politics of working people, America Works addresses how changes in technology, law and policy, and activism on the part of workers have impacted labor dynamics throughout history.
“Through Different Eyes: Industrial Worlds by Women Artists” – Through December, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery, University Park campus. This exhibit explores the lives of women artists in 20th-century industrial Pennsylvania through their artwork and premiers the curatorial work of undergraduate students Alexis Woodring, a public relations major, and Gabriella Heidorn, an art history major with a minor in French and Francophone studies, who both have special interests in American art.
"Recipes" – Through Jan. 8, 2027, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. Working in encaustic — a process that uses molten paint made from beeswax, pigment and damar resin — artist Christine Sajecki grinds pigments harvested from her environment and incorporates recycled commercial pigments saved from years of studio practice. Her work explores ways to use waste and culinary byproducts in painting.
"Black Geographies in Circulation" – Through Feb. 26, 2027, Pattee Library, University Park campus. This exhibit highlights a selection of archival stamps and postcards from the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora that help trace the movement of African-descended people, their experiences, ideas and collective memory across geographic and cultural boundaries.
“Hybrid Zones” – Through March 4, 2027, HUB Gallery, University Park campus. “Hybrid Zones” is an immersive exploration of the post-industrial landscape of Eastern Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region. Through drawing, photography, and video installation, the artists trace the environmental and psychological imprint of centuries of resource extraction. In this powerful new body of work, Rachel Bacon and Meredith Davenport confront the entanglement of human and nonhuman systems, reflecting on how deeply industrial history is inscribed into the land—and into us.
"The Way I Saw It: A Photography Retrospective" – Through Aug. 1, 2027, Penn State All-Sports Museum, University Park campus. “The Way I Saw It” celebrates the work of Penn State alumnus Pat Little, who started out with the Daily Collegian and spent over three decades as a photojournalist with the Centre Daily Times, Associated Press and Reuters. Starting from a million photo negatives then narrowed down to a set of 5,000 photographs, the exhibit presents a final curated collection of 100 unique and powerful images of Penn State athletes, coaches, venues and fans, shot by Little between 1977 and 2005.
Virtual exhibits and online resources
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits and online resources are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and Penn State University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view via their websites, as well as other online resources.