Blue Star Museums

Free BAMPFA gallery admission for active military duty personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day (Saturday, May 18, 2024) through Labor Day (Monday, September 2, 2024).

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America to offer free admission to the nation's active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Armed Forces Day (Saturday, May 18, 2024) through Labor Day (Monday, September 2, 2024).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who is eligible for free admission through Blue Star Museums?

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. Military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps—and up to five family members.

How many military personnel and/or family members are allowed in for free per visit?

The military ID holder can either be active duty service member or other dependent family member with the appropriate ID card. The active duty member does not have to be present for family members to use the program.

How do you define a family member?

A family member of active duty military may include a spouse or child, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.

What if my spouse is deployed?  Can my family and I still participate?

Yes, your family can still participate, as the active duty member does not have to be present to use the program. Just bring your DD Form 1173 ID Card, or DD Form 1173-1 ID Card, for active duty military family members.

What if my child doesn't yet have a military ID?

All children eighteen and under receive free gallery admission.

Does the Blue Star Museums program include admission for veterans and retirees? For unmarried partners? For parents with a child currently serving on active duty, or for those who have lost a child on active duty?

Admission for these individuals is not included in the scope of this program, unless they are the bearer of a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID Card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card.

Blue Star Museums is an effort to improve the quality of life for active duty military families, especially focusing on the approximately one million children who have had at least one parent deployed. Blue Star Museums was created to show support for military families who have faced multiple deployments and the challenges of reintegration. This program offers these families a chance to visit museums this summer when many will have limited resources and limited time to be together.

Will I receive free entry to film screenings?

Tickets to film screenings are not included in this free admission program.

Is there a limit on the number of Blue Star Museums I can visit this summer?

No, there is no limit on the number of participating museums that eligible parties can visit.

Who are the national partners on Blue Star Museums?

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering military families. The effort to recruit museums has involved partnerships with the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Children's Museums, the American Association of State and Local History, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers.

To learn more about Blue Star Families, please visit BlueStarFam.org.