5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
In the Peoria Riverfront Museum Main Lobby
Opera from around the globe! Join us at the Peoria Riverfront Museum as we welcome Dr. Miracle Amah for an operatic performance that shows an incredible cross-cultural range.
A native of Nigeria, Miracle Amah is a librettist and a soprano presently based in the United States. She performs various genres of music which includes opera, art songs, oratorios, popular music, contemporary music, negro spirituals, jazz music etc. Dr. Amah has played major roles in several opera productions. Her staged performances include recitals, masterclasses, scenes and full opera productions in Nigeria, Canada, Russia, Germany, Dubai and the United States.
Presently, Dr. Amah serves as an assistant professor at Peoria's own Bradley University.
Member ticket: $30
Non-Member ticket: $35
Get tickets HERE
Thank you to our sponsors:
Linda Beth & Ed Sutkowski and Visionary Society
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 2 p.m. | Virtual Conversation in the Giant Screen Theater
Hear from the artist behind the incredible works of current exhibition Exquisite Creatures!
Join us for a virtual zoom talk with artist Christopher Marley, who sources, preserves and artistically arranges all the incredible pieces in Exquisite Creatures, spotlighting the artistry of the natural world. Color, symmetry and texture are all on display through preserved animal specimens, beautifully arranged to tell a story of breathtaking natural beauty.
Tickets
Non-member Adult: $5
Members get in FREE!
Get tickets HERE
Artist Bio
Christopher Marley is an artist, naturalist, photographer, and author who uses preserved natural specimens as his medium. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, immersed in nature from his earliest memories. During a decade spent traveling the world as a fashion model, Marley’s passion for discovering unfamiliar elements in the natural world became an obsession.
Sponsored by Art Bridges, America 250 donors, Mike Rucker Endowment Fund for Science, Visionary Society and Illinois Arts Council
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all new experience!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
July 18
6:00 – Laser K Pop Demon Hunters (all music from the hit movie!)
7:15 – Laser N’Sync with Britney (new show!)
8:30 – Laser ABBA
August 15
6:00 – Laser Elton John
7:15 – Laser Journey
8:30 – Laser Michael Jackson
September 26
6:00 – That 80’s Laser Show
7:15 – Laser Aerosmith
8:30 – Laser Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Led
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now
click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Doors open at 5:30 p.m., Conversation begins at 6 p.m.
Join us for a special conversation in the Giant Screen Theater with antiquarian bookseller and professor of art and history Jonah Rosenberg.
Rosenberg, the Head of Rare Books at Arader Galleries has a dozen years' experience and holds an A.B. in Classics from Brown and a D.Phil in Classical Archeaology from Oxford. Now, he'll be visiting Peoria to discuss some of the historical maps in current exhibition The Promise of Liberty .
These maps include the 1755 Mitchell Map, the most comprehensive map of eastern North America made during the colonial era. Used as a primary map source during negotiations for the 1783 Treaty of Paris for defining the boundaries of the newly independent United States of America, the map remained important for resolving border disputes between the United States and Canada as recently as the 1980's.
Tickets:
Non-member adult: $10 | Non-member child: $8
Members: $5
Get tickets HERE
The Promise of Liberty is sponsored by the Gilmore Foundation, Ashley and Josh Bellamy, McKinnon Family Foundation, America 250 Donors, Visionary Society, Friends of History
Pub Night Under the Stars: The Summer Milky Way
Friday, August 7
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
The summer Milky Way holds many hidden treasures – star-forming clouds, star clusters, exploding stars. Join Planetarium Educator Nick Rae as we explore these beautiful gems using humanity’s best telescopes, and in the process learn about the cycles of star birth and star death. Everything we see will relate back to the view we have from our own location here in the galaxy.
Your evening will also include a tour of the night sky, the latest images from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope, and a flight to the edge of space and back.
Each guest receives an individual snack box featuring, cheese, pretzels, fruit, nuts & more; up to three servings of beer, seltzer or soda; and an entertaining evening under the stars.
Doors open at 6:50 PM
The program will be in two parts, allowing time to socialize and get more refreshments between shows.
$45 Members | $55 Others
Tickets can be purchased HERE.
Ages 21+
Additional questions? Contact Renae Kerrigan at rkerrigan@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org or 309.863.3030.
All supplies provided for programs unless otherwise noted. All paid programs require a minimum number of participants to run or will be canceled two business days prior to the start date. Pre-registration required.
PLANET PASSPORT SERIES
Join our planet passport series! Each month, come to the planetarium for a show focused on one planet or place in space. Shows will be included in museum admission, and free for museum members. Non-Members can purchase admission to the museum or a planetarium show ticket to attend. These shows are great for all ages.
New for 2026: Participants should sign up for a Peoria Riverfront Museum Achievement Passport.
For each planet show you attend, you will earn a stamp in your passport and 25 points. Every three stamps you earn, you will gain a little extra prize! At the end of the year, we will host a telescope observing night to celebrate all we have learned. Everyone who participated in the planet passport program will be invited.
Shows will be on the second Thursday (5:30 PM) and second Saturday (10:30 AM) of each month. Each show will be about 45 minutes in length.
Planet Passport Series - Cycle Three!
March 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Mercury
April 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Venus
May 9 (10:30 AM) and 14 (5:30 PM) – Earth and Moon
June 11 (5:30 PM) and 13 (10:30 AM) – Mars
July 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Ceres and the Asteroid Belt
August 8 (10:30 AM) and 13 (5:30 PM) – Jupiter
September 10 (5:30 PM) and 12 (10:30 AM) – Saturn
October 8 (5:30 PM) and 10 (10:30 AM) – Uranus
November 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Neptune
December 10 (5:30 PM) 12 (10:30 AM) – Pluto and Kuiper Belt
A MUSEUM+ Program
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the Peoria Riverfront Museum! The Peoria Pops take the stage on the Sun Plaza for an evening of patriotic tunes celebrating America 250 in conjunction with standout exhibition The Promise of Liberty.
This full symphony orchestra will be playing true-blue American music against the beautiful riverfront setting.
See a 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence, the same that our ancestors would have seen in the earliest days of our nation on exhibition in The Promise of Liberty.
America 250The Peoria Riverfront Museum is celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation in 2026. Join us all year long for exhibitions on American art, science, history and achievement, including The Promise of Liberty, an exhibition guest curated by documentarian Ken Burns. Featuring a 1776 copy of the Declaration of Independence, a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and more, this exhibition will be the largest collection of some of the most important documents in American history on display during America 250.
Sponsored by Linda Beth and Ed Sutkowski, America 250 donors, Visionary Society, Friends of Performance
Laser Light Nights are back at the DOME featuring an all new experience!
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now
click here.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
PLANET PASSPORT SERIES
Join our planet passport series! Each month, come to the planetarium for a show focused on one planet or place in space. Shows will be included in museum admission, and free for museum members. Non-Members can purchase admission to the museum or a planetarium show ticket to attend. These shows are great for all ages.
New for 2026: Participants should sign up for a Peoria Riverfront Museum Achievement Passport.
For each planet show you attend, you will earn a stamp in your passport and 25 points. Every three stamps you earn, you will gain a little extra prize! At the end of the year, we will host a telescope observing night to celebrate all we have learned. Everyone who participated in the planet passport program will be invited.
Shows will be on the second Thursday (5:30 PM) and second Saturday (10:30 AM) of each month. Each show will be about 45 minutes in length.
Planet Passport Series - Cycle Three!
March 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Mercury
April 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Venus
May 9 (10:30 AM) and 14 (5:30 PM) – Earth and Moon
June 11 (5:30 PM) and 13 (10:30 AM) – Mars
July 9 (5:30 PM) and 11 (10:30 AM) – Ceres and the Asteroid Belt
August 8 (10:30 AM) and 13 (5:30 PM) – Jupiter
September 10 (5:30 PM) and 12 (10:30 AM) – Saturn
October 8 (5:30 PM) and 10 (10:30 AM) – Uranus
November 12 (5:30 PM) and 14 (10:30 AM) – Neptune
December 10 (5:30 PM) 12 (10:30 AM) – Pluto and Kuiper Belt
Sit back, relax and rock out with our new laser light system from "the worldwide leader in planetarium laser light shows," Laser Fantasy! Experience the full 3D excitement! The system features a graphics laser projector with special effects, a haze machine & a new beam projector, plus a fresh playlist of 20+ performances, from Beyoncé to The Beatles! Pick up show-enhancing spectrum glasses and refreshments at concessions!
SHOW SCHEDULE
September 26
6:00 – That 80’s Laser Show
7:15 – Laser Aerosmith
8:30 – Laser Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Led
$5 Visionary Society Members | $7 Members | $10 Public
Buy tickets online now - Click on the date to purchase tickets.
Tickets & more info also available at the Museum or by phone at 309.686.7000.
(Note: These shows contain lyrics to popular songs and some may not be suitable for all ages.)
