Sensory Friendly Sunday

Sensory Friendly Sunday is back at the Walker Art Center on the second Sunday of each month, from 8 AM to 11 AM. The upcoming dates are Sunday, Nov 8 and Sunday, Nov 15, 2026. It's a monthly morning session built for visitors of all ages with sensory processing differences, autism spectrum disorder, or developmental disabilities, along with their friends and families.

What makes it different from a regular visit is how the museum shifts its environment. During the session, the galleries close to the general public, so you're not navigating around crowds. The Walker provides quiet spaces, fidgets, noise-canceling headphones, dimmed lighting, and sunglasses to help you tailor the experience to what you need. Staff and volunteers are trained to interact supportively, using hand signs to avoid startling approaches. It's a morning where you can move through the art at your own pace without the usual museum noise and bustle.

The program launched in 2018 and was developed in consultation with a Community Advisory Group of self-advocates, parents of children with autism, and field professionals, with help from the Autism Society of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota's Occupational Therapy Program. It's supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the KHR McNeely Family Foundation, and the Pohlad Family Community Engagement Fund. It sits alongside the center's other accessible programming, which includes free tours for visitors who are blind or have low vision and ASL-interpreted public tours.

Admission is free, but registration is required. The sessions run from 8 AM to 11 AM on the second Sunday of the month, so you'll be in and out before the galleries open to the general public.