May 28, 2020

The Washington Pavilion plans to reopen the Kirby Science Discovery Center, the Visual Arts Center and other programs June 1.

The Wells Fargo CineDome and second-floor concessions also will reopen. The box office and Leonardo’s Cafe already are open.

Here’s how the new phase of opening will work:

Kirby Science Discovery Center and Visual Arts Center museums

The Pavilion has implemented timed ticketing for the museums to allow members and daily-admission guests to register in advance for a visit. Museums will operate on normal hours. There will be two daily sessions for ticket reservations:

• Morning session: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Afternoon session: 1:30 to 5 p.m.

Advanced museum reservations are encouraged but not required. This is the best way to ensure patrons are able to reserve tickets for the time desired.

“We are very excited to welcome back our guests and want to assure the public and our employees that we are committed to their health and safety,” said Darrin Smith, president and CEO. “Our teams have been hard at work on so many great programs, as well as enhanced and new exhibits – we can’t wait to share these with kids and families in our community.”

Summer education programs

Summer camps at the Pavilion will be offered with smaller groups, consistent instructors for each camp, new practices to allow for physical distancing and additional cleaning protocols.

Dakota Academy of Performing Arts

The Dakota Academy of Performing Arts is offering youth theater camps virtually. Students will learn about performing, auditions, set design, costuming, choreography and more.

Health and safety precautions

The following are the key aspects of the COVID-19 safety protocols implemented by Pavilion to help prevent the spread of the virus:

• Employee safety protections: Employees, contractors and vendors will follow CDC guidelines for monitoring their health. Employees will wear protective face masks and frequently wash or otherwise sanitize their hands throughout their shift. They also will physically distance from fellow co-workers, customers, vendors and visitors whenever possible.
• Enhanced sanitizing and disinfecting: The facility has increased the frequency of its already robust cleaning practices, following stringent safety and cleaning guidelines throughout the entire building daily, including cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting.
• Encourage physical distancing: Several steps will be taken to encourage social and physical distancing in Pavilion-managed properties:
  • Occupancy limitations and monitoring.
  • Proactive encouragement of social distancing guidelines.
  • Furniture redeployment to support social distancing.
  • Coordinated traffic flow.
  • Deployment of traffic-flow signage and social distancing markers.

“Washington Pavilion leadership asks guests to partner with them in adhering to all communications, signage and physical distancing protocols to assist in an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone,” the organization said in a statement.