The Abrams Planetarium is available for special events such as receptions, retirement parties, and more. We are located on the Michigan State University Campus at 755 Science Road. Events can be hosted in our lobby. Costs include the presence of planetarium staff, some set up and take down. You can have a planetarium show as part of your event for an additional charge. To book us for an event or for any questions you may have, please call 517-355-4676.
Generally we can host events Monday-Thursday after 5:30 pm or Saturdays before 7 pm anytime in the year except from the last week of July through the first week of September. Due to our small staff, we can only do a limited number of events per year, so all events are determined on a case by case basis. In general, we cannot take reservations for events more than a year in advance.
Whole Planetarium - $150 per hour
Includes:
If you need additional tables and chairs, linens, or decor you will need to provide those as well as any setup up before your event. You will need to pay the day of your event. If you use an MSU account number, payment is processed the day next business day after your event. Please note if you need an invoice, there is an additional $5.00 fee.
You are welcome to food and drink in our lobby, but not in our theater space. We do not have a kitchen, so any caterers need to be made aware of that. Alcohol is generally not allowed per university rules. We do not have any preferred caterers, so it is all up to you. You are also welcome to self-cater.
We can seat 141 people in our theater, but generally recommend you keep your party to less than 80 if you plan on setting up tables and chairs in the lobby.
We have a small projector that we can hook up to a laptop and microphones for any presentations you would like to do in our theater. This would be a presentation done by your group as opposed to a planetarium show.
If you would like a planetarium show, there is an additional fee:
If you wish to only come for a planetarium show without setting up any reception in our lobby, you are welcome to book that within the same time frame at $5.00 per person with an $100.00 minimum charge.
We can accommodate special programming and visuals on our planetarium dome with sufficient notice. Depending on the content needed and the length of the custom show, additional fees may be charged to cover the cost of staff and theater time needed to program the content.
You are welcome to decorate in the lobby and theater for any event that you hold here. However, we ask that you choose items that are easy to clean up and do not leave debris behind. For examples, please avoid loose glitter, confetti, and other small items that are difficult to pick up. Helium balloons are strictly prohibited.
If you need to cancel, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance. Failure to alert us with sufficient notice will result in a 50% charge of the original fee. If the planetarium cancels or there is inclement weather, there will be no charge.