Spy Museum Celebrates 23rd Birthday with Free Tours, New Multilingual App, & Cocktail Party
July 14, 2025 – WASHINGTON – To commemorate the 23rd anniversary of its opening, the International Spy Museum (SPY) invites the community to join in the celebration. The Museum will kick off the festivities with complimentary docent tours and the launch of its new multilingual mobile app on its actual anniversary, Saturday, July 19, and close its birthday month with a cocktail party, the second annual Covert Cocktails reception two weeks later, on July 31.
On Saturday, July 19, SPY’s Museum Highlights Tours are offered throughout the day, with skilled guides bringing the Museum to life for visitors. Providing their unique, personalized perspective on the permanent exhibit, volunteer docents host ten attendees per tour for this premium experience. Typically, highlights tours are hosted for $10 per person twice a day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but on its birthday, the Spy Museum is making tours available for free at 10 AM, 11 AM, 11:30 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 1:30 PM, 2 PM, and 4 PM. Tours are only for guests 16+ and are available on the website for sign-up when visitors purchase their general admission tickets.
Timed with its birthday, SPY is also launching a new multilingual tour app, with content developed by professional translators. Through the tap of a button, the Museum offers access to its exhibit content in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Using maps, photos, and audio voiceover, the mobile app allows visitors to choose from one of the language options, making the content accessible to a broader international audience. The mobile app is free of charge for downloading on both Apple and Android devices, and is also available as a web app. Download from here.
“Expanding access and broadening community building at the Spy Museum has long been a priority.” shares Tamara Christian, President and COO at the International Spy Museum. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our birthday in Washington, DC, than by eliminating language barriers so more audiences can join us in an engaging exploration of the history and craft of espionage.”
The celebration culminates two weeks later in a not-so-clandestine Covert Cocktail party at the International Spy Museum on Thursday, July 31. This event includes after-hours access to the exhibits, an exclusive, insider’s look at artifacts from the Vault, and a chance to strike up conversations with real former “spies” (people who have worked in intelligence). Light food and drinks will be provided and tickets can be purchased online here. This event is sponsored by Amentum, Glenmede, Washington Harbour Partners, SIMS Software, and The Fluet Law Firm. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, click here.
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About the International Spy Museum
The International Spy Museum, an independent nonprofit organization, is the only public museum in the United States to lift the veil on the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of espionage and intelligence from a global perspective. The Museum’s mission is to create compelling exhibitions and other learning experiences that shed light on the shadow world of espionage and intelligence, educating and challenging each of us to engage critically with the complex world around us. The Museum's collection chronicles the history of espionage, from its inception to the modern-day challenges facing intelligence professionals worldwide in the 21st century. The original Spy Museum opened in 2002. Its new, expanded building and all-new exhibitions opened in May 2019 to much acclaim.
For more information, please visit spymuseum.org.