The Origami Holiday Tree

November 25, 2024 — January 22, 2025

Now Open

Included with admission.
Floor 1, Futter Gallery

Artificial evergreen tree covered with more than 1000 origami (folded paper) ornaments is displayed in front of photo installation of various faces.
Alvaro Keding/© AMNH
An annual New York City tradition, the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree has been a popular feature of the holiday season at the Museum for decades.

With a nod to turning the calendar page on the 2024 leap year, this holiday season’s 13-foot tree, Jumping for Joy, celebrates the many animals with a particular prowess that sets them apart—hopping, pouncing, leaping!

Among the more than 1,000 origami pieces decorating the tree will be intricately designed models of rabbits, kangaroos, grasshoppers, frogs, squirrels, porpoises, whales, the newly discovered leaping leech, and cicadas, two broods of which emerged together this year for the first time since 1803!

A frog ornament made with origami (folded paper) perched on an artificial evergreen tree, surrounded by other paper ornaments. Alvaro Keding/© AMNH
Ten kangaroo ornaments of varying sizes made with origami (folded paper) at the base of an artificial tree decorated with other paper ornaments. Alvaro Keding/© AMNH

Also on display will be models depicting iconic Museum exhibits like the Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex.

Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, the Origami Holiday Tree is delightfully decorated with hand-folded paper models created by local, national, and international origami artists. 

Learn more about the making of the Origami Holiday Tree and find out how to make your own origami models!

Article The Making of the Origami Holiday Tree One 13-foot tree and 1,000 origami models make this tree a spectacular Museum tradition. Video Origami How-To Videos Use our instructional origami videos and diagrams, and master the art of paper folding.