492 classes and events across the Bay Area
Classes, Free Culture & Things to Do in the Bay Area
Glassblowing in the Bayview, blacksmithing in West Oakland, darkroom printing by Duboce Park, cooking in the Mission — plus the free museum days, telescope nights and planting mornings worth knowing about — 492 of them on right now across 79 studios, museums and parks. Every listing read off the venue's own page by a person, with the price as printed. No aggregator sludge, no dead links.
What are you in the mood for?
Up next in the Bay Area
Every one of these was read off the venue's own page, with the price and the date it actually says. Narrow them below — the numbers are what you will get.
12 picks from 492 across the Bay Area
$250THRU SUN, OCT 25Multiblock Lino Carving and PrintingSan Francisco Center for the Book · SF Mission & South$250Details →The Crucible
THRU SUN, OCT 25Hand Build and Raku FireThe Crucible · Oakland & East Bay$325 ($302.50 members)Details →Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI)
DURING OPEN HOURS · THROUGH NOV 20BAGI Studio Pumpkin PatchBay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) · South BayAdmission price not publishedGrab a spot →Sebastopol Center for the Arts
WED, OCT 21Upcycled Journal WorkshopSebastopol Center for the Arts · Marin & North Bay$70 ($60 + $10 materials)Details →Ace Makerspace
$65WED, OCT 21Halloween Costume WorkshopAce Makerspace · Oakland & East Bay$65Details →Waveform Ceramics
$45FRI, OCT 23Queer Sober Sip 'n' PaintWaveform Ceramics · Oakland & East Bay$45Details →Parkside Branch Library
SAT, OCT 24Patterned Flower DrawingParkside Branch Library · SF West SideReservations required · no price listedDetails →Workshop SF
$48TUE, OCT 27Intro to UV Resin: Jewelry, Coasters and KeychainsWorkshop SF · SF West Side$48Details →Workshop SF Mission Location
$175THRU WED, OCT 28Brew It Yourself: Intro to HomebrewingWorkshop SF Mission Location · SF Mission & South$175Details →Filoli Historic House & Garden
THRU FRI, OCT 30Filoli Reserve: A Legacy Wine TastingFiloli Historic House & Garden · Peninsula$125 incl. general admissionDetails →Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
WEDNESDAYS · 12:15 PMWednesday Exhibition TourBerkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) · Oakland & East BayIncluded with admissionDetails →Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Grand Lobby
THRU WED, OCT 21Free Art Workshop: Halloween GarlandYerba Buena Center for the Arts, Grand Lobby · SF Downtown & WaterfrontFree with registrationDetails →Pick a craft
Sorted by what you actually make, not lumped into one “workshops” list. Each page carries the studio's own dates and the price as printed.
And the rest of the calendar
Checked by a person
Every listing here was opened, read and typed by a human against the venue's own page. The date is the date they printed; the price is the price they printed. When a venue publishes no price, we say so instead of guessing.
Recurring things stay right
A Tuesday class shows next Tuesday, every week, and it still reads 6:30pm on both sides of the clock change. Most calendars list it once and let it rot.
Venues, not just events
Each studio and shoreline has its own page with what's coming and what already happened — so you can see what a place actually programmes before you book. Browse venues →
Everything on this site
Every page we keep, what is behind it, and how many things are on it right now. The counts come from the same filter the page itself uses, so the number here is the number you land on.
25 places to start
By craft
Three quarters of this calendar is people teaching you to make something. One page per craft.
- Pottery & ceramicsWheel throwing, handbuilding and glazing — one-night taster through to a six-week course with your own shelf.20 classes →
- Mosaic & lampsTile and glass mosaic, Turkish lamps and stepping stones. Mostly single evenings, and you leave with the thing.4 classes →
- Glass & neonGlassblowing, fusing, stained glass and neon bending — the most equipment-heavy thing on the calendar, and priced like it.9 classes →
- PrintmakingScreen printing, letterpress, lino, etching and risograph, at the presses that still keep them running.30 classes →
- Bookbinding & paperJapanese stab binding, coptic stitch, box making, marbling and zines. Quiet, precise, usually under three hours.24 classes →
- Textiles & fibreWeaving, tufting, natural dye, sewing, knitting and visible mending — the biggest craft category here after clay.49 classes →
- Flowers & plantsArranging, wreaths, ikebana, terrariums and pressed flowers. Seasonal, and the good ones sell out.15 classes →
- Painting & drawingLife drawing, watercolour, oil, sumi-e and paint-and-sip, from a two-hour evening to a full atelier term.24 classes →
- Wood & carvingSpoon carving, joinery, furniture and turning — the classes with the longest waiting lists and the best tools.18 classes →
- Candles & scentCandle pouring and perfume blending. The cheapest way into a studio, and the most common first class people book.1 classes →
- Jewelry & metalSilversmithing, ring making, enamelling and stone setting — you leave wearing it, which is why these book out first.5 classes →
- All classes & workshopsEvery craft above on one page, each with its own count and the studios that teach it.241 classes →
The rest of the calendar
Not everything here is a class. These are the other things we read and check.
- Volunteer & cleanupsHarbour and river shifts, garden and compost days, street-tree care. Free, and the good ones fill a week ahead.11 work days →
- Talks & coursesArtist talks, curator walkthroughs and evening courses. Usually one session, usually cheap or free.32 talks →
- Museums & exhibitionsShows worth the trip, listed by the weeks they are open rather than pinned to one date.21 shows →
- Music & performanceGigs, sessions and outdoor concerts — the ones with a date and a door price we could actually confirm.9 gigs →
- FilmOutdoor screenings, repertory nights and festival dates. Not the multiplex listings.16 screenings →
- CommunityStreet fairs, markets, block parties and neighbourhood meetups across the Bay Area.27 events →
- Cultural festivalsLunar new year, carnival, heritage weekends and the region-wide festival calendar.7 festivals →
By price, place and time
The three questions people actually open the site with.
- Everything freeThe whole free calendar in one list. "Free" is the claim most often wrong elsewhere, so each one is read off the venue’s own page.163 free events →
- Free craft & makingOpen studio sessions, museum craft tables and community craft nights. The smallest free list, honestly so — somebody has to pay for the clay.37 sessions →
- Free volunteer daysStanding weekly shifts rather than one-off dates — the most reliably available thing on this calendar.14 shifts →
- Free culture & outdoorsMuseum free nights, pay-what-you-wish hours, outdoor films and park programmes. Residents-only and free-with-admission are both labelled.112 listings →
- This weekThe next seven days, with recurring things placed on the days they actually happen rather than once.110 on this week →
- Venues by areaEvery studio and space we list, each with its upcoming and past events, address and own website.109 places →