22 venues · 1 upcoming events
Things to do in Downtown & Uptown: free events and every venue
Every place we list events for, grouped by neighbourhood. Each venue page shows what’s coming up (recurring shows on their next date), what we’ve listed there before, the address, the Trolley, MTS buses and the Coaster and what’s nearby — checked by a person, not a crawler.
Free in Downtown & Uptown this week
Nothing free on our calendar here in the next seven days. See free events across San Diego County →
Downtown & Uptown
- Art Magic
Art Magic Studio0 pastBankers HillA resin and fluid-art studio near Little Italy and Hillcrest teaching ocean-wave cheese boards, paint pouring, textured canvas and candle workshops (a second studio is in Oceanside).See what's on → - Art on 30thArt on 30th0 pastNorth ParkA North Park art studio and gallery teaching five-week painting and drawing courses plus one-off workshops in collage, gelli printing, assemblage and glass.See what's on →
- Athenaeum Art Center
Athenaeum Art Center (Bread & Salt)1 upcomingLogan HeightsThe Athenaeum's studio and print room inside the Bread & Salt arts complex, where it teaches pottery, letterpress, printmaking, encaustics and assemblage workshops.See what's on → - Balboa Park
Balboa Park0 pastBalboa ParkSan Diego's museum park, where city and county residents get free entry to a rotating set of museums each Tuesday and the Visitors Center runs free guided park tours.See what's on → - Centro Cultural de la RazaCentro Cultural de la Raza0 pastBalboa ParkChicano, Mexican and Indigenous arts center in a converted water tank in Balboa Park hosting exhibitions, dance, music and creative workshops.See what's on →
- Cone 6
Cone 6 Ceramics0 pastBarrio LoganA Barrio Logan ceramics studio with firing services, a drop-in Clay Hour and Saturday-afternoon 'Pots & Pals' project workshops like holiday dishes and casseroles.See what's on → - FleetFleet Science Center0 pastBalboa ParkHands-on science center with planetarium sky shows, science-pub talks, sensory-friendly mornings, senior days and dome light shows.See what's on →
- Hillcrest Farmers MarketHillcrest Farmers Market0 pastHillcrestBig Sunday farmers market on University Avenue with produce, prepared food and local vendors, rain or shine, holidays included.See what's on →
- House of Pacific RelationsHouse of Pacific Relations International Cottages0 pastBalboa ParkCluster of 30-plus national cottages in Balboa Park where a different country hosts a free weekend lawn program of music, dance and food, plus open houses every weekend.See what's on →
- Japanese Friendship Garden
Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum0 pastBalboa ParkA Japanese garden in Balboa Park that hosts cultural and craft programs such as needle felting, stamp making, sumi-e, Christmas wreaths and tea demonstrations.See what's on → - Little Italy MercatoLittle Italy Mercato Farmers Market0 pastLittle ItalyYear-round street farmers market filling West Date Street every Saturday and Wednesday morning with growers, bakers and makers.See what's on →
- Mingei
Mingei International Museum0 pastBalboa ParkBalboa Park's museum of folk art, craft and design, with Five After Five evenings, highlights tours and lectures, plus hands-on felting nights and monthly Make at Mingei craft days in its Education Center.See what's on → - Museum of Us
Museum of Us0 pastBalboa ParkAnthropology museum under the California Tower with sensory-friendly Sunday mornings, Friday breathing sessions, community parties and fourth-Tuesday resident free days.See what's on → - Native PoppyNative Poppy0 pastSouth ParkA florist with shops in South Park and Solana Beach and a Mission Valley studio, running hands-on flower arranging, garland and holiday wreath workshops.See what's on →
- Pinch Pottery
Pinch Pottery Studio0 pastEast VillageA small East Village clay studio running four-week wheel courses plus one-night themed workshops such as charcuterie boards, carved to-go mugs and holiday ornaments.See what's on → - Plum PotteryPlum Pottery0 pastNorth ParkA North Park teaching studio with weekly two-hour pottery classes and open studio, which holds student pottery sales through the year.See what's on →
- Central LibrarySan Diego Central Library0 pastEast VillageDomed downtown library hosting a free concert series in the Neil Morgan Auditorium plus talks, maker programs and classes.See what's on →
- The NatSan Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat)0 pastBalboa ParkBalboa Park natural history museum hosting monthly Nat at Night after-hours, talks and film screenings, family craft days and naturalist-led nature hikes.See what's on →
- Potters' GuildSan Diego Potters' Guild0 pastBalboa Park (Spanish Village)A members' pottery guild with a gallery and studio in Balboa Park's Spanish Village, known for its twice-yearly patio pottery show and sale; instructors also run evening wheel classes.See what's on →
- Tao of ClayTao of Clay0 pastBarrio LoganA Barrio Logan pottery school selling multi-week throwing and hand-building courses plus guest-artist workshops such as kurinuki cups, nerikomi and pit firing.See what's on →
- SDMAThe San Diego Museum of Art0 pastBalboa ParkBalboa Park's flagship art museum (now also home to the former Museum of Photographic Arts) running family art mornings, live-model drawing, community open studios, artist talks and Resident Free Tuesdays.See what's on →
- TimkenTimken Museum of Art0 pastBalboa ParkAlways-free Old Masters museum on the Plaza de Panama offering free focus and ASL tours, talks and ticketed art-and-design workshops like floral arranging and holiday ornaments.See what's on →