#1 Art & Design Event
More than 125,000 people flock to the San Mateo Event Center each year to take in the spectacle of Maker Faire, which highlights creativity in all its forms. Kids and adults are equally wide-eyed as they explore art cars, fashion, robots, furniture, drones, and artisanal foods. In 2017, the event added a Future of Food category to complement its Homegrown Village space featuring beekeeping, cheesemaking, coffee, and pickling. Next: May 18-20, 2018
#2 Art & Design Event
Nothing prepares attendees for the scale of the art installations at Burning Man, made even more impressive by the fact that the entire festival is an experimental art project in itself: 70,000 people creating a temporary city in the Nevada desert and leaving without a trace. Standouts from 2016 included the 1,000-foot-long LED-lit Sonic Runway tunnel and a Boeing 747 converted into a club and lounge. The event began in San Francisco in 1986 and still draws many of the city’s residents; its partners offer multiple shuttles to the desert. Next: August 27-September 4, 2017
#3 Art & Design Event
The world’s largest curated showcase of independent art and design, Renegade vendors set up shop in the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion each year for spring, summer, and winter sessions. More than 300 makers exhibit, and more than 20,000 visitors stop by to shop handmade items, participate in D.I.Y. workshops, and enjoy local food and drinks. Next: July 15-16, 2017
#4 Art & Design Event
This year’s Fall Art & Antiques Show theme, Flower Power: Floral Imagery in Art, Antiques & Design, has a hometown nod to the 50th anniversary of the historic Summer of Love. The event is the oldest continuously operating international art and antiques show on the West Coast. Last year’s event drew more than 7,000 guests and raised some $500,000 for Enterprise for Youth. The show features more than 60 dealers from across the United States and Europe, offering a variety of fine and decorative arts from around the world. Next: October 26-29, 2017
#5 Art & Design Event
A San Francisco tradition for more than 30 years, Bouquets to Art challenges the most in-demand floral designers from the Bay Area and beyond to draw inspiration from the art in the de Young Museum’s collection and create arrangements to reinterpret or complement sculpture, painting, and architectural details. More than 42,000 visitors viewed the floral installations in 2017, raising more than $513,000 for the museum in the process. Next: March 13–18, 2018
#6 Art & Design Event
Thanks to the booming Northern California maker scene, West Coast Craft nearly doubled its attendance numbers to 25,000 visitors for its spring show. Guests met and shopped with 275 independent artisans, and organizers anticipate that number growing for the fall edition. In 2017, W.C.C. also launched Intro, a mentorship program for emerging artists and designers ages 14 to 24. Intro artisans will show their work during the winter installment. Next: November 18-19, 2017
#7 Art & Design Event (up from #9)
For contemporary art and design fans, FOG is a can’t-miss event celebrating the most significant creatives and contributors to the worlds of design and visual arts. The 2017 fair assembled 45 leading international galleries, prominent 20th-century and contemporary design dealers, a weekend of lectures and programs, and 21POP, a special installation created by event designer Stanlee Gatti. Next: January 11-14, 2018
#8 Art & Design Event
One of the West Coast’s best interior design events, the showcase has taken place at some of the most prestigious addresses in San Francisco. The feature home in 2017 was an 11,000-square-foot Classic Revival mansion in Pacific Heights. The event raises more than $500,000 annually for San Francisco University High School’s financial aid program. Next: Spring 2018
#9 Art & Design Event
For more than 75 years, the American Craft Council has championed craft. In August, the show will pop up in Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion once again with more than 230 top contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home decor artists from across the country. Organizers describe it as the largest juried craft show west of the Rockies—and a must for craft lovers. Next: August 4-6, 2017
