1. Maker Faire
#1 Art & Design Event
When you want to venture to the intersection of tech and design, there’s no better place to spend a day than at Maker Faire. More than 125,000 attend the family-friendly event each year to check out the 8,000-pound robot, workshops from Nintendo, and more than 1,200 additional projects exploring music, art, science, and health. Most design events focus on show and tell, but Maker Faire includes hands-on activities to inspire and train the next generation of creators. Next: May 2019
When you want to venture to the intersection of tech and design, there’s no better place to spend a day than at Maker Faire. More than 125,000 attend the family-friendly event each year to check out the 8,000-pound robot, workshops from Nintendo, and more than 1,200 additional projects exploring music, art, science, and health. Most design events focus on show and tell, but Maker Faire includes hands-on activities to inspire and train the next generation of creators. Next: May 2019
Photo: Marc Fong
2. Burning Man
#2 Art & Design Event
Burning Man is a large-scale sociological experiment, a temporary utopian society, and a massive party of 70,000 friends in the desert. But regardless of how you categorize the weeklong festival, it’s an artistic feast filled with light, music, and mutant vehicles. Installations that initially appear at the Black Rock City event frequently find permanent homes as public art back in San Francisco, and many of the works are making their way into major museums. Case in point: The Smithsonian American Art Museum is hosting a Burning Man art exhibit through January 2019. Next: August 26-September 3, 2018
Burning Man is a large-scale sociological experiment, a temporary utopian society, and a massive party of 70,000 friends in the desert. But regardless of how you categorize the weeklong festival, it’s an artistic feast filled with light, music, and mutant vehicles. Installations that initially appear at the Black Rock City event frequently find permanent homes as public art back in San Francisco, and many of the works are making their way into major museums. Case in point: The Smithsonian American Art Museum is hosting a Burning Man art exhibit through January 2019. Next: August 26-September 3, 2018
Photo: Dan Adams
3. San Francisco Fall Art & Antiques Show
#3 Art & Design Event (up from #4)
The event is the oldest continuously operating show of its kind on the West Coast, drawing more than 7,000 guests annually. In 2018, art and furniture dealers from around the world will be bringing wares related to the celestial event theme, “The Sun, the Moon, & the Stars.” For anyone interested in the art, furniture, or the decorative arts, the show is a must-do. Last year’s event raised more than $500,000 for Enterprise for Youth. Next: October 10-14, 2018
The event is the oldest continuously operating show of its kind on the West Coast, drawing more than 7,000 guests annually. In 2018, art and furniture dealers from around the world will be bringing wares related to the celestial event theme, “The Sun, the Moon, & the Stars.” For anyone interested in the art, furniture, or the decorative arts, the show is a must-do. Last year’s event raised more than $500,000 for Enterprise for Youth. Next: October 10-14, 2018
Photo: Drew Altizer
4. FOG Design & Art
#4 Art & Design Event (up from #7)
When it comes to high-end contemporary art and design, the fair is the standout event in San Francisco. In 2018, more than 12,000 design buffs turned up to view and shop installations from 45 leading international galleries. The fair radically transforms the blank box Fort Mason Pavilion into an Instagrammable design center, complete with showrooms, lectures, and bustling pop-up restaurants. Next: January 17-20, 2019
When it comes to high-end contemporary art and design, the fair is the standout event in San Francisco. In 2018, more than 12,000 design buffs turned up to view and shop installations from 45 leading international galleries. The fair radically transforms the blank box Fort Mason Pavilion into an Instagrammable design center, complete with showrooms, lectures, and bustling pop-up restaurants. Next: January 17-20, 2019
Photo: JKA Photography
5. Bouquets to Art
#5 Art & Design Event
For more than 30 years, the de Young Museum has tasked Bay Area floral designers with sampling and remixing works from the museum’s permanent collection during its five-day Bouquets to Art showcase. Some artists choose to recreate a painting or sculpture in plant-life, while others opt to augment artistic reality with flowers. More than 40,000 people view the installation each year. The exhibit has grown so popular among Instagram-crazed visitors that the museum has implemented photography-free hours for guests who just want to stop and smell the roses. Next: June 4-9, 2019
For more than 30 years, the de Young Museum has tasked Bay Area floral designers with sampling and remixing works from the museum’s permanent collection during its five-day Bouquets to Art showcase. Some artists choose to recreate a painting or sculpture in plant-life, while others opt to augment artistic reality with flowers. More than 40,000 people view the installation each year. The exhibit has grown so popular among Instagram-crazed visitors that the museum has implemented photography-free hours for guests who just want to stop and smell the roses. Next: June 4-9, 2019
Photo: Drew Altizer
6. Renegade Craft Fair
#6 Art & Design Event
Is it a craft show or a design incubator? That’s for you to decide. Renegade brings more than 300 makers and 20,000 guests together at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Festival Pavilion for two days of shopping three times each year. Beyond the clothing, jewelry, art, and housewares for sale, the event includes interactive elements, artisanal food and drinks, music, and plenty of opportunities to meet the folks behind the shop small movement. Next: November 10-11, 2018
Is it a craft show or a design incubator? That’s for you to decide. Renegade brings more than 300 makers and 20,000 guests together at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Festival Pavilion for two days of shopping three times each year. Beyond the clothing, jewelry, art, and housewares for sale, the event includes interactive elements, artisanal food and drinks, music, and plenty of opportunities to meet the folks behind the shop small movement. Next: November 10-11, 2018
Photo: Courtesy of Renegade Craft Fair
7. West Coast Craft
#7 Art & Design Event
A juried exhibition of artist and designer craftspeople inspired by the “mood and aesthetics of the West Coast lifestyle,” West Coast Craft is a free, biannual pop-up in San Francisco’s Fort Mason Pavilion with almost 300 makers and small shop owners. Many of the exhibitors hail from the Bay Area, but there are also folks coming from creative havens like Portland and Los Angeles. Next: November 17-18, 2018
A juried exhibition of artist and designer craftspeople inspired by the “mood and aesthetics of the West Coast lifestyle,” West Coast Craft is a free, biannual pop-up in San Francisco’s Fort Mason Pavilion with almost 300 makers and small shop owners. Many of the exhibitors hail from the Bay Area, but there are also folks coming from creative havens like Portland and Los Angeles. Next: November 17-18, 2018
Photo: Myleen Hollero
8. San Francisco Decorator Showcase
#8 Art & Design Event
The Decorator Showcase is interior voyeurism at its finest. Each year, a slate of top West Coast designers are set loose to create a room in one of the city’s most exclusive homes. Instead of swooning over settees and faucets on Pinterest, visitors can ogle details in real life. The event raises in excess of $500,000 annually—and has generated more than $16 million over the past 41 years—for the San Francisco University High School financial aid program. Next: April 27-May 27, 2019
The Decorator Showcase is interior voyeurism at its finest. Each year, a slate of top West Coast designers are set loose to create a room in one of the city’s most exclusive homes. Instead of swooning over settees and faucets on Pinterest, visitors can ogle details in real life. The event raises in excess of $500,000 annually—and has generated more than $16 million over the past 41 years—for the San Francisco University High School financial aid program. Next: April 27-May 27, 2019
Photo: Drew Altizer
9. American Craft Council San Francisco Show
#9 Art & Design Event
The American Craft Council has hosted its San Francisco show for the last 44 years, championing thousands of artisans in the process. The A.C.C. calls the event, which features 230 artists, “the largest juried craft show west of the Rockies.” Unlike similar free admission fairs, the ticketed show has a relaxed atmosphere and a slower pace, which means the 10,000 guests have more time to meet with makers. Next: August 2-4, 2019
The American Craft Council has hosted its San Francisco show for the last 44 years, championing thousands of artisans in the process. The A.C.C. calls the event, which features 230 artists, “the largest juried craft show west of the Rockies.” Unlike similar free admission fairs, the ticketed show has a relaxed atmosphere and a slower pace, which means the 10,000 guests have more time to meet with makers. Next: August 2-4, 2019
Photo: Maximilian Franz
