A person with dreadlocks is playing a ukulele and smiling. They are wearing a green shirt, a colorful striped vest, and red pants, as part of Kaleidoscope during Tacoma Arts Month.

CELEBRATING 25 years of Tacoma Arts Month

Tacoma Arts Month is a free, citywide celebration of arts, culture, heritage, and science held every October in Tacoma.

Tacoma Arts Month Events Calendar

All year round!

Looking for arts and cultural events in Tacoma? The events calendar is open year-round. Browse what’s happening across the city and post your own events for free. New events added all the time.

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KALEIDOSCOPE

Saturday, October 3, 2026
12 – 4 PM | Tacoma Public Library Main Branch

Kaleidoscope opens Tacoma Arts Month with a free afternoon of gallery exhibitions, live performances, interactive art-making, and cultural programming. Free, family-friendly, and fully accessible. All are welcome.

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The Kaleidoscope event was a meaningful experience for me. I feel truly blessed to witness how the main library has evolved into a more colorful, diverse, and welcoming space, a place where people of all backgrounds can learn, grow, and feel safe.

Savong Lam

Program Coordinator, Khmer Language Arts & Culture Academy (KLACA)

Tacoma Studio Tour

Saturday & Sunday, October 17 & 18, 2026
11 AM – 5 PM

Step inside the working studios of Tacoma artists. Explore the work of over 100 artists across dozens of open studios, see demonstrations, try hands-on activities, and purchase one-of-a-kind work directly from the makers.

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ARTS AT THE ARMORY

Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 15, 2026
11 AM – 5 PM

Arts at the Armory returns to the Tacoma Armory. Meet over 100 Tacoma artists at this market, learn about their creative processes, and find one-of-a-kind work just in time for the winter season. Presented with Tacoma Arts Live.

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The tour provides great opportunities to get to know the community and to share and discuss art at a moment when creativity is so important. The sales, while nice, are secondary to the relationships and connections.

Jane Kenyon

Tacoma Studio Tour Artist

Mattice Hoyt was presented the Arts Patron award in 2024. Here she is shown being presented the award by then Mayor Woodards.

AMOCAT ARTS AWARDS

MORE INFO COMING SOON

The AMOCAT Arts Awards recognize outstanding contributions to Tacoma’s arts community. We’ll be accepting nominations for the 2026 awards soon.

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3 Event Support staff smile at visitors during Kaleidoscope, the opening celebration to Tacoma Arts Month in 2025.

25 Years of Tacoma Arts Month

Since 2002, Tacoma Arts Month has brought artists, neighbors, and communities together. This year we celebrate 25 years of creativity, connection, and culture rooted in every corner of Tacoma.

ʔuk’ʷədiitəb ʔuhigʷətəb čəɫ txʷəl tiiɫ ʔa čəɫ ʔal tə swatxʷixʷtxʷəd ʔə tiiɫ puyaləpabš dxʷəsɫaɫlils gʷəl ʔutxʷəlšucidəbs həlgʷəʔ.

We gratefully acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Puyallup People where they make their home and speak the Lushootseed language.

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Arts & Cultural Vitality Division | City of Tacoma | [email protected]