Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival

On a July weekend the lawns of the Palo Alto Art Center turn into a long outdoor gallery of pots, bowls, vases and glass. White tents line the paths beside Rinconada Park. Potters talk glazes with collectors, glass artists hold pieces up to the light and children press their hands into lumps of clay at a hands-on table. The Clay and Glass Festival is a working artists' show where almost everything is for sale and the people who made it are standing right there.

This guide covers the festival's background, the 2026 edition, the usual schedule and tips for parking, buying and pairing it with a summer day in Palo Alto. The 2026 festival ran July 11 and 12. Dates for 2027 had not been posted when we checked on October 31, 2026. For the rest of the season see our summer events guide.

What the festival is

The Clay and Glass Festival is a two-day juried show and sale. Artists apply and are selected by the organizer, so the booths stay focused on serious handmade work rather than mass-produced decor. The city described the 2026 lineup as more than 140 juried clay and glass artists from throughout California. The organizer's own listing said more than 130. Either way, it is one of the larger gatherings of ceramic and glass artists in Northern California.

Expect a wide spread of work. Functional pottery is the backbone: mugs, plates, serving bowls, teapots and vases you can use every day. Alongside it you will find sculptural ceramics, raku, porcelain and tile. The glass side covers blown, fused and stained glass, from drinking glasses to wall panels and garden pieces. Prices vary as much as the work, from a single mug to a major sculpture.

History and organizer

The festival is run by the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California, usually shortened to ACGA, with the Palo Alto Art Center as host. ACGA traces its roots to 1945, when it was founded as the Association of San Francisco Potters. It later widened its scope to glass and to the whole state and now counts more than 400 members.

The city calls the festival a long-running annual tradition at the Art Center. Neither the city nor ACGA publishes the year the Palo Alto show began, so we do not give one here. What is clear is that the festival has become a fixed point of the Art Center's summer, alongside its fall glass pumpkin sale. Together they make the Newell Road campus a center for craft in Palo Alto. Our Palo Alto Art Center guide covers the building, its exhibitions and its classes.

The 2026 festival at a glance

The city lists the festival on its events directory and ACGA posts details on acga.net. In recent years the festival has fallen on the second weekend of July, a week after the Fourth of July holiday. Treat that as a pattern rather than a promise until 2027 dates appear.

Typical schedule

The festival runs on the same rhythm both days. Booths open at 10 a.m. Demonstrations start late in the morning and run hourly into the afternoon. The pottery throwdown closes the main program in mid-afternoon. Booths close at 5 p.m.

Demonstrations

The 2026 program put a different artist on the demonstration stage each hour from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturday the lineup covered ikebana flower arranging, handbuilding, slab building with texture and a talk on glassblowing. On Sunday it covered ikebana again, turning a closed form into sculpture, throwing off the hump and making teapots. Demonstrations are free and they are the best way to understand why a handmade teapot costs what it does.

The Pottery Throwdown

The crowd favorite is the Pottery Throwdown, held at 3:15 p.m. on both days in 2026. Six potters race through two timed challenges at the wheel while a host keeps up live commentary. Prizes go to the winners. It is part game show, part skills demonstration and a good finish to the day.

Clay For All

ACGA's hands-on area lets visitors of any age try working with clay. It is a natural stop for families and a good way to keep children busy while adults browse.

Cost and buying tips

Admission is free and so are the demonstrations and the throwdown. You pay for what you buy and for food. Artists set their own prices and handle their own sales.

• Walk the whole show first. With more than 130 booths, a quick lap before you buy helps you compare styles and prices.
• Ask about care. Potters will tell you whether a piece is safe in the dishwasher, microwave or oven.
• Bring a padded bag. Newspaper or a towel in a tote keeps ceramics from knocking together. Palo Alto bans plastic checkout bags.
• Ask about shipping. Many artists will ship larger pieces so you do not have to carry them across the lawn.
• Go back on Sunday. If you are torn, take a card and return. Popular work can sell out, so do not wait too long on a favorite.

Parking and Caltrain access

The Art Center is at the corner of Newell Road and Embarcadero Road beside Rinconada Park. In 2026 ACGA offered valet parking at the Art Center. The regular lots are shared with the park, Rinconada Library and the Junior Museum and Zoo, so they fill on summer weekends. Free street parking on the residential blocks nearby is the fallback. Our parking guide explains the rules.

No Caltrain station is right next door. From Palo Alto station at the end of University Avenue, the Art Center is a little over a mile away, about a 25 to 30 minute walk on quiet residential streets or a short bike ride. Bikes are the local favorite, since you can lock up close to the booths. Bring a rack bag or basket if you plan to buy.

What to do nearby

The festival sits in one of the best family corners of town. The Junior Museum and Zoo is across Rinconada Park on Middlefield Road. The park itself has a playground, shady lawns and Rinconada Pool, which the city keeps open year-round and which is a popular stop on a hot July afternoon. The Art Center galleries are free and worth a look while you are there.

If your visit falls on a Saturday evening, check whether a free Twilight Concert is on. Rinconada Park hosted three of the four shows in 2026. Our Twilight Concerts guide has the details. For a sit-down meal, downtown Palo Alto and California Avenue are both a short drive or ride away. Our guide to outdoor dining lists patios for a summer lunch.

Planning a July weekend around it

The festival pairs well with a classic Palo Alto summer weekend. Start Saturday at the downtown farmers market, ride over to the Art Center when the booths open and stay through the throwdown. On Sunday, go back for anything you could not stop thinking about, then try the California Avenue market. July hotel demand is steady rather than extreme, but weekend rates still climb. You can compare Palo Alto hotels for July early and choose a refundable rate. Our July guide covers the weather and other events that month.

Frequently asked questions