Arts & Culture

In San Luis Obispo, the small-town charm and emphasis on the outdoors doesn’t mean you won’t also find cultural attractions worthy of a big city.
The city’s rich heritage, along with the presence of a university and a population with a sophisticated interest in the arts, make San Luis Obispo an ideal place to experience some culture on your visit.

You can take in a concert in a park, among vineyards or in a world-class concert hall. You can tour dozens of art galleries on a downtown walking tour. You can attend festivals in honor of Mozart, Shakespeare, film or sidewalk chalk art.

 The plaza of Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, the Spanish mission in the center of town that is itself a cultural destination, is host to performances and events throughout the year, including the Concerts in the Plaza Fridays during summer. And on the edge of the plaza by San Luis Creek sits the San Luis Obispo Art Center, featuring an array of exhibits, classes, lectures and events. 
Sloma.org

On the first Friday of each month, the arts take over downtown San Luis Obispo for Art After Dark. From 6-9 p.m., more than a dozen galleries, studios and cafes open their doors for receptions, debuts, mixing and mingling. It’s a great introduction to the many art spaces you can find downtown every day. 
Sloartscouncil.org

In March, independent filmmakers and film lovers flock to town for the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, which also draws celebrities including Morgan Freeman, Peter Fonda and SLO County natives Zac Efron and Josh Brolin. 
Slofilmfest.org

Summer brings the renowned Festival Mozaic, presenting a unique and provocative mix of music and venues. Formerly the Mozart Festival, it was renamed to reflect the ever-expanding range of programming inspired by the classical master. For traditionalists, there are orchestra performances, chamber concerts and receptions; for others, there’s jazz, contemporary and world music, “music tasting menus” paired with wine and food, Viennese biergarten-style events, Music at the Movies showings and other innovative presentations. There’s also a Winter Mezzo with additional performances.
Festivalmozaic.com

In October, the doors open countywide for the annual Open Studios Tour, coordinated by Arts Obispo. The area’s largest visual arts event, the Open Studios Tour provides a program and map to more than 250 studios throughout the county where you can meet the artists and possibly even see them at work.
Sloartscouncil.org

San Luis Obispo is also home to its own symphony, celebrating its 51st season and its 28th with Maestro Michael Nowak. The San Luis Obispo Symphony showcases chamber music in intimate settings, the annual Pops by the Sea and, of course, orchestral performances in the concert hall at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly State University. 
Slosymphony.com

The PAC, as it’s called by locals, is a state-of-the-art performance center that attracts performers from across the country and the globe. The PAC also has an attraction of its own in the soaring 20-ton pipe organ, whose grand scale is usually seen in cathedrals and concerts halls of major cities. At the PAC, you will find concerts both classical and modern, musicals, ballet and dance recitals, comedians, children’s shows and more.
Pacslo.org or calpolyarts.org

If you like your art more hands-on, you’ll love the I Madonnari festival in September, when skilled artists and casual doodlers alike take their talents to the street, creating masterpieces in chalk on sidewalks in and around Mission Plaza.  
imadonnarifestival.com

Hands-on activity can be found year-round at the new San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum, with more than 20 indoor and outdoor activities that will stimulate curiosity and discovery in kids young and old. 
Slocm.org

And if it’s San Luis Obispo itself you are curious about, head over to the San Luis Obispo Historical Museum, housed in the old Carnegie Library building. There you’ll find historical photos, documents and artifacts that shed a new perspective on the city you find today.
Historycenterslo.org

You can even see how people here used to the live at the furnished Dallidet Adobe, also operated by the San Luis Obispo Historical Society. Surrounded by roses and redwoods in the Mediterranean gardens, it also is considered one of the most romantic locations in the city.

Whatever your cultural interests, you are sure to find something that pleases the artistic senses in San Luis Obispo.