San Francisco has long held a reputation for being home to a lot of innovative and crafty folks, and the opportunity to support local merchants and attend craft fairs is kind of a year-round perk in this city. However, in November and December, when craft fair season is in full swing, things are guaranteed to go next-level.

Combining forces, these craft fairs promise to bring together over five-hundred vendors. D.I.Y masters and newbies unite! Find a full list of events, favorite craftsmen and craftswomen, food vendors, 3D printed items, classic wood furniture, art prints, small press books, zines, as well as some items you might have never imagined.

Here is our easy-to-follow list of craft fairs, way easier to follow than those how-to directions on knitting and less stress than make-your-own glitter candles. Or maybe that’s fun? Anyway, leave the crafting to the professionals!

West Coast Craft Winter 2015
West Coast Craft features over 250+ contemporary artist and designer craftspeople in the business. This show is a juried exhibition, specializing in design that captures a specifically west coast flair.

November 14 and 15, 10am to 6pm, free to attend.

 

38Makers Holiday Gift Fair curated by Pinterest
Pinterest, which feels like a magical marketplace that lives just on the internet, is actually based right here in San Francisco. And while the Pinterest website is home to a zillion and one image boards of things to covet, they have hand-picked a list of just thirty-eight select SFMade vendors to showcase their wares at this event.

Come by the Pinterest office at 580 7th Street, November 21, 11am to 5pm. $5 cash donations benefit SFMade, a non-profit organization supporting local manufacturers.

 

Renegade Craft Fair
The Renegade Craft Fair (RCF) website describes their organization as “the world’s preeminent series of events showcasing the best and brightest talents from the modern Maker community”, and while this might sound like a tall order, it’s quite legit.

RCF hosts fairs in seven major U.S. cities and in London. It stops twice a year in San Francisco, and has 295 confirmed vendors thus far. When it shows up, you better go! Fort Mason Center, November 21 & 22, 11am to 6pm, free to attend.

 

6th Annual East Bay Alternative Book & Zine Fest
Where my zinesters at? Perhaps not quite falling under the craft fair label, here’s a zine and small press event that’s on the more punk rock end of the DIY spectrum.

Find over 50 participants, affordable art, small press publishers, and zines. Berkeley City College, December 12th, free to attend.

 

SFMade Holiday Gift Fair
Whether you are looking for a terrariums that look like a mini cacti palace, a new crystal necklace to summon the power of the Universe, or really shopping for presents, then check out this event.

Find over 80 vendors here, plus kudos to you for supporting local businesses. California College of the Arts (CCA) San Francisco Campus, The Nave (1111 8th Street), December 12th, free to attend.

 

Image: West Coast Craft

• Tag: Arts & Crafts, DIY, fort mason, holiday, Pinterest