TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
Things to do in Palo Alto, CA
We reviewed 550+ Bay Area event sources and found 122 things to do in Palo Alto, CA between October 27 and November 2. Last updated October 27, 2026.
All things to do in Palo Alto, CA — October 27 – November 2
Fady Joudah reads from Exhibit G and converses with the audience at Florence Moore Hall; free books for the first 25 students.
The Unbroken Sky screening at El Centro Chicano, followed by a fireside chat with author Francisco Jiménez and scholars, plus a Q&A with the production team.
A Vision of Paris: the Roxane Debuisson Collection at Stanford (Green Library, Bing Wing) — almanacs, prints, postcards, stereographs, manuscripts, photographs showing 19th‑century Paris transformation; ID registration required.
Preserve photographs, home movies, records, and cassettes with assistance from a skilled volunteer in the Rinconada Library’s Embarcadero Room, ages 18 and up.
TNT Traysikel displays a sculpture that invites singing and storytelling, shifting between sculptural, performative, cinematic forms in McMurtry Building’s Miller Discussion Room and Vitrine Gallery, free.
Reading and conversation with poet and translator Fady Joudah, featuring his new collection Exhibit G available for purchase and signing, at the Humanities Center.
Electric Contrasts: the Art of the Detail (McMurtry Building, Stanford) — Photobooks and magazines display late‑19th/early‑20th century photography’s impact on art, curated by Altair Brandon‑Salmon.
Dr. Alexandra Mitchell explains how LIGO detects minuscule spacetime ripples and recent discoveries, in a hybrid lecture at the Sapp Center for Science Teaching and Learning, all ages.
Open class session of Intro to IDA: Power, Art, + Practice featuring professors Matthew Morrison and Usha Iyer, using a Long Table format inspired by Split Britches.
Tangling the Digital (McMurtry Building, Stanford) showcases woven textiles, atomized prints, and digitally printed clay, linking historic craft with computational processes; free admission.
Alexander Browder presents a free talk on crypto money laundering, sanctions evasion, and state‑backed activity, drawing on 164 global cases, at Hohbach Hall, Stanford.
Seminar at Stanford’s McClatchy Hall presents Susan Sawyer’s analysis of Australia’s under‑16 social‑media ban and its mental‑health impacts.
WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
Stanford Libraries staff guide participants in sewing a single-board computer and lights into costumes and coding interactive behavior, with all materials provided free.
Hosted by Dean Debra Satz and Professor Larry Diamond, Stanford scholars discuss how America’s 250‑year founding shapes democracy in a six‑part free speaker series.
Conversation on Infinite Curiosity, Design and Possibility with Llisa Demetrios, Chief Curator of the Eames Institute, at Building 550, Peterson Laboratory, Stanford.
American Solitaire film screening at Li Ka Shing Center followed by discussion with director Aaron Davidman, IAVA President Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, and Stanford med doctor Dr. Dean Winslow.
A Vision of Paris: the Roxane Debuisson Collection at Stanford (Green Library, Bing Wing) — almanacs, prints, postcards, stereographs, manuscripts, photographs showing 19th‑century Paris transformation; ID registration required.
The Future of Decision-Making Conference (Encina Hall, Stanford) — Scholars, practitioners, and experts present research on AI‑enabled decision systems, cognitive surrender, and military decision‑making; free, registration required.
TNT Traysikel displays a sculpture that invites singing and storytelling, shifting between sculptural, performative, cinematic forms in McMurtry Building’s Miller Discussion Room and Vitrine Gallery, free.
Halloween-themed rock painting with free coffee, tea, and snacks at Branner Earth Sciences Library, open to Stanford students, post-docs, staff, and faculty.
Electric Contrasts: the Art of the Detail (McMurtry Building, Stanford) — Photobooks and magazines display late‑19th/early‑20th century photography’s impact on art, curated by Altair Brandon‑Salmon.
Preserve photographs, home movies, records and cassettes with a volunteer’s help during a two‑hour appointment at Mitchell Park Library; bring laptop and media, ages 18 and up.
Online English conversation session via Zoom, small groups with volunteer tutors discuss Halloween and Day of the Dead, registration required; for ages 18 and up.
Carina Hong discusses AI systems for mathematical reasoning and formal verification at Stanford’s Nvidia Auditorium as part of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series.
Cello students of Christopher Costanza perform at Braun Music Center for the Noon Concert Series, offering a vibrant showcase of emerging talent; free admission, parking permits required.
A panel of GSB alumni and an investor discuss building companies that improve access to SNAP, Medicaid, and disability benefits.
Tangling the Digital (McMurtry Building, Stanford) showcases woven textiles, atomized prints, and digitally printed clay, linking historic craft with computational processes; free admission.
A conversation on Pakistan's democracy, secularism, and the global South with physicist and public intellectual Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy at the Black Community Services Center.
Kim Bong‑Jun’s print exhibition at Stanford’s Lathrop Library showcases Korean folk‑inspired works envisioning Indigenous Futures, with an opening reception featuring his talk and a Korean mask dance.
Coffee, cookies, and conversation in the Bechtel International Center Assembly room, offering informal chats about campus programs and community resources.
Volunteer at O'Donohue Educational Farm, performing weeding, planting, irrigation, composting, mulching, and flower deadheading; closed‑toed shoes required, gloves provided, ages 10+ (10‑14 need guardian).
A conversation on trust-based resilience and disaster philanthropy featuring authors Ryan Eller, Andrew Crosson, and Center for Disaster Philanthropy CEO Patricia McIlreavy, moderated by SSIR editor Aaron Bady.
Evidence‑based webinar explores neuroscience, psychology, mindfulness and performance science to teach a four‑part framework for managing personal energy.
Weekly meditation sits in the CIRCLE Sanctuary, Old Union, lasting 30 minutes, often followed by chat; Wednesday dinner at Tresidder precedes the session, all ages.
Solid Pictures exhibition at Cantor Arts Center showcases rare 19th‑century photosculpture artifacts that predate 3D printing, revealing early portrait‑making technology.
Emergent Properties exhibition showcases forty rare maps and artifacts that have driven scholarship, with a staff‑led tour during the reception.
86 more events through Monday, November 2.
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