Tacoma Arts Month turns 25 in October, and the city is marking the milestone with hundreds of arts and culture events, many of them free, spread across neighborhoods.

The celebration kicks off Saturday, Oct. 3, with Kaleidoscope, a free family event running noon to 4 p.m. at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S. The afternoon features live music, dance and poetry performances, plus hands-on art activities led by dozens of local artists and cultural organizations, according to the city.

Inside the library, the Handforth Gallery will host The 253, a group show spotlighting artists from across Arts Month's 25-year history alongside work by Tacoma Artists Initiative Program participants. Community Hub partners Write253, Remakery Tacoma, Tacoma Tree Foundation and 1443 Films will run interactive programming. Food trucks will be on site.

Kaleidoscope is presented in partnership with Tacoma Public Library and Tacoma Creates.

Three days later, Tacoma City Council will present the Arts Month proclamation and the 2026 AMOCAT Arts Awards at its Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting at 5 p.m. in the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St.

The 2026 AMOCAT honorees include Theresa Pan Hosley and Angela Jossy for Community Outreach by an Individual, Rainbow Center and Ted Brown Music for Community Outreach by an Organization, and the Arts & Culture Coalition of Pierce County as Arts Patron. Each award is a handcrafted glass piece made by Hilltop Artists using recycled glass.

That glass has a local origin. The city and Hilltop Artists launched a pilot program called "This Is What We Make of It" on Sept. 15, inviting residents to drop off clear bottles and float glass at the Tacoma Recycle Center, 3510 S. Mullen St. Hilltop Artists staff and students process the material into cullet for the awards and other projects. Hilltop Artists described the effort as part of a broader vision to turn discarded glass into a sustainable resource for studios and the glass arts industry. The pilot runs through February 2027.

The Tacoma Studio Tour follows Saturday and Saturday, Oct. 17-18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 82 locations around the city. More than 100 artists open their working studios for free, self-guided visits. Every studio will offer a demonstration or interactive activity.

Visitors can pick up a discovery card, collect stamps by completing challenges at each studio and submit it for a chance to win artwork. A full studio list and interactive map are available at TacomaArtsMonth.org.

Arts at the Armory, an indoor arts market featuring 120 local artists and makers, closes out the season Saturday and Saturday, Nov. 14-15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tacoma Armory, 1001 S. Yakima Ave. That event is presented in partnership with Tacoma Arts Live.

The full events calendar, open for submissions year-round, is at TacomaArtsMonth.org.