Pi (π) Day

Join the 36th annual celebration of our own homegrown holiday! March 14th (3/14) commemorates the irrational, transcendent, and never-ending ratio that helps describe circles of all sizes. Explore math-inspired activities and presentations, then join our pi parade and eat a free piece of pie. Come for the STEAM and stay for the slice!
 

Schedule

Pi Demos
With the Explainers
10:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 2:30–5:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Demo Station

There’s more than one way to slice it! Learn how to calculate pi with a variety of hands-on demos.
 

Exhibit Tour: Women in Mathematics
With Lori Lambertson
11:00 a.m. and noon
Crossroads

Join Exploratorium Educator Lori Lambertson for a special tour of some of her favorite exhibits that connect to women’s contributions to the math behind the science. 
 

Pi-ku Poetry
11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3

Craft an ode to your favorite irrational, transcendental number and add to our wall of pi poetry!
 

Why Pi?
With Ron Hipschman and Lori Lambertson
12:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio

Find out what’s so special about the famous mathematical constant. Exploratorium Educators and pi enthusiasts Ron Hipschman and Lori Lambertson share the history and demonstrate the unique properties of this irrational number.
 

An Expanding Circle: Poetry, Pi, and the Legacy of John Sims
With Kim Shuck and Sylvia Blalock
1:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio

Math artist and community builder John Sims wove pi into his work through music, poetry, film, and textiles. As a contributor to the Exploratorium’s Pi Day celebrations in 2021 and 2022, John deeply impacted the museum's commitment to including everyone in arts and math education. Poets Kim Shuck and Sylvia Blalock share pi poems and reflections on John’s legacy.

Kim Shuck is a silly protein. Kim is the seventh Poet Laureate of San Francisco Emerita, solo author of eight books, and a longtime fan of whimsical numbers.

Sylvia L. Blalock is a San Francisco native and former Exploratorium Explainer. She is the author of Uprising: A Book of Poetry and founder of Queendom Network LLC. Her latest project is Voices That Carry: Being Loud On Purpose.
 

Pi Procession
1:59 p.m.
Moore Gallery 4

Grab your digit and get in line for the annual Pi Procession! A high-spirited crowd parades through the museum and circles the Pi Shrine 3.14 times, waving the digits of pi and dancing along to San Francisco brass band Mission Delirium. All participants will enjoy a free slice of pie following the parade.

Mission Delirium is a 12-piece brass and percussion band composed of the most enthusiastic musicians whose mission is to put a groove in your step.
 

Pie Serving
With Pietisserie
2:15 p.m.
Gallery 5

A sweet treat awaits celebrants at the end of the Pi Procession. Grab a slice of pie from local purveyor Pietisserie, and enjoy live music by brass band Mission Delirium while you eat.
 

What Is Pi (π) Day?

Founded in 1988 at the Exploratorium, Pi (π) Day has become an international holiday, celebrated live and online all around the world. The numbers in the date (3/14) match the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi.

What is pi, anyway? Divide any circle’s circumference by its diameter; the answer (whether for a pie plate or a planet) is always approximately 3.14, a number we represent with the Greek letter π. Keep calculating pi’s digits with more and more accuracy—as mathematicians have been doing for 4,000 years—and you’ll discover they go on literally forever, with no pattern.