• Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store

Pi (π) Day

  • About Pi (π) Day
  • Guide to Celebrating Pi (π) Day
  • A Brief History of Pi (π)
  • A Slice of Pi (π) Day History
  • Pi (π) Day Activities

Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit  

Visitor FAQ Buy Tickets Donate Today
Exploratorium
Exploratorium
  • Visit
    • Calendar
    • After Dark Thursdays
    • Buy Tickets
    • Exhibits
    • Museum Galleries
    • Artworks on View
    • Hours
    • Getting Here
    • Visitor FAQ
    • Event Rentals
    • Field Trips
  • Education
    • Professional Development Programs
    • Free Educator Workshops
    • Tools for Teaching and Learning
    • Learning About Learning
    • Community Programs
    • Educator Newsletter
  • Explore
    • Browse by Subject
    • Activities
    • Video
    • Exhibits
    • Apps
    • Blogs
    • Websites
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Partnerships
    • Global Collaborations
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Arts at the Exploratorium
    • Contact Us
  • Join + Support
    • Donate Today!
    • Membership
    • Join Our Donor Community
    • Engage Your Business
    • Attend a Fundraiser
    • Explore Our Reach
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
    • Donor & Corporate Member FAQ
    • Host Your Event
    • Volunteer
  • Store
  • Photo of the Pi Day Shrine, which is on the Exploratorium's Plaza.

Pi (π) Day

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 • 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Reserve Tickets


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.

Pi (π) Day Celebration with John Sims
Why Pi?
Pi: the Story of an Extra Little Bit
Pi is Women's Work: Celebrating Women in Mathematics
When Pi isn't Enough
Pi Day 2020: Why π?
Pi Day Celebration
Say it with Trike: Pi Day
Pi (π) Day “Round” Table + Listening Party



Learn More

Guide to Celebrating Pi (π) Day

Celebrate Pi (π) Day wherever you are.

A Brief History of Pi (π)

Learn about the long and rich history of π.

A Slice of Pi (π) Day History

Plumb the history of Pi Day—and its founder, Larry Shaw (pictured). 

Activities

Science activity to demonstrate pi using circumference and string
Cutting Pi

String and scissors are all you need to find pi all around you.

Science activity to estimate pi with the random tossing of toothpicks
Pi Toss

Randomly toss some toothpicks, with pi as your reward.

Science activity using straight lines to learn about circles
Pi Graph

Use straight lines to learn about circles.

At-Home Pi Day Celebrations

Share your celebrations by tagging @Exploratorium #PiDaySF



Exhibits

Pi Has Your Number
Pi Has Your Number

Use a touchscreen to search for any number hidden in the first 3 million digits of pi.

Pi Toss
Pi Toss

Toss some chips to estimate pi.

Pi Shrine
Pi Shrine

This circular piece of Exploratorium history has held pride of place in π Day festivities since 1988.

Pi (π) Day

  • About Pi (π) Day
  • Guide to Celebrating Pi (π) Day
  • A Brief History of Pi (π)
  • A Slice of Pi (π) Day History
  • Pi (π) Day Activities

Donate Today! →

Exploratorium
Visit
Join
Give

Pier 15
(Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.528.4444

Contact Us

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Calendar
  • Buy Tickets
  • Getting Here
  • Store
  • Event Rentals
  • About Us
  • Become a Member
  • Donate
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Press Office
  • Land Acknowledgment

Get at-home activities and learning tools delivered straight to your inbox

The Exploratorium is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our tax ID #: 94-1696494
© 2023 Exploratorium | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights |