Masks are required for all visitors 2+. Vaccines recommended. Plan your visit
Free for After Dark Members
Adults Only (18+)
Note: The Tactile Dome and some programs have limited capacity and are available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lose yourself in over 650 interactive exhibits exploring perception, art, and science at our adults-only After Dark. Grab your friends and a drink and get immersed in mind-bending experiences and unique, thought-provoking programs.
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Bechtel Central Gallery
Food: A Four-Course After Dark Program
This November, join us for in-depth explorations of food, served with tastings, talks, and demonstrations designed to whet your curiosity about cooking and eating in a rapidly changing world. Programs take place over four Thursday nights, and cover a topics ranging from kitchen innovations to food security.
Please Note: The museum will be closed Thursday, November 23 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
How does food inspire you? Do you find artistic vision in vegetables, or enjoy the science behind sous-vide? Encounter an array of cooking-inspired presentations and gain a deeper understanding of the tools in your kitchen. Play with your food, experiment with modernist inventions, and visit our new Drink Lab, where you can see lively demonstrations of the science and techniques behind unique drinks also available for purchase.
The State of Food R&D: How Flavor Works and How Gadgets Can Help
With Ali Bouzari
7:00 p.m. | Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Delve into the nuts and bolts of flavor with culinary scientist Ali Bouzari to understand how deliciousness actually works, then examine current and coming waves of kitchen gadgets to sort the good from what’s likely to appear at the next garage sale.
Drink Lab: Centripetal Mojitos
With Clay Reynolds and Julie Yu
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m. | Bechtel Central Gallery
Why clarify lime juice? How? Glean the difference between dissolved substances and suspended particles and learn a few techniques featuring a centrifuge while enjoying a beautifully clear cocktail for purchase for $13.
Champagne and Machete
With Zeke Kossover
8:30, 9:00, and 9:30 p.m. | Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Napoleon’s officers were known to open a bottle of champagne with their sabers. How about a machete? See Exploratorium teacher Zeke Kossover slice open a bottle of bubbly—and learn the physics behind this beverage bravado.
All ongoing programs are in the Bechtel Central Gallery.
Kitchen Gadget Gallery
With Cookin’
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Explore an elegant array of kitchen tools and utensils, such as apple peelers, manual coffee grinders, whisks, egg beaters, spoons, forks, colanders, spatulas, citrus juicers, can openers, tea infusers, egg slicers, cheese slicers, and more.
The Anti-Griddle
With Jerrel KeyAuthor
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Taste one of Chef Jerrel KayAuthor’s bacon molasses or banana coconut cream lollipops flash frozen on the anti-griddle, a modernist cooktop whose subzero surface transforms sauces and purees into crunchy yet still-creamy confections.
Commercial-Grade Contraptions
With Tinker Kitchen
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Consider the possibilities of specialized equipment with Tinker Kitchen staff as they extrude pasta, concoct fizzy drinks, whip up butter with a centrifuge, make chocolate with a tempering machine, or airbrush food with edible ink.
Fruit and Vegetable Carving
With Jimmy Zhang
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Watch Chef Jimmy Zhang demonstrate the ancient art of fruit and vegetable carving, and admire his many flowers, animals, and intricate ornamental displays made from melon, daikon, carrots, and other produce.
Slicing and Dicing
With Kevin Godes
6:30–9:30 p.m.
What’s the difference between brunoise and batons? Julienne and chiffonade? A roll cut versus a rough chop? Join Chef Kevin Godes as he demonstrates a range of techniques for one the most important tools in your kitchen.
Food Automata
With Explorables
7:00–10:00 p.m.
Play with your food to explore simple mechanisms and build a moving sculpture from scratch. Use cookie cams, breadstick axles, candies, crackers, and other snacks to create a unique kinetic treat with the help of Explorables volunteers.
This activity is inspired by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, a collection of humorous contemporary automata, founded in 1982.
6:15–10:00 p.m.
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Take an excursion through total darkness in our Tactile Dome. Crawl, slide, and bump your way through the pitch-dark Dome using your sense of touch as your only guide through its chambers and mazes.
Please Note: Due to the nature of this experience, certain restrictions apply. Guests who are afraid of the dark; claustrophobic; have back, neck, or knee injuries; or are in their third trimester of pregnancy should not participate. Guests wearing casts are prohibited. Also, please wear comfortable clothes.
Learn more about the Tactile Dome.
6:00–9:45 unless noted
Various locations throughout the museum
Drawing Board
Ticketing at 6:00 p.m., first come, first served
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Draw hypnotically flowing patterns with a swinging table, and watch friction cause the patterns to slowly shrink along a spiral path. Pick up a ticket to reserve your spot in line for this popular activity.
Speaker Dissection
Bechtel Central Gallery
Tune in to surrounding sounds by experimenting with strings and vibrations, and use electromagnets to build a basic speaker. Learn how to listen with your bones, and explore the workings of the inner ear.
Cow Eye or Flower Dissection (alternating)
East Gallery
Do cows see color? How does a lens work? Examine the intricate structure of a cow eye to learn about similar structures in our own eyes, as well as some key differences.
Stigma, stamen, pistil, anther, style: Uncover the beautiful architecture of flower anatomy, and gather some surprising strategies that plants use to reproduce.
Magic Demonstration
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Everything is not as it seems—at first. Pick a card, any card, and watch the Explainers reveal some surprising aspects of human perception.
Pier 15
(Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.528.4444
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