Plan Your Visit

The 2024 Pacific Bonsai Expo will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center, 10 10th St, Oakland, CA 94607.  

Schedule

Thursday, October 24

  • 9:00am - 5:00pm Show setup and exhibit photography
  • 9:00am - 5pm Vendor setup

Friday, October 25

  • 9:00am - 3:00pm Show setup and exhibit photography
  • 9:00am - 3:00pm Vendor setup
  • 3:00pm - 5:00pm Exhibit judging (exhibitors only)
  • 5:00pm - 8:00pm Friday Evening Reception & Awards Ceremony

Saturday, October 26

  • 9:00am Exhibit and vendor area open
  • Docent Tours: Hourly from 1:00pm - 4:00pm
  • 10:00 am  Super Demo with Mike Pistello and Sam Tan
  • 11:00 am  Session 2: Mini Lectures with Adam Toth, Julian Tsai, Carmen Leskoviansky (ASL Friendly)
  • 12:30 pm Demo wrap-up with Sam Tan and Mike Pistello
  • 1:00 pm Session 3: Principles of Bonsai Design - David DeGroot 
  • 2:00 pm  Session 4: Classical Bonsai Art - William N. Valavanis
  • 3:00 pm  Session 5: Learn to Evaluate Bonsai - Jonas Dupuich
  • 5:00 pm Exhibit and vendor area close

    Sunday, October 27

    • 9:00am Exhibit and vendor area open
    • Docent Tours: Hourly from 10:00am - 3:00pm
    • 10:00 am  Super Demo with Todd Schlafer and Andrew Robson
    • 11:00 am Panel Discussion with Japanese bonsai potters Kazuhiro Watanabe (Ikko) and Kakuyuki Watanabe (Kakuzan)
    • 12 pm Demo wrap-up with Andrew Robson and Todd Schlafer
    • 12:30 pm Panel Discussion with bonsai growers John Eads, Ed Imholt, Dylan Ferreira, and Eric Schrader
    • 2:00 pm Mini Lectures with Austin Heitzman (Stands) and Nao Tokutake (Pots)
    • 4:00pm  Exhibit closed

    See the Program Schedule for lecture/demo times and topics.

     

    The Venue

    Henry J. Kaiser Center For the Arts is located adjacent to the Oakland Museum of California, on the shores of Lake Merritt, across the lake from the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt.

    The Venue historically was called the Oakland Civic Auditorium. The main event hall is over 26,000 square feet and surrounds attendees with wonderful architectural details and a storied history. 

    Tickets

    Tickets are ON Sale now!

     Ticket types:

    Admission to the Friday Reception is available to exhibitors for free and to donors who make qualifying donations ($250 or more.)

    Parking

    On-Site Parking is SOLD OUT.  There are additional parking lots nearby at the Oakland Museum. The venue is located one block away from the Lake Merritt BART station. We strongly encourage carpooling and using ride share services when possible. 

    Loading Zone

    A Loading Zone will be available for drop-off and PU of people and loading of purchases. This zone will be demarcated near the entrance on 10th street.

    Shuttle Busses

    There will be two shuttle busses running between the venue on 10th street and the Bonsai Garden Lake Merritt (Belluevue ave) and the Hyatt House in Emeryville.  See interactive map below.

     

    Lodging

    The official hotel for the 2024 expo is the same as the hotel for the 2022 PBE. If you are looking to stay close to the Pacific Bonsai Expo venue, we recommend:

    To quality for group rate, which includes discounted parking, reserve your room online with this link or call 510-601-5880 and use group code "G-PBSE". 

    Hyatt House Emeryville - 5800 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA

    Other Nearby Lodging:

    Hyatt Place Emeryville - 5700 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
    Hilton Garden Inn - 1800 Powell Street, Emeryville, CA
    Four Points by Sheraton - 1603 Powell Street, Emeryville, CA
    Sonesta Emeryville - 5555 Shellmound Street, Emeryville, CA
    A cool place to eat in Emeryville is the Emeryville Public Market, an indoor conglomeration of multiple food establishments which is located at  5959 Shellmound St.

     

    Getting To HJK:

    Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium is located at 10 10th Street in Oakland. 

    Food

    • The Expo will feature a concessions area with food provided by Ratto's Deli on Saturday & Sunday. Vegan and gluten-free options will be available for  breakfast, lunch, and snacks & coffee all day. For more about Ratto's deli: https://www.rattos.com/about
    • Coffee by Zack Follett will also be available.
    • The Town Fare Cafe at the Oakland Museum next door offers a great selection of entrees, shared plates, salads, and sandwiches. 

    (Very) Local Attractions

    Bonsai Garden Lake Merritt

    The Bonsai Garden Lake Merritt is located at 650 Bellevue Ave, Oakland, CA.
    For more information check out the BGLM website. We'll be running a shuttle between the garden and the Expo throughout the weekend. Garden hours are 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on October 26th and 27th.

    Oakland Museum of California

    The OMCA is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world. It features multidisciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science, all within 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus next door to the Expo venue. The collection includes three suiseki on display as part of their permanent collection.