While Nvidia GTC and NCAA March Madness may capture the initial headlines in San Jose this month, arts and entertainment activities will be extensive and accessible to local residents and visitors alike.

San Jose is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the U.S., and its creative community is vital to the city’s authentic identity. As tech professionals and sports fans flood the area, the city and local arts groups will host concerts, festivals, interactive public art installations and cultural events that highlight San Jose’s diversity and reputation for innovation — turning the downtown into a hub of excitement, providing entertainment for local residents and bringing an economic lift to local businesses, hotels and restaurants.

A few highlights:

The 2026 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, UNBRIDLED, takes place March 10-22 at the California Theater in downtown San Jose — and also in Mountain View. Our own homegrown festival is internationally recognized and was voted Best Film Festival by USA Today readers. This year, it features 268 new films, 420 presenting artists from 44 countries and 123 world or U.S. premieres. The Maverick Spirit Awards will celebrate the legendary Vivica A. Fox and Steve Zahn.

Honoring musical traditions while celebrating rising talent, global voices and shared experience is a hallmark of our local classical music community. Silicon Valley Arts Coalition unites local performing arts organizations to bring us March Music Madness.

Across the valley, audiences will experience programs that span cultures, centuries and sound worlds — from Florence Price, Amy Beach and Alan Hovhaness to Dvořák, Strauss, Brahms, Bernstein, Wagner and Bach — from Irish comic operetta to Italian celebration, or youth concerto winners to internationally renowned artists. Performances will take place in downtown San Jose, Willow Glen, Campbell, Saratoga, Gilroy and more.

Want to interact with the latest in digital art and create images that dance on the side of the SAP Center? “Free Throw” is a large-scale interactive projection experience by San Jose State University professor G. Craig Hobbs, created to celebrate March Madness in downtown San Jose. Presented over three nights from March 26-28, the project spotlights San Jose’s creativity, diversity and community pride through technology and play.

Visitors are invited to take free throw shots with glowing, LED-lit basketballs at an illuminated hoops setup in front of the projection-mapped visuals. Each shot is instantly transformed into dynamic visuals projected across the SAP Center’s facade, turning individual moments into a massive shared artwork. The artwork elevates the familiar free throw into a collective experience of participation, excitement and community connection. “Free Throw” is made possible through a collaboration between the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs, SJSU and the San Jose Sports Authority.

For something even more thrilling, catch City Lights Theater Company’s production of the updated “Dial M for Murder,” running March 12 to April 12 — “the pace is quicker, the dialogue is snappier, the women are smarter and more complex. But the motive for murder remains the same.” The intimate theater on Second Street in downtown San Jose is the perfect place for an evening of suspicion, deception and mystery.

Wrapping up the month of March in downtown San Jose will be Music Mania from March 27-29. Tickets are on sale now for this three-day sonic festival with heavy-hitting bass, global pop and chart-topping country. DJ DIESEL (aka Shaq) will headline Friday night with a supporting roster including Whethan, Eptic, Zen Selekta and Maneki. On Saturday, March 28, you can experience international superstar Bebe Rexha, and the weekend closes out on Sunday with multiplatinum star Dustin Lynch leading a premier country showcase along with local favorite Ryan Scripps.

Hotel guests, visitors from around the world and local residents can find much more in Explore San Jose 2026, a special issue of Content Magazine that uplifts and spotlights San Jose’s unique creative culture with a guide to hidden gems, popular spots and features of San Jose creative influencers. A partnership with Visit San Jose, it is available in local hotels and at San Jose’s new visitor center, The Locker Room, or find it online here. You can also plan your month of events using the SJ2026 website, which includes an interactive map and a calendar of sport and entertainment activities.

Let’s get out and celebrate, support, connect and explore. It’s spring in San Jose. Reach out and let me know what arts, cultural and entertainment experiences you love best this month.

Alexandra Urbanowski is CEO of SV Creates, the state and county designated arts service organization and local arts agency for Santa Clara County. She serves on the leadership committee for the California Coalition of County Art Agencies and is on the board of the statewide arts advocacy organization California for the Arts/California Arts Advocates. Her columns appear every first Wednesday of the month. Contact Alexandra at [email protected].