For Mother's Day and Father's Day — a local arts gift guide
Originally published on The JOLT News on May 5, 2026
Shopping for your parents is no easy task, but I think I can help.
For the last few years, I have given my parents the gift of special time together. This has looked like attending shows, cooking classes, or even just dedicating a day for spontaneous fun.
Taking time together is very intentional and meaningful, and really gets to the heart of what Mother's Day and Father's Day are all about — reminding your parents they are loved, seen and appreciated.
The best part of this gift is that you can make it happen with any budget, and I am here to help. In addition to the ideas you will see below, you gain inspiration from my previous holiday gift guide columns here and here.
With all these ideas, I invite you to be brave and think outside of the box. You never know what new experience can become your parents new favorite thing. I took my dad (who I thought would hate ballet) to a ballet once, and he loved it! You just never know.
Note: The bottom of this column will have a list of theaters, artistic organizations, and galleries to coincide with this list.
Small to no budget
Here are some ideas on how you can give a meaningful artistic gift without breaking the bank:
Want to attend a show? Keep an eye on the JOLT News Event Calendar — free events and shows are published there all the time!
The majority, if not all our theaters and arts companies have either a “pay what you can night,” low income tickets, age dependent discounts, or rush tickets at insanely low prices.
You can still do dinner and a show. I recommend choosing a restaurant with either a lunch or dinner special, or with lower prices altogether.
The weather is getting nicer, take your parents to the Farmer’s Market one day for lunch or a snack and watch a local musician on their stage.
During the spring and summer, there will be a lot more festivals or outdoor performances. Just keep an eye on the events calendar for more info.
Plan a picnic, window shopping day, or nature walk. Does not have to be fancy in order to be meaningful and fun.
Moderate to large budget
When you aim for a larger budget toward gift giving in the local arts scene, you can triple the positive impact you are making. Here are some ideas to show what I mean:
Attend a show together, there are so many. Keep an eye on my column in the future for more ideas. Buying regular price tickets to shows help theaters sustain.
Purchase a subscription for your parent, or for you two together, to attend shows together on a regular basis. Most local theaters will announce their seasons around June, but you can still write a nice card and make a plan to attend a season preview and pick out shows together.
Purchase a piece of art from a gallery or favorite artist. It might be advisable to go to a gallery together with a budget in mind.
Make a donation in your parent’s honor. This is great for parents who love and are familiar with the local arts scene.
Buy tickets to a show and take them out to a fancy dinner beforehand. You can choose your dress code accordingly, and even offer to buy them a new outfit for a night on the town.
Theaters, arts organizations and galleries
Theaters: Shows will often range in price with some theaters being more expensive than others.
Traditions hosts a lot of artists and events.
High School Theaters, which you can learn about here.
Arts organizations: There are many groups who perform at a variety of locations throughout town, some offering their own subscriptions.
Galleries: Even if it is just for window shopping, lots of inspiration can be found in these.
Other ideas and names to note:
Local comedian Sam Miller does many cool shows.
Check out the Bayview School of Cooking.
Watercolor Classes are fun, especially those with RayTen Creative Design.
Pizzeria La Gitana, Basilico, and the Leaning Maple all do jazz or other varieties of entertainment on select nights.
Browsers Bookshop does a lot of fun events.
https://www.thejoltnews.com/stories/for-mothers-day-fathers-day-a-local-arts-gift-guide,29045