Home›Free Cultural & Carnatic Events in Ithaca
Free Cultural & Carnatic Events in Ithaca
200 free events coming up — no ticket needed. All events in Ithaca →
Happening this week
Thu, 1 OctFREEKeeping Common Birds Common: Birds and Habitat at Cornell Botanic Gardens and Beyond
Mann Library · Ithaca
artsFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEAfternoon Tea
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEElemental: The 2026 Barbara L. Kuhlman Scholars’ Group Exhibition
Human Ecology Building (HEB) · Ithaca
artsFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREELast Call: Bird Decline and the Threat of Extinction
Mann Library · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEGoing to Gone: Earth's Biodiversity Loss and What We Can Do About It
Mann Library · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEMusic of the Natural World
Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance · Ithaca
musicFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEEconometrics Workshop: Sukjin Han
Ives Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREETemporary Measures: Migrant Workers and the Developmental State in the Philippines and South Korea
Sage Hall B05 · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEEnergy Engineering Seminar: Michael Weill '79 (BHP)
Phillips Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEMidday Music: Stephen Prutsman (CU Music)
Lincoln Hall · Ithaca
musicFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEData Den: Introduction to tidycensus in R
Mann Library · Ithaca
techFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEBEE Fall 2026 Seminar Series - Dr. Sarah Morris, Montana State University
Riley-Robb Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREECornell Department of Astronomy & Space Sciences Fall 2026 Colloquium Series
Space Sciences Building · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEDr. Lei Tian Distinguished Lecture Series: Natalie Reznikov (McGill)
Kimball Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREESnacks and Hacks: A Spooky Digital CoLab Mixer
Olin Library · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEEnglish Conversation Hour
Stimson Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREELinguistics Colloquium Speaker: Aditya Vashistha
Morrill Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEPractical Guide to Adding Livestock to Your Veterinary Practice
Mann Library · Ithaca
otherFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEZalaznick Reading with Edward P. Jones
Klarman Hall · Ithaca
literatureFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEMei-Wei ‘72 and Amy Cheng Distinguished Lecture Series: Sean Forbes ’90
Olin Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Thu, 1 OctFREEItaly Across Cornell
Klarman Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEBlack Critical Thought Symposium
AD White House · Ithaca
businessFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREESeminars in Infection & Immunity (VETMI 7120) -- Dr. Pamela Chang
College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University · Ithaca
businessFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEThe Deinstitutionalization of Parenthood in the United States
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall · Ithaca
artsFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEComposers' Forum: Miya Masaoka
Lincoln Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEIGCS Fall 2026 Colloquium Series
Klarman Hall · Ithaca
artsFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEBME7900 Seminar: Marc McKee (McGill)
Weill Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEEPL Read-Ahead Colloquium: Jonathan Quong
Goldwin Smith Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEAnthropology Colloquium: David Carballo
120 Mary Ann Wood Drive · Ithaca
otherFREE
Fri, 2 OctFREEGuided Mindfulness Meditation with the Let's Meditate Initiative at Cornell Botanic Gardens
Cornell Botanic Gardens · Ithaca
wellbeingFREE
Coming up
Mon, 5 OctFREECOMMColloquium Series: Disability and Neurodiversity in the Classroom
Warren Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Mon, 5 OctFREEDepartment of Physics Colloquium, Professor Abigail Crites, Cornell University
Physical Sciences Building · Ithaca
otherFREE
Mon, 5 OctFREEMindful by Nature: The Inner Work of Being Outdoors
Brian C. Nevin Welcome Center · Ithaca
literatureFREE
Mon, 5 OctFREEDreaming back: Debra Castillo's Reframing of Literary Studies
A.D. White · Ithaca
literatureFREE
Mon, 5 OctFREESprachcafé - German Conversation Hour
Big Red Barn · Ithaca
otherFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEBEDR Workshop | George Wu
Sage Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEMAE Colloquium: Frederike Dümbgen (Carnegie Mellon)
Kimball Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREECelebration of Technological Humanities: Essays in Honor of Ron Kline
Physical Sciences Building · Ithaca
techFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEExploring the Ethics of AI in Community-Engaged Learning
Gates Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEORIE Colloquium: Sarah Dean (Cornell CS)
Frank H. T. Rhodes Hall · Ithaca
techFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEThe Contemporary Face of Jew Hatred: Threats Against Jews Today
Caldwell Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEPower and Public Memory
Morrill Hall · Ithaca
artsFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEPoetics of Life and Death: Short Films from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine
Cornell Cinema · Ithaca
otherFREE
Tue, 6 OctFREEWeekly Accountability & Support Sessions (WASS)
Warren Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREEUltralight School: An Evening with Laurel Schwulst
Milstein Hall · Ithaca
otherFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREENew Faculty Teaching Academy
CCC (Computing and Communications Center) · Ithaca
otherFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREECornell Recreation Connection Lunch Meet-Up
Terrace Cafe · Ithaca
otherFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREENeurodiversiTea
CCC (Computing and Communications Center) · Ithaca
otherFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREEMidday Music for Organ: David Yearsley (CU Music)
Anabel Taylor Chapel · Ithaca
musicFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREESmall Group Personal Training – Beginner Level - Skill Building Group
Appel Commons · Ithaca
sportsFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREEEAS Seminar: Nikole Lewis (Cornell Astronomy)
Snee Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREEAMR Seminar: Petra Levin, Washington University
College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University · Ithaca
businessFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREECoRe Seminar Series: "Maternal Effect Gene ANP32E Allows for Transcriptional Priming of Young Transposons"
Schurman Hall · Ithaca
businessFREE
Wed, 7 OctFREEA Global Conservation Leader Coming to Cornell: Dr. Purnima Devi Barman
College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University · Ithaca
otherFREE
Ithaca runs one of the world's richest free cultural calendars. Sabhas hold Carnatic concerts most evenings, temples host utsavams and bhajans, and Bharatanatyam margams, harikathas and discourses happen year-round — most with free admission and no ticket needed. This guide gathers them in one place and refreshes itself as new events are added.
It peaks in the Margazhi season (mid-Dec to mid-Jan), when hundreds of free and low-cost kutcheris fill the sabhas — but there's something on almost every week. Bookmark this page, or get the app for reminders near you.
How to use it
- Just turn up for most sabha and temple programmes — free events rarely need registration.
- Tap any event for the exact venue, time and performer.
- Want paid shows too? See all events in Ithaca or things to do this weekend.