February 7, 14, 21, and 28, 10am-12pm

Craft away the winter blues with a family-friendly art activity every Saturday in February! Stop by our Craft Corner at UMass Downtown between 10am and 12pm to complete a DIY craft activity:

Feb. 7: Design Your Own Olympic Medal and Torch*

Celebrate the Winter Games with a hands-on craft

Feb. 14: Make Your Own Valentine's Day Card

Make a handmade card with Amherst Recreation and share the love

Feb. 21: Build Your Own Snowman*

Shape, stack, and decorate your own snowy friend

Feb. 28: Decorate Your Own Birdhouse*

Paint and decorate a birdhouse for your backyard feathered friends

*February 7, 21, and 28 craft activities are best suited for ages 3-8, but all four drop-in events are free and open to all. No registration required. Children must be supervised by an adult. Activities offered while supplies last.

February 18

Wellbeing Wednesdays are monthly programs exploring topics in health and wellness. Presented in partnership by UMass Downtown and UMass Recwell, Wellbeing Wednesday @ UMass Downtown events are free and open to all.

10am-3pm - Free Blood Pressure Check

Stop by UMass Downtown for our February Wellbeing Wednesday and get a free blood pressure check courtesy of the UMass Amherst Public Health Promotion Center.

6-7pm: Never Too Late! Jumpstarting Your Exercise Journey

Join certified functional strength coach and RecWell Coordinator for Fitness Operations Greg Hannum for an exploration of the potential effects of exercise on blood pressure. Following, there will be an exercise demonstration and activity to get your journey started. 

Note: Always consult your primary care physician before starting an exercise program.

March 12, 6-7pm

Facial recognition, AI, and data analysis are powerful tools that are being used by ICE to target both immigrants and protestors. Join UMass faculty Francine Berman and Laura Haas for an exploration of how these technologies are enabling ICE and how we might contain them. The session will start with a short presentation on the technology, followed by discussion and Q&A.

Sponsored by Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences and Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass, Talking Tech aims to demystify the technology that drives our world.

Francine Berman is Director of Public Interest Technology in the Manning College of Computer and Information Sciences at UMass, as well as a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Berman is a leader in the field of Public Interest Technology, focused on the responsible development, use and management of technology for social impact. Berman received the 2024 Pioneer in Tech award from the National Center for Women in Technology and is a regular panelist on WAMC’s Roundtable.

Laura Haas is Professor and former Dean of the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at UMass. Haas was formerly an IBM Fellow, leading research and development in data management and data science..  She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and currently chairs the National Academies’ Computer Science and Telecommunications Board.

March 25, 6-8pm

Join Innovate413 and UMass Downtown for a hands-on startup workshop. Bring your curiosity and your passion and connect with local mentors who will be on-hand to help you turn your spark into a real idea. Discover your "why", map your strengths, shape your concept, get feedback, and leave with a plan. 

This free event is open to anyone curious about how to turn an idea into reality. Registration is required.

Register Here

First Tuesdays, 10am-4pm

Looking for job opportunities at UMass Amherst? Need help with your application or have questions about the hiring process? Are you a new employee with questions about onboarding? UMass Amherst Human Resources is here to help! 

The UMass HR team offers weekly community office hours at UMass Downtown to provide application assistance and interview guidance for prospective employees and CORI verifications and onboarding support for new hires. 

No appointment necessary. Just stop by during UMass HR's community office hours!

HR staff will not host community office hours at UMass Downtown in January 2026.

First Thursdays, 7-8pm

Get to know some MASSively talented up-and-coming UMass musicicans in this chill monthly concert series. Spring 2026 dates are February 5, March 5, April 2, and May 7. Check back monthly for artist line-ups. 

February 5: Keira Doyle and Judd Kozuch

Presented in partnership with the UMass Songwriting and Production Club, the MASSive Desk Concert Series is free and open to all.

James oversees the university's multipurpose retail, event and meeting satellite space in downtown Amherst, which opened this week.

The conversations, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on April 24, May 6 and June 10 in the university’s new multipurpose retail, event and meeting space at 108 North Pleasant St. in downtown Amherst, are free and open to all.

Attendees at the event, scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. at UMass Downtown, will learn about various volunteer opportunities and discover ways to contribute their time and skills to support local organizations and strengthen our community.