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SPIE AR | VR | MR is the optics and photonics conference for extended reality hardware, running in early 2027 in San Francisco as part of SPIE Photonics West. Themed around powering immersive worlds with advanced optical design, the conference invites researchers and engineers to present developments in optical systems for next-generation smart glasses and head-mounted displays. Technical sessions span waveguide and display architectures, three-dimensional computer vision and perception, optical sensors for six-degree-of-freedom head tracking and SLAM relocalisation, eye tracking, and the manufacturing constraints that govern consumer XR hardware. Unlike XR events focused on content or commercial applications, this is a hardware and physics venue where display and sensing research is presented alongside the industry teams building shipping devices. Attendees gain peer-reviewed results from optics laboratories, an exhibition of photonics components and metrology equipment, and contact with the specialist supply chain behind AR and VR products. For engineers working on immersive display hardware, it is the field's key technical conference.
SPIE AR | VR | MR 2027 takes place Jan 30 – Feb 4, 2027 in San Francisco, United States.
SPIE AR | VR | MR 2027 is an in-person event.
Travel questions? See Good to know in the travel guide below.
Late January is San Francisco's wettest stretch, when Pacific storms roll through between clear cold days and the city empties of summer visitors. The conference sits in SoMa, the low-rise district south of Market Street that turned from warehouses into the city's convention and technology quarter. For an optics and immersive-display event the timing is apt: the surrounding blocks hold the research labs and hardware startups the field draws from.
San Francisco International (SFO) is the main gateway, connected to downtown by BART in roughly 30 minutes with trains running to stations a short walk from SoMa. Oakland (OAK) is an alternative, also BART-connected via a shuttle link. Muni buses and the historic F-line streetcar cover the SoMa and Embarcadero area. Driving downtown is rarely worth the parking cost.
Skip the taxi queue — pre-book a fixed-price airport transfer with Welcome Pickups. Exploring beyond the city? compare rental cars on EconomyBookings.
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Conference and hotel connectivity in SoMa is dependable, but signal weakens in the city's older stone buildings and underground BART platforms. Travellers arriving from outside the US typically find an eSIM cheaper and simpler than a roaming add-on. Set up an eSIM with Airalo before you board and you're online the moment you land.
Exploratorium. A hands-on science museum on Pier 15 built around perception, light and optical illusion, which makes it unusually relevant for an AR and VR audience. Many exhibits demonstrate exactly the visual phenomena the conference discusses. Allow three hours; the adults-only evening session avoids the school groups. Tickets on Tiqets →
SFMOMA. Seven floors of modern and contemporary art a few minutes' walk from the SoMa conference blocks, with a photography collection among the strongest anywhere. It is the obvious rainy-afternoon option in late January. Two to three hours covers the highlights; the free ground-floor sculpture gallery needs no ticket. Tickets on Go City →
Yerba Buena Gardens. A raised green block in the middle of SoMa with lawns, a memorial waterfall and the Museum of the African Diaspora at its edge. It is the one place to sit outdoors between sessions when the rain pauses. Thirty minutes, and it is directly adjacent to the convention district.
Ferry Building Marketplace. A restored 1898 terminal on the Embarcadero, now a food hall of Californian producers with a farmers market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A twenty-minute walk or short streetcar ride from SoMa. Go for lunch rather than dinner, when the stalls are fully open.
How do I get from SFO into the city?
BART runs directly from the airport to downtown stations in about 30 minutes and is faster than a taxi during peak traffic.
What should I pack for late January?
Layers and a waterproof jacket. This is the rainy season, with cool days and no real guarantee of dry weather.
Is SoMa walkable to the main sights?
Much of downtown, the Embarcadero and the museum district are within a 15-25 minute walk, with Muni covering the rest.
Travel notes written for SPIE AR | VR | MR 2027 attendees. Links marked above are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Verify schedules and opening hours on official websites before you travel.
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