Courtesy of Street Kohi
With a little extra free time during the holidays, these hands-on workshops and cafes around Metro Manila are perfect places to spend the season unwinding and getting creative.
The holiday season is in full swing, and creative spaces across Metro Manila are opening their doors to workshops that invite a slower, hands-on way to unwind. From visual arts and pottery to literature sessions and mini festivals, these are the spots to enjoy some quiet amid the city’s holiday bustle.
Street Kohi
Tucked along the lively Mayaman Street near popular study spots, Street Kohi started as a small coffee shop and has since grown into a creative hub that offers various activities. The space features handmade crafts, workshops, open gigs, music and film festivals, and even its popular lantern festival.
Street Kohi Angelo owner “Juju” Aragon wears many creative hats, and each one is reflected in the space that often attracts a younger crowd. The interior bursts with red and yellow accents and is filled with a variety of artworks. Children’s plushies greet visitors at the door, with Studio Ghibli characters standing out as some of the most memorable touches. This playful creativity carries over to themed events like the Ghibli Fest and Lantern Festival, which regularly draw close to a hundred people for an interactive celebration.
Earlier this holiday season, Street Kohi hosted its multi-day Lantern Festival, celebrating Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince from December 12 to 14, 2025. Visitors got to design and hang their own lanterns using sustainable materials, write wish cards, and join workshops in flower arranging, art, and interactive storytelling. To wrap up the year, Juju is also looking forward to the Paskuhan sa Kohi, a festive event set to close the season.
At these events, Juju smiles as he talks about the kind of community he hopes to build, saying he wants Street Kohi to be a creative space where all kinds of visitors feel welcome. He recalls messages from students who spent their college years there and from cancer patients who found joy in its activities. From the very beginning, one of his main hopes was to create a space that could offer that kind of healing through creativity.
“Kasi kapag nakikita kong nali-lift ang spirits nila, para sa akin, ako rin. Nangyayari rin sa akin ‘yong ginagawa ko for them (Because when I see their spirits lifted, it lifts me too. What I do for them ends up happening for me as well),” he says.
On top of that, Juju also shares that beyond shaping the creative side of Street Kohi, the team stays true to their roots by partnering with Hands to Heaven PH to support indigenous communities in places like Pampanga and Dingalan, Aurora. “Everything we do here is about giving back to the people,” he says, hoping to inspire others to keep supporting their community.
Common Room PH
Spread across Metro Manila, Common Room PH is a shared retail space home to more than 300 local makers and artists. Its branches include Opus Mall, The Atrium at Makati, UP Town Center, Power Plant Mall, Alabang Town Center, and Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
Common Room PH started out as a handmade business, creating plushies and toys from old trinkets and scrap fabrics for eight years. Eventually, co-founding sisters Maan Agsalud and Roma Agsunod realized the space was too big for their products alone, so they began collaborating with other brands and friends they had met at bazaars and art fairs. That spirit of collaboration is what inspired the name Common Room.
Getting into the holiday spirit, Common Room PH offers a Christmas tree-themed decorating activity across its six locations, using repurposed materials like scrap fabric and ribbons to promote sustainability. The initiative gives small businesses in the space a chance to shine and makes sure makers have plenty of room to showcase their creations. Moreover, they host a gift-wrapping weekend, where presents can be personalized with old magazines for a one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly touch. Every location features craft areas stocked with items like bottles, plastics, fabric scraps, and paper bags for guests to use and take home.
Maan highlights upcycling as more than just a way to reuse materials. It is also a chance to experiment and explore creativity. While the space buzzes with lively workshops and creative sessions, it also has quieter corners, including a community library and cafe bar, perfect for a quick snack or a peaceful moment to relax.
As the co-founder, Maan reflects on how the space has grown over the years and continues to host a variety of activities with local artists from the community.
“Growing up, we were often told that art is [more of] a hobby than a career. But we’ve been in the business for 10 years, and we’ve seen how our different brand partners have flourished. It’s proof that you can build a business out of your creativity,” she says.
Amid the holiday rush, Maan hopes people will take a moment to create something with their own hands and step away from their screens, enjoying the simple joy of making.
Wabi Sabi Studio
Born around the same time as other craft businesses during the pandemic, Wabi Sabi is Pau Javier’s brainchild, created as a way to cope with the unease of isolation. It is a pottery studio that welcomes workshops with a community of makers, extending beyond pottery to include crafters working in various mediums.
Beyond pottery and clay, the space has a cozy corner for anyone who wants to take a break or enjoy a cup of coffee. It was designed to inspire creativity and encourage visitors to express themselves and explore new ideas.
During the holiday season, Wabi Sabi has a full schedule of December events, but regular pottery workshops are still available for groups looking for team-building activities, Christmas parties, or reunions. Pau’s goal is to make pottery approachable. Even though it is often seen as intimidating, she guides visitors step by step and helps break down those barriers.
“I hope to give other people the chance to do the same and experience the same thing. It doesn’t exactly have to be pottery, but [about] the bravery to try something new and not just enclose yourself [to] something”, she says.
With the space open to everyone, welcoming people from different demographics such as children, seniors, and couples, Pau delights in seeing everyone’s inner child come alive as they explore possibilities and enjoy being creative.
Ultimately, Pau hopes to see others experience what pottery has given her, remembering how it all began with a small studio. As her community of artists continues to grow, she affirms that the space has become what she once dreamed of, only somehow even better.
ArtBuds
Love is at the heart of ArtBuds, both in its passion for craftsmanship and community and in the fact that it was founded by Alexi Wassmer with the vision of creating a creative space with her husband. The space is filled with painted decorations and offers painting workshops across a variety of mediums, from mugs and canvases to vases and other items. All workshops are open to every skill level and are very beginner-friendly.
These activities are designed to foster community, using conversation cards to spark connections among workshop participants. The space is also welcoming for solo visitors, who can enjoy their experience without feeling alone, surrounded by music and the energy of new people.
Building on that sense of community, Alexi explains that the idea for ArtBuds came from seeing Metro Manila’s need for a space where people can create and enjoy a hobby beyond consumerism. During the season of giving, she hopes people will craft and paint gifts for loved ones instead of buying them at the mall. This approach makes each gift more personal and creative and gives a welcome break from the holiday rush and commercial culture. To keep the creative spirit going, ArtBuds will open their space for Christmas and private parties from December 15 to January 15, 2026.
“A lot of people surprise themselves. So they come in very worried and they feel like they can’t really create something because they don’t feel like artists. But I do believe that everybody is an artist and everybody has something to share,” she says.
Since not everyone is naturally drawn to visual arts, Alexi points out that the workshops are beginner-friendly. The space was originally designed for children, offering art and music lessons, and over time it has evolved into a welcoming environment for hobbyists and anyone curious to try something new.
