Things to Do in Seattle

Seattle’s renowned chefs rotate through guest spots at nonprofit FareStart, each bringing a tailored three-course menu. The dinners, from cooked by folks like José Garzón of Bad Chancla and Nathan Lockwood of Carrello and Altura, routinely sell out weeks before the tasting menus make it to the table. 

Seattle’s expanded roster of weekly neighborhood farmers markets is in full summer swing; coming up, hot sauce master Papa Tony drops by Columbia City,  chef Hand Yahya leads a demo in Magnolia, and Phinney plays host for Iranian-American cook the Caspian Chef.

Art forms collide in the annual mashup of culinary genius and chamber music. Celebrated local chefs—Mutsuko Soma, Kenji Lopez-Alt, and their peers—lead onstage demos backed by live chamber music. This year, the event boasts a family-style four-course dinner so ticket holders can watch, listen, and taste. 

Stand face to face dozens of chameleons, compare wingspans with a Japanese spider crab, and peer at mandala-like compositions of everything from butterflies to birds. Using immaculately preserved specimens, artist Christopher Marley hosts a gallery show just across from the Seattle Ferry Terminal where creepy crawlies turn into works of art. 

Ethereal installations from Lotus L. Kang land at the free First Hill museum this summer. Poetic reflections on memory, translation, and inheritance take the form of huge floor-to-ceiling photography film sheets intentionally exposed to light. 

Monochromatic paintings by Samantha Yun Wall are both haunting and captivating; their inspiration draws from a Korean folk tale of loss and familial ties, a flower motif weaving together the pieces that speak to stigmatization and taboo. 

Imagine an ice cream truck, but replace the looping jingle with intimate concerts from world-class pianists, violinists, and cellists. Chamber music comes to parks (Gasworks, Seward, Hing Hay) and outdoor venues (Seattle Chinese Garden, the Salish Steps, Washington Park Arboretum) with four engaging, family-friendly programs.

Ben Rector—and friend Jon McLaughlin—bring award-winning Americana, pop, and rock anthems to Benaroya Hall. There, the Seattle Symphony adds a new dimension to belt-out-loud songs like “Brand New” and “Old Friends.”

Local radio station KEXP rings in Pride weekend with an all-afternoon party: on-air DJs, drag and burlesque performances, and a live performance from Seattle-based singer Thavoron. 

Nothing screams summer quite like a concert under PNW skies; from season-long series on the Chateau Ste. Michelle lawn and Woodland Park’s ZooTunes to one-off fests like Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot, the Seattle area takes tunes outside, and our outdoor concert guide chronicles every date. Next up, June 27 brings country singer-songwriter Dierks Bentley of “Drunk on a Plane” and “Somewhere on a Beach” fame to Woodinville.

An enthralling one-woman show, writer and performer Vanessa Severo draws parallels between Frida Kahlo’s life and her own, crafting an emotional storyline paired with engaging character swaps and artistic movement.

Back for another summer at Seattle Rep, the endlessly popular meta play filled with physical comedy returns. Yes, everything goes hilariously wrong, right on schedule.

In a tale of a 13-year-long friendship, five Iranian women look inwards to the support of each other when uncertainty and unrest rises around them. The show will make you want to call your best friend in the cozy West Seattle theater. 

An ode to Seattle’s gay disco of the 1970s, a multi-week art activation at Pioneer Square’s Actualize Space studios pairs visual art with drag performances, a disco roof party, a film screening, and dance performances.

Ballard’s adorable Majestic Bay Theatre pairs their iconic marquee and PNW-themed retro decor with classic films crowdsourced by social media. Up next, Booksmart’s high school seniors go wild and a trio of three-and-a-half-hour Lord of the Rings installments screen.

Partly for adults (reflective texts and large-scale photography from Finland’s islands) and partly for kids (interactive, touch-friendly installations), the new National Nordic Museum exhibition dives into the life of Moomin creator Tove Jansson. In tandem, a series of movie nights screen the cartoons at the museum for families and animation appreciators alike. 

The Seattle Symphony’s film lineup pairs Indiana Jones’ tale of adventure with a live score. Nothing adds to anxiety-producing, dramatic chase scenes quite like a full orchestra augmenting emotional suspense.

A 2019 documentary combines remastered footage of humanity’s “big leap,” stitching together the story of the first steps on the moon with interviews, Mission Control footage, and behind-the-scenes tapes inside the spacecraft. As it’s Free First Thursday, the screening—and admission to the Museum of Flight—are no charge.

Escape room meets true crime podcast in the newest immersive Fever exhibit to land in Seattle: psychology deep dives, recreated crime scenes, and a virtual reality forensic lab lend a peek into the minds of over 20 serial killers—including locals like the Green River Killer and Ted Bundy.

Seattle plays host to six FIFA World Cup matches at Lumen Field, but watch parties, celebrations, and themed specials go into play all across the state. For where to catch a game—or avoid crowds—in Seattle, check out our guide.

The largest Pride parade in the state, Seattle’s procession gathers around 300,000 people each year in an atmosphere of joy, justice, and belonging. Exquisite floats, queer activists, drag performers, and DJs travel from 4th and Union to the Seattle Center; along the way, grandstand viewpoints go for $50–65. 

As part of the waterfront aquarium’s Pride Month programming, Sundays bring drag artists Ms. Stacio and Devereaux Royale to the new Ocean Pavilion for a children’s story time. Sandwiching the picture book reading, two educational talks fill June Sunday afternoons with talks on the ocean’s boundary-defying, diverse, and even queer lifeforms.

Class is in session among the newest SAM gallery, a gentle trek through the Pacific Northwest art and artists of the 20th century. Guided tours on Thursdays and weekends offer behind-the-scenes trivia and deeper dives into artwork crafted in our backyard.

Anonymous, pink-masked Chuck Tingle of Bury Your Gays and Lucky Day returns for another summer at Third Place Books. Past visits have brought riotous, can’t-miss multimedia presentations; this visit, in support of supernatural fiction release featuring a fashion influencer moonlighting as a grave robber, promises equally high energy.

It’s back, 70 minutes of pure feline greatness. SIFF screens the compilation, curated by indie film company Oscilloscope Laboratories, wherein funny, musically-talented, and downright cute cats get their moment on the big screen. 

Held beneath the tree canopy at the whimsical Rainier Beach Urban Farm, Tilth Alliance’s final Seasonal Table meal of the summer is marshaled by Mezzanotte’s Devon Capocelli. The en plein air family-style meals support the organization’s mission towards a sustainable, equitable food future.