MONDAY 9/14
(FOOD & DRINK) Known as “BlackForager” on Instagram and YouTube and “alexisnikole” on TikTok, Alexis Nikole Nelson has charmed millions of followers with her joyful approach to foraged foods, not to mention her sense of humor, adorable forest fairy princess outfits, and fun plant-based recipes. Although her videos are light-hearted, Nelson is serious about foraging: She often delves into the cultural and historical context of the pastime, especially as it relates to Black and Indigenous communities, and she ends many videos with the half-joking warning, “Happy snacking, don’t die!” That catchphrase is also the title of her new debut book, which takes the guesswork and intimidation out of foraging with identification photos, tips, safety information, and seasonal recipes ranging from rosewater baklava to oyster mushroom “chowdah.” Her first book tour stop is at Town Hall and is sure to inspire audience members to scrounge for treats among the natural bounty of the Northwest. (Town Hall, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL
TUESDAY 9/15
Tom Barnes: The road goes on forever and the party never ends
(VISUAL ART) He may have been the most 86’ed man in Seattle—a fact that puts a smile on the faces of his closest friends and chosen family. Capitol Hill lost a legend earlier this year, when Tom Barnes departed this earthly plane for the party in the sky. Barnes was well-rounded as a bohemian, in both romantic and problematic ways. Above all, he was an artist and documentarian who painted the world with pure fascination and unbridled pleasure. As a barfly and resident artist at Cha Cha Lounge, he documented the characters and tipplers passing through, rendering figures in big, inky, explosive color and scribbly scrawl that somehow marries on the page to communicate something like pure, incandescent poet energy. Barnes left behind over 800 works of art; come visit the retrospective and raise a glass to the legend. (Vermillion) AMANDA MANITACH
WEDNESDAY 9/16
Queer Sick Pay Fund Presents: Suns Out, Ones Out
(PERFORMANCE) Seattle does a great job of supporting queer artists, but end-stage capitalism does not. That’s where fundraising can help, and this one is packed with talent! Suns Out, Ones Out raises money for the Queer Sick Pay Fund (qSPF), an organization that provides sick pay to queer, contracted performers when they need to miss a gig due to illness. qSPF has also begun offering gender-affirming care grants for the greater Seattle area. Even if your goal wasn’t to donate to such an awesome cause, you’d still want to go just to catch the show! Featuring drag, music, and comedy, the lineup includes Moscato Sky, Taylar Elizza Beth, CHAD, Emma Schmuckler, DJ dark wiley, and qSPF co-founder, Betty Wetter. The evening will also include a silent auction, raffle, and raise the paddle. Who doesn’t like a good paddling?! (Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+) NICO SWENSON
THURSDAY 9/17
(PERFORMANCE) The Kings are back in town! Summoning a whopping 60 performers from drag scenes across North America, this annual festival enters its fourth year with a jaw-dropping, swoon-worthy, swashbuckling explosion of brilliant entertainment. Rusty Hammer is on the bill, and I have a crush on his five-o’clock shadow alone. The festivities span three days of vendors, headliners, featured local talent, and a fierce competition for the ultimate title of High King Supreme. My favorite thing is when they release application statistics as teasers. This year’s top submitted act themes were “gender liberation, religion (the pope), musical theatre, and devils.” Sign me up! (Broadway Performance Hall, 8 pm, ASL interpreted, 18+) NICO SWENSON
Clayton Lee: The Goldberg Variations
From the larger-than-life personas to the homoerotic lore and campy costumes, there’s something about pro wrestling that is just inherently queer, which is why it makes perfect sense that Canadian curator, producer, and performance artist Clayton Lee has chosen it as a backdrop for examining his sexuality. This deeply personal performance marries Lee’s childhood fixation on legendary professional wrestler Bill Goldberg with Bach’s classical compositions known as the Goldberg Variations, resulting in an exploration of power dynamics, desire, and identity. Lee is the artistic director of Fierce Festival in Birmingham, UK and served as the director of the experimental Rhubarb Festival in Canada from 2019–2023, so you can trust him to get real weird with it—the On the Boards website describes the show as “unhinged” and “thoroughly unconventional,” and executive and artistic director Megan Kiskaddon says it “brings toxic relationships to a new level.” (On the Boards, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL
FRIDAY 9/18
Chelsea Wolfe: THE DARK World Tour
(MUSIC) Chelsea Wolfe is at her best when her songs take a turn for the unexpected. See: the shocking rush of tempo change at the end of her 2017 track “Twin Fawn” that could jump-start a car, or the gorgeous, floating-into-the-light arpeggios that bloom amidst the vampirish “Sick” from 2013’s Pain Is Beauty. Something similar happens halfway through the late album slow-burner “Death Is Not the End” from her recent The Dark LP, when a wall of distortion installs itself inside of a quiet moment that, in Wolfe’s world, has become too quiet for comfort. In the absence of such moments that grab hold of the listener, however, Wolfe’s songs have the tendency to meander aimlessly through the still life of her American Gothic scenes, or worse, become predictable. Aside from the above moment, The Dark is her first solo effort (we won’t speak of her Converge collaboration) to fall into such pitfalls, with the added knock of an overly clean production, which saps the caught-in-the-woods allure of her previous recordings. Wolfe’s catalog runs deep, though, so there should still be plenty to be scared by. (Moore Theatre, 8:30 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM
SATURDAY 9/19
(VISUAL ART) What’s not to love about 200-plus artists spread across 20 city blocks of downtown Seattle? It’s free and dog-friendly, too! During last year’s inaugural art marathon, brass bands burst onto the streets, dancers mobilized on rooftops and sidewalks, and videos were projected inside a sunken parking garage. This year, the route is reversed, kicking off in Westlake Park at 11 a.m. and ending at Occidental Square. One caveat: Last year’s wayfinding was a little tricky. If that’s the case again, my advice is to study the route beforehand and plot a path so you don’t miss artists like Dez’Mon Omega Fair, one of my favorite performance artists in town; Charmi Shah, who is hiding collectable, baseball-card-size collages along the route for participants to find and keep; and Jesse Higman, whose interactive paint-pouring technique, performed around a massive tilting table, is mesmerizing. Or just wander blindly and let the art happen to you, because the magic of this event is that you get to experience the city in a completely new way. (Various locations throughout downtown, 11 am–7:30 pm) AMANDA MANITACH
SUNDAY 9/20
Local Sightings Film Festival 2026
(FILM) Local Sightings, Seattle’s most dedicated hyperlocal film festival, is back with a bunch of standout works from local filmmakers you may not have heard of just yet, but absolutely should. One must-see is Marjorie Conrad’s The Joyless Economy, which is making its North American premiere after first screening at the Cannes Film Festival. An experimental documentary about desire, cinema, and a Seattle woman whose life was reshaped by her relationship to the movies, The Joyless Economy is a purposefully challenging, captivating vision. The fest lineup also includes other local gems such as Again Again, Assets & Liabilities, and The Life We Leave, the documentary about local human composting company, Return Home. It proves once more that the Pacific Northwest may often be imitated (eat your heart out, Vancouver), but nobody can replicate the filmmakers themselves. (Northwest Film Forum, times vary) CHASE HUTCHINSON
Win tickets to rad upcoming events!*
Forbidden Feline Festival
Slim’s Last Chance, September 27, 21+
Contest ends September 21 at 10 am
