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. 

Fremont’s Hamdi took home the top prize in this spring’s quirky, specific, city-wide lamb dish competition; in August, the upscale Turkish outpost will bring back their award-winning marinated lamb leg—grilled over open coals and finished with spiced tomato sauce, strained mint yogurt, and fire-grilled shishito peppers—in a multi course dinner with drink pairings, chef demo, and course-by-course backstory.

The smoky, sweet aroma of chile roasting season comes to Queen Anne’s Old Stove Brewing Company by way of New Mexican soul kitchen popup Cocina Barelas. Fresh from an open flame, the hatch green chiles are dished up by the bushel—or worked into menu items of the day.

With 100 Washington winemakers populating tasting tables and vintner stations, the annual winemaker picnic in Woodinville is the place to rub elbows with the state’s best fermenters. Games entertain, a live auction awards access to future bottles, and elevated picnic bites add flavor to the evening.

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. 

Some neighborhoods throw an art walk soiree each month; Phinney and Greenwood collab for a once-a-year bash over two summer days. Businesses become galleries in typical art walk fashion, open studios showcase local artists’ process, and large-scale public art—some hands-on community collaborations—takes shape over the weekend.

Ballard’s micro, homegrown music fest returns for a sophomore year. Local bands—Massy Ferguson, Old Coast, Heels to the Hardwood, and the like—post up in the unbuttoned, family-owned restaurant’s parking lot for two days of down-home tunes.

Benson Boone of backflip—and “Beautiful Things”—fame brings his Wanted Man Tour to Climate Pledge Arena. His pop songs are simultaneously uplifting, high-energy tracks punctuated with a vulnerable, moody emotionality.

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 Bumbershoot, the Seattle area takes tunes outside, and our outdoor concert guide chronicles every date. Next up, Capitol Hill Block Party brings MUNA, Wet Leg, and Trixie Mattel to the street-filling fest.

Who is the funniest person in Seattle? Audience members weigh in to crown round winners in Emerald City Comedy Club’s quest to laugh the hardest. Each evening brings about a dozen fresh stand ups to the stage, ready for a battle of wit.

Prophesy, dramatic bloodshed, and power-hungry nobles take the stage at outdoor amphitheaters around the Puget Sound for this summer’s Shakespeare in the Park run. The tragedy comes to Columbia Park and Volunteer Park before wrapping up the season on Mercer Island. 

A world premiere musical lands in the Seattle Rep theater, heralded by a duo of friends who don’t quite fit in anywhere else. The coming of age tale—set in the ’90s—boasts a charmingly funny story from the Tony Award-winning producers of Come From Away. 

Animated films get the spotlight in the Capitol Hill arthouse theater’s summer series: Persepolis, The Last Unicorn, and The Wolf House screen, but the theme goes beyond what’s on the marquee. A slew of workshops bring industry pros into the theater for intimate chats, lessons with teens, and early cuts of in-progress work. 

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. 

Peel back the curtain on our hometown Super Bowl champions and watch the season’s beginnings: the 12s open their training camp to public viewers itching to be back in the stands. A couple kids days go all out with face painting, balloon artists, and bounce houses, but food trucks and Seahawks merch are always available. 

In true Seattle style, this summertime rave is a morning time, water-centric affair, as hundreds of paddle boards (or tubes, kayaks, boats) float atop Lake Union to the sound of house music. August kicks off with DJ sets from Good Humans, Evan Giia, and Odakai.

Ink, naturally, takes center stage at the annual tattoo fest, but among contests for funniest tattoo and best sleeve, DJs and burlesque performances add variety.

Artist Emil Wilson’s debut graphic novel pulls at the heartstrings: the true story of a teenager’s unlikely friendship with a dying stranger illustrates the ways our lives intertwine in unexpected and impactful ways. At Elliott Bay, he’ll chat with local comic book creator Paul Constant. 

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.