Things to Do in Seattle

The scenic restaurant perched on the Lotte Hotel’s 16th floor hosts an evening of Korean bites and sounds. HanSound Ensemble, a group known for transforming traditional Korean music with a contemporary twist, lends a live soundtrack to a prix-fixe menu starring eggplant bibimbap. 

Seattle’s summer evenings go on forever, and Seattle Night Markets fills the extra daylight with an abundance of bites. Twenty-five local vendors set up shop at Ballard’s Old Stove Gardens alongside fire pits and hot-off-the-grill smashburgers. 

A golden ticket to MOPOP’s next immersive Supper Club dinner unlocks a whimsical menu where Violet’s salad features chocolate balsamic, fiddleheads are an Oompa Loompa’s favorite treat, and a veritable candy bar serves as dessert. 

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. 

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. 

Four fresh collections arrive at the free First Hill art museum ahead of summer. It includes a new dance-centric banner on the exterior and flashy light sculptures from Tom Lloyd and ethereal installations from Lotus L. Kang, a seasonal refresh brings new perspectives. The celebration caps with a multidisciplinary performance from Joseph Hernandez.

Nothing screams summer quite like a lawn concert; add Woodinville-crafted wine and you have the ever-popular Chateau Ste. Michelle summer concert series. A slew of artist come to the lawn this summer, from Boyz II Men to Sarah McLachlan.  

Street music is all the rage at the annual HONK! festival; over a three-day run, dozens of outfits from near and far take over Georgetown, Columbia City, and Pratt Park with concurrent shows.

Set against the rural backdrop of 1917 Texas, Bessie Coleman wants to fly. With no flight schools admitting women, the Black and Native protagonist must find another way to rise to her wildest dreams.

The Pacific Northwest Ballet caps their regular season with a triple bill of works by celebrated choreographer Jessica Lang. The final piece of the trio comes as a jazzy, joy-filled premiere set largely to the tunes of Tony Bennett—with one Lady Gaga addition. Longtime audience favorites Her Door to the Sky and Ghost Variations round out the show.

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.

Ballard’s adorable Majestic Bay Theatre pairs their iconic marquee and PNW-themed retro decor with Steven Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi adventure classic Jurassic Park. The nostalgic film screens for two weeks of retro night showings. 

Family-friendly movie nights come to Ballard’s National Nordic Museum in time for summer’s late nights. The hand-drawn animated feature inspired by Tove Jansson’s comic strips brings beloved Moomins characters to the big screen. 

A story told through interviews, masquerade, and dance, the film follows Tacoma-raised Kimonti Carter as he founds a prisoner education program and leads the Washington State’s Black Prisoners’ Caucus. Filmmaker Dr. Gilda Sheppard will participate in a moderated discussion alongside Kimonti Carter and Tonya Wilson, both featured in the film. 

Want to lean into despair? Aiming to feel worse about humankind? Central District cinema The Beacon has the lineup of nihilism and tragedy, confronting audiences with raw empathy and hard-to-stomach truths with films like In a Glass Cage, Funny Games, and Elephant.

All things art coalesce at community hub Wa Na Wari for a two-day celebration. Saturday brings a keynote speaker on art collecting and several live music sets; Sunday boasts a full art fair and ticketed film screening.

Sprawling Volunteer Park celebrates Pride with almost 100 local vendors, dozens of food trucks, a beer garden, all-day dance floor, and local performers. 

The city’s most science-forward happy hour is back with craft beer, cider, wine, and kombucha tastings. In addition to adults-only access to the cerebral exhibits, expert brewers lend beverage-making know-how and deep dives on the science that keeps things bubbly.

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.

Kicking off Pride Month, Fremont’s Charlie’s Queer Books hosts a weekend-long book fair with author signings, flash tattoos, zines, art vendors, and a beer garden hosted by local speakeasy Botanicale.

Chris Smalls, co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union, talks about his experience organizing for dignity and security among the giant’s wage workers in his recent release, When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class. At Third Place Books, Smalls will chat with Ijeoma Oluo about winning the improbable fight against Amazon to successfully create the company’s first union in the United States. 

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.