There are plenty of events happening in Seattle over Labor Day weekend, including Bumbershoot and PAX West. But if you want to avoid the crowds and get out of town for your three-day weekend, we've compiled a list of art, food, music, theater, and community festivals in the Northwest below, ranging from Portland to Vancouver Island to Spokane.
Jump to: Friday-Saturday | Friday-Sunday | Saturday-Sunday | Saturday-Monday | All Weekend
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Bend, OR
The Little Woody Barrel Aged Brew and Whiskey Fest
Sample barrel-aged beers, ryes, and bourbons from Deschutes Brewery, Ninkasi Brewing, GoodLife Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing, New Belgium Brewing and other Northwest establishments. Kids are welcome on the lawn on Saturday to eat and listen to music.
($12-$35, 328 miles south)
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Everett
Vintage Aircraft Weekend
Fete antique vehicles and old-timey flying machines with an air show, plane rides, a Big Band Dinner Dance, chats with pilots, and more.
($12.50-$55, 24 miles north)
Olympia
Olympia Harbor Days
See the "World's Largest Vintage Tugboat Races," tour steamships, learn harbor history, let your kids play on rides, and enjoy food and beer at Olympia's seaport festival.
(free, 62 miles southwest)
Richland
Tumbleweed Music Festival
They'll have 75-100 folk music acts on five outdoor stages (the headliner this year is Fine Company), concerts for young 'uns, a contra dance, workshops in songwriting, instruments, dance, and more, food and crafts, a "band scramble" for all and sundry, performances by winners of the songwriting contest, and other fun folk things. Nearly everything is free except the dance and Saturday night's headliner concert.
($0+, 203 miles southeast)
Whidbey Island
Oak Harbor Music Festival
Enjoy the beauty of Whidbey Island to the tune of three whole days of free music in downtown Oak Harbor. The lineup will include Nick Drummond, Vaudeville Etiquette, Simple Minded Symphony, Whitney Mongé, and many others.
(free, 92 miles south)
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
Woodinville
50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend at Chateau Ste. Michelle
Winery tours, special tastings, food trucks, and live music are all promised at this celebration for the grand opening of the winery's new visitor center and its 50th anniversary.
(free, 18 miles northeast)
SATURDAY-MONDAY
Bremerton
Blackberry Festival
Celebrate the tasty (though invasive) blackberry—and do your environmental duty by eating as many of blackberry-flavored things as possible. There will be blackberry wine, pie, "slugs" (?), and more good stuff to eat, plus live entertainment.
(free, 30 miles west by car, less by ferry)
Long Beach
SummerFest Long Beach 2017
The "world's longest beach" wind up its summer-long, family-friendly boardwalk party with live music, including Fleetwood Mac and Blondie tributes, and more.
(171 miles southwest)
Victoria, BC
Vancouver Island Blues Bash
Blues and R&B musicians from all over the world—The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer, Matt Schofield, Curl, Renovation Blues Band, The Maureen Washington Blues Band, and others—will perform at free and ticketed venues in lovely Victoria.
(free-$45 CAD, 107 miles northwest)
ALL WEEKEND
Ellensburg
Kittitas County Fair
Enjoy a carnival, entertainment including cheerleaders, escape artists, bands, Yakama dancers, and more, check out a cute "Frontier Village," and bask in life on the "prairie" at this fest, which dates back to 1885. Plus, check out the Ellensburg Rodeo.
($10-$25, 107 miles southeast)
Monroe
Evergreen State Fair
This gigantic fair has all the staples: including carnival rides, a petting zoo, rodeo, the International Lumberjack Show, auto races, animal races, live music, pie-eating contests, pony rides, and food.
($5-$55, 33 miles northeast)
Portland
Bite of Oregon
Bop to music, hang out and imbibe in the craft beer garden, stroll through Appetizer Alley, try out Oregon distillery products, and generally indulge in Oregon's famed foodie scene from the "seven regions" of the state.
($5-$42, 172 miles south)
Puyallup
Washington State Fair
The Washington State Fair will showcase big-name musical performers like the Beach Boys, Nickelback, Lady Antebellum, Hank WIlliams Jr., Modest Mouse, Earth, Wind and Fire, and others, but that's only a part of the festivities. There are also rides, a rodeo, Westwo—we mean, the Timber Gulch kitschy Western village, variety and music shows included in admission, and lots more.
($14-$100, 33 miles south)
Spokane
Spokane Pig Out in the Park
Stuff yourself cheaply at 44 food booths—which feature "special hours" with $4 bites—but don't chew so loudly that you can't hear the 85 musical acts on three stages. There will also be an arts and crafts market at this massive Spokane celebration.
(free, 280 miles east)
Victoria, BC
Victoria Fringe Festival
Victoria's Intrepid Theatre presents 58 out-there drama, comedy, magic, dance, and performance art shows, including titles like Blood Countess (a tale of reputed murderer Countess Bathory), Funnner Destroys Shakespeare (featuring puppets), and the sketch show Help! I'm American! (speaks for itself).
($9/$11 CAD, 107 miles northwest)