Panicking because you don’t know what to do this weekend and you’re short on cash? If you’re not planning to go out for Halloween, you’ll find all of your options for last-minute entertainment that won’t cost more than $10, ranging from Diwali: Lights of India to a Russian Bazaar, and from the Northwest Record Show to the last Kubota Fall Color Tours of the season. If you’ve got Halloween on the brain, check out our roundup of this weekend’s last-minute Halloween events under $15, and for even more options, head to our complete EverOut Things To Do calendar and our list of cheap & easy things to do in Seattle all year long.
Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
- Fall Lantern Festival
Now that you’re (hopefully) fully settled into fall, embrace the season with an afternoon of family-friendly games, crafts, and live music. Come hungry to snag free bites off the grill, plus cider and sweet treats.
(Downtown, free)FOOD & DRINK
- After Dark Vol. 6
Snack on small bites from chef Tarik Abdullah and sip drinks from Damon Bomar of Brown Liquor Cocktail Co. at this Oakland-inspired edition of the After Dark dinner series.
(Beacon Hill, $10) - Mount Baker Oktoberfest
Enjoy beer, brats, German brownies, and live music in an outdoor beer garden at this Bavarian bacchanal.
(Mount Baker, $10)MUSIC
- Bollywood Diwali Dance Party
DJ SZNaina will blast Bollywood all night long and free swag will abound at this Diwali dance party.
(Pioneer Square, free) - Casual Hex, Patti, Fine
It’s true that I once bought a Mort Garson T-shirt from Casual Hex vocalist/guitarist Erica Miller, but this Seattle trio has much more to recommend them besides great taste in analog-synth legends. As their 2018 album Zig Zag Lady Illusion demonstrates, Casual Hex evoke post-punk’s disgruntlement with chronic sociopolitical ills, its caustic textures, and its jagged song structures with a severity that’s undeniable. When you feel as if there’s too much pressure from the catastrophically bad news, sometimes the best way to cope with that is to listen to music that absorbs those tensions and repurposes them into dissonant slices of panicky catharsis. Casual Hex excel at this, on record and onstage. DAVE SEGAL
(Eastlake, $8/$10) - Chance Hayden, Damian Erskine, Guests
Portland-based guitarist Chance Hayden will bring his brand of jazzy, bluesy funk to Seattle with his band.
(Wallingford, $10) - Curtis Moore & the Honest Crooks, Del Vox, Peter Marshall
Six-piece Americana/roots-rock band Curtis Moore & the Honest Crooks will play covers and originals with opening support from Del Vox and Peter Marshall.
(Greenwood, $10) - Devilwood, New Rose, Intisaar Jubran, Velveteen Rabbit
Dark and heavy Northwest groovers Devilwood will headline a night of shadow-laden psychedelia with support from the Damned tribute band New Rose, Intisaar Jubran, and Velvet Underground tribute band Velveteen Rabbit.
(Eastlake, $10) - Happy 4tet
Earshot Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year nominee Tarik Abouzied leads this ensemble of jazz and funk musicians.
(Downtown, free) - The Hollerables, DJ Vitamin D, Specs One
Local rap duo the Hollerables will bring their 16-bit samplers to the Hill for a night of feel-good ’90s-inspired beats on the heels of their latest vinyl release. DJ Vitamin D and Specs One will provide opening support.
(Capitol Hill, $8) - The Prairie Fire, Baywitch, Porn Bloopers
Local alt-country band Prairie Fire will bring emo farm vibes to Eastlake with additional support from local rockers Baywitch and Porn Bloopers.
(Eastlake, $8) - Ranger and the Re-Arrangers
Old-timey jazz dudes Ranger and the Re-Arrangers will perform a free set that will include swing standards, traditional g*psy melodies, tracks from the catalog of Django Reinhardt, and Ranger’s original work.
(Downtown, free) - Witch Ripper, Forming the Void, Isdal, Sorcia
It’s a night of sludge with local metal bands Witch Ripper, Forming the Void, Isdal, and Sorcia.
(Eastlake, $8/$10)READINGS & TALKS
- Jim Wallis: Christ in Crisis
Wallis, an anti-poverty activist, former spiritual advisor to Obama, and prominent theologian of the evangelical left, will present his book arguing that Christians have strayed from the core precepts of their faith.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Madeline ffitch: Stay and Fight
When fracking took off in the early aughts, activists living in small towns and on reservations protested the fossil-fuel infrastructure snaking through their lands. Madeline ffitch’s first novel, Stay and Fight, is about those kinds of people living in one of those kinds of towns. The character Helen, a Seattle-born thirtysomething hippie-anarchist with a BA in social work, has literally entered the Alighierian “dark wood” period of her life. She purchases 20 acres of coal company land. Eventually, Helen convinces a lesbian couple with a baby boy on the way to build a house with her on the land, forming a matriarchal “wolf pack” that lives off the grid. The only man in their lives is Rudy, a chaotic-good, ponytailed arborist. Together they make a family bound less by blood than by a sense of shared purpose and ideals. ffitch troubles the false dichotomy between action that results in “lasting change” and action that results in a broadcast news story. Every action, no matter how small or big or illegal, can make lasting change. RICH SMITH
(Ravenna, free) - Madeline Miller: Circe
The Greek mythological sorceress and minor daughter of the sun god who turns Odysseus’s men into pigs in Homer’s The Odyssey gets a modern take in Madeline Miller’s bestselling Circe. Hear the author read and stick around for a Q&A and signing.
(Lake Forest Park, free) - Sharon Lynn Fisher: The Absinthe Earl
Local author Sharon Lynn Fisher will read from her latest novel, Absinthe Earl, about a lady who uses the infamous anise-flavored spirit to aid her study of fairies.
(Edmonds, free)FRIDAY-SATURDAY
FESTIVALS
- Punktoberfest 2019
Gear up to let loose with two nights of punk-rock featuring local bands like Dead Bars and Winchester Pictures (Fri) and Fun Ladies and Rat Queen (Sat).
(Belltown, $10)VISUAL ART
- Northwest Influencers
The Housewright Gallery is a new art space in Georgetown run by Tim Pfeiffer and Steve Hoedemaker. Their inaugural exhibition is Northwest Influencers, a show that’s not about the most followed Washingtonian on Instagram but about a collection of artists from the influential Northwest School. Featuring paintings, works on paper, and sculpture, and spanning both pre- and post-World War II, the exhibit focuses on the influence these artists had on West Coast Modernism that reverberated throughout the art world. Among the artists included in the show are Mark Tobey, Peter Camfferman, Paul Horiuchi, Margaret Tomkins, Glen Alps, James Fitzgerald, and Ngaire Hixon. JASMYNE KEIMIG
(Georgetown, free)
Closing Saturday - Sara Everett: Mending Measures
Sara Everett’s mixed media pieces comment on the “legislative futility” of trying to restore ruined natural habitats. She stitches together “found landscapes,” recreating but profoundly changing them.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Scott Mayberry: Elemental
Mayberry makes grimly whimsical artwork that explores the intersection of nature and humankind. This series explores recycling through “primal abstract paintings on recyclable surfaces.”
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Seattle Weavers Guild Show and Sale
Weaving, in its many forms, goes on full display as the Seattle Weavers Guild spreads its creations out before us. Admire and buy “hats, rugs, tapestries, shawls, baskets, jewelry, scarves, home décor, and towels,” and watch demos of spinning and weaving.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Tom Saknit: Redacted Photography Uniquely Europe
Get your vicarious European thrills with photographs of Venetian, Florentine, Roman, and Parisian scenes.
(Seattle Center, free)
Closing SaturdayFRIDAY-SUNDAY
FALL
- Kubota Fall Color Tours
See the Kubota Garden in all of its autumn glory as the leaves of the euonymus, Japanese maple, and gingko trees change colors.
(Rainier Valley, free)VISUAL ART
- Mary Gross: When I Sing
Musician and visual artist Mary Gross explores spoken art forms through sculptures, drawings, and photographs, also featuring elements of poetry by locals Shannon Kelly and Jeanine Walker.
(Roosevelt, free)
Closing Sunday - Raven Skyriver and Preston Singletary
This collaborative show will feature the work of two Tlingit glass artists who approach the medium from different points of view. Raven Skyriver’s work is more in tune with the rhythm of ecosystems and animal life, while Preston Singletary draws from narrative mythology and traditional objects. Skyriver will be exhibiting glass sea creatures from both oceans and rivers; Singletary will be presenting works on paper, glass, and bronze depicting shamanic implements, woven hats and baskets, and legendary characters in his distinct style. Put simply, this will be good! JASMYNE KEIMIG
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Sunday - The Space Needle: A 21st Century View
Check out photos of this famous Seattle landmark.
(Downtown, free)
Closing SundaySATURDAY
COMMUNITY
- Rainwise Gardens 101
Dorothy Mulkern will discuss Seattle Public Utilities’ RainWise initiative, which encourages the use of rain gardens and cisterns.
(Crown Hill, free)FALL
- Crafts, Climbing and Cookies
The Downtown Seattle Association’s annual fall festival promises bounce houses, treats, games, and cute autumnal photo opportunities.
(Pioneer Square, free)FESTIVALS
- Diwali: Lights of India
Experience Diwali, the autumn Hindu festival that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, by seeing classical Odissi, Bharatanatyam, and Kathak dances, admiring a mandala (rangoli) decorative arrangement, getting a henna tattoo, eating Indian vegetarian food, and more.
(Seattle Center, free)FOOD & DRINK
- Sourdough Improv Party and Book Signing with Cynthia Lair
Renaissance woman Cynthia Lair—a cookbook author and improv performer with Unexpected Productions—will regale you with tales of sourdough starters that yield pancakes, focaccia, loaves, and biscuits. She’ll also provide bread samples, drinks, and a “food-themed” improv performance.
(Downtown, free)MUSIC
- Automotive Steamhorse, Beverly Crusher, Kilcid Band
Northwest indie alt-rockers Automotive Steamhorse stack shoegaze traditions for their own development of experimental post-punk and neo-psychedelic stylings. They’ll be joined by local punks Beverly Crusher and Kilcid Band (“a radio-friendly unit to whom you can listen while still respecting yourself the next morning,” per Dave Segal).
(Capitol Hill, $10) - BB: Seattle Music Industry Meetup with Kalib DuArte
Join KEXP and local musician Kalib DuArte for an open discussion over breakfast about the Seattle music industry.
(Seattle Center, free) - Brett Benton
Southern-bred country-blues artist Brett “Bad Blood” Benton will bring a taste of Alabama to Seattle for a duo show.
(Downtown, free) - Buff Muff, Ball Bag, Double or Muffin
Do your indie-punk dance to a grungy set from Seattle’s Buff Muff and support from Renton outfit Ball Bag and Double or Muffin.
(Shoreline, $8) - The Cleanse, Stricken, Grand Moff, Enzian
Seattle trio the Cleanse will head up a night of local rock with Stricken, Grand Moff, and Enzian.
(Tukwila, $7) - Free at the Frye: JIJI
In this free and all-ages ongoing series at the Frye, award-winning Korean guitarist JIJI (Jiyeon Kim) will showcase the unbelievable level of talent that led to her winning the First Prize at the 2016 Concert Artists Guild International Competition.
(First Hill, free) - Funkadelic Halloween Latin & Cuban Night
Get yourself down to funkytown for a freaky night of Latin and Cuban music.
(Wallingford, $10) - Hotrod Red, Pardon The Boys, The Shady Rays
Neo-rockabilly jammers Hotrod Red will grime up some country rock with support from Pardon the Boys and the Shady Rays.
(Greenwood, $7) - I’m Not Okay — A Pop-Punk & Emo Dance Party with DJ Baby Van Beezly & EMOtional Distress
This isn’t a phase, Mom—it’s a whole party! The Emo Gs are back at it for another night of emo classics by the likes of My Chemical Romance, the Used, Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, and more. My hair might be too short now to iron into flattened, fried perfection for a scene-queen-worthy MySpace profile pic (pc4pc, anyone?), but I’m looking forward to the sea of jet-black manicures at this shindig. For less than a tub of your favorite Manic Panic hair dye, come and dance (or cry, if you want to) the night away with all the other kids that your mom warned you about. SOPHIA STEPHENS
(Fremont, $10) - Jodie Watts, The Whole Bolivian Army, The Petey Normal Show
Dance to a set from Jodie Watts, a band that The Stranger‘s Mike Nipper calls “long-running, local, and good fun rock and rollers.” The Whole Bolivian Army and the Petey Normal Show will share the bill.
(Georgetown, $10) - Laureli, Vrillah, Alved, Ryan E.
Seventeen-year-old Seattle pop singer Laureli will make you dance and feel quite old, and so will opening local rappers Vrillah, Alved, and Ryan E.
(Ballard, $10) - Silent Opposition, The Static Agents, Phantom Racer, Antlerbag
Join local bands Silent Opposition, the Static Agents, Phantom Racer, and Antlerbag to help fund a local community member’s college education.
(University District, $7) - Toy Bastard, Don Babylon, Public Pool
Ethan Ives of Car Seat Headrest will debut new songs with Grant and Henry of Naked Giants under the moniker Toy Bastard. They’ll be joined by Philly rocker Don Babylon and local indie-pop outfit Public Pool.
(University District, $5)PERFORMANCE
- Cruisin’ With Clara: A Queer Talk Show
Stand-up comic Clara Pluton will take a break from their podcast Hot Takes with Hot Dykes (co-hosted with their partner Val Nigro) to co-host a queer-tastic monthly late-night talk show with Max Delsohn. Local drag legend Cucci Binaca and comic Dewa Dorje will be the special guests this time.
(Downtown, free) - Fall Pole Dance Showcase
Pole-dancing students of all levels will show off their newfangled skills.
(Greenwood, donation)READINGS & TALKS
- Killer Whale Tales Fall Community Event
Learn about killer-whale conservation efforts in the Pacific Northwest and participate in a Halloween costume swap and other eco-friendly activities.
(Columbia City, free) - Paul C. Tumey: Screwball!
Illustrated with over 600 rare cartoons and photos, Paul C. Tumey’s new book Screwball! will resonate with anyone who loves the funny section of the newspaper.
(Ravenna, free) - Rosalie Moffett, Bill Carty, Natalie Scenters-Zapico
Enjoy a night of poetry with Rosalie Moffett (who will share her National Poetry Series collection, Nervous System), Bill Carty (who just released Huge Cloudy on Octopus Books), and Natalie Scenters-Zapico (a University of Puget Sound professor who recently released her collection Lima :: Limón on Copper Canyon Press).
(Capitol Hill, free) - Spotlight Poetry: Natalie Shapero and Stefania Heim
In his essay “The Figure a Poem Makes,” Robert Frost offers a prescription for writing the kind of poetry I love to read the most: “Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting.” Natalie Shapero is good at writing these kinds of poems. Her conversational lyrics often begin with some odd bit of logic—”The comet taught us how to watch the war,” for instance—that she’ll then follow to wherever it goes, all the while keeping a close eye on metrical elements of poetry that many have abandoned. Using these tools means that Shapero’s poems, as Frost said, often begin in delight and end in wisdom, so that a poem you thought was just going to be kind of fun and chatty turns you into a miserable little tear puddle at the end. But a wiser one. Shapero will be joined by Stefania Heim, whose Hour Book won the Sawtooth Prize. It’s gonna be a good one, people. RICH SMITH
(Capitol Hill, free)VISUAL ART
- Guided Tour of ‘Carrie Yamaoka: recto/verso’ with Ariel Goldberg
Writer and artist Ariel Goldberg will lead a narrated tour of Carrie Yamaoka’s first solo exhibition recto/verso.
(University District, free)SATURDAY-SUNDAY
FOOD & DRINK
- The Great PSMS 56th Annual Wild Mushroom Show
Tote along some ‘shrooms from your garden or travels and have them identified at the Puget Sound Mycological Society event billing itself as “one of the largest and most complete exhibits of mushrooms in the United States,” which will display and identify over 200 varieties of wild fungi and classify them as edible, poisonous, or valueless as food. Plus, check out a slideshow lecture, a “feel and smell” demo, a mushroom tasting prepared by top Seattle chefs, a photography display, and more.
(North Seattle, $5-$10) - Russian Bazaar
Taste traditional Russian cuisine, shop for homemade goods from local businesses, and enjoy live music.
(Capitol Hill, free)SHOPPING
- Leif Erikson 2019 Bazaar
Snack on sweet and savory Norwegian treats and sip aquavit while you shop around for gifts.
(Ballard, free) - Print Sale!
Shop all prints for 10% off (including plenty of finds for $10 and under).
(Ballard, free)SUNDAY
COMEDY
- Come Alive! with Improv – Live in the moment!
Give improv a try in front of a supportive audience.
(University District, $10 suggested donation)FESTIVALS
- Fauntleroy Fall Festival
Classic fall activities abound at this family-oriented festival. Kids can paint pumpkins, make salmon hats, ride ponies and pet baby animals, sip cider and gobble up cookies, jump through an inflatable obstacle course, and much more. Meanwhile, acts like classical guitarist Tim Cashman and the Jump Ensemble Jazz trio will play live music.
(West Seattle, free) - West Seattle Harvest Fest
California Avenue will make way for a parade, vendors selling seasonal wares, a hot cocoa and cider garden, a chili cook-off, and trick-or-treating at this West Seattle fall family event.
(West Seattle, free)FILM
- Scarecrow Video Presents: The Naked Kiss
Charles Mudede described one of The Naked Kiss director Samuel Fuller’s other films as “at once ridiculous, impressive, funny, sinister, shameless, shocking, sad, and beautiful.” The Naked Kiss is much the same: This story is about a mentally scarred ex-prostitute who becomes a nurse to children with disabilities in a suburb. But when her incipient romance with a philanthropist comes to a shocking end, she’s in danger for her life. Don’t miss this late-period noir by a master of lurid cinema.
(Ballard, free)FOOD & DRINK
- Food Truck Round-Up
This free, family-friendly gathering of deliciousness on wheels happens the second Sunday of each month and features local food trucks, food booths, and over 75 different handmade and vintage shops.
(Fremont, free)MUSIC
- The Fruits of the Summer
If you miss summer already, close your peepers and dream of warmer days at this concert featuring Brahms’ Tragic Overture, Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 brought to you by the Seattle Festival Orchestra.
(First Hill, $6-$10) - I Heart Karaoke!
Sing your heart out in a slightly off-key fashion with host Unkle Jessica.
(White Center, free) - Lovely Colours, The Stockings, Collin Kinder
Dance to Lovely Colours’ brand of early 2010s-inspired indie-rock after sets from alt-country/Britpop band the Stockings and Collin Kinder.
(Greenwood, $5)PERFORMANCE
- Art Hub + Paula 101
Rub elbows with local visual artists, jewelry makers, and clothing designers, then stick around for a staged reading of Paula 101, a brand-new play by Seattle’s Pamela Hobart Carter.
(University District, Pay What You Can)READINGS & TALKS
- Laureen Nussbaum and Hendrika de Vries
Hear inspiring stories from two memoirists who survived the Holocaust: Laureen Nussbaum (Shedding Our Stars) and Hendrika de Vries (When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew).
(Capitol Hill, free) - Seán Dwyer: A Quest for Tears
When his Honda was rear-ended by a much larger vehicle, Seán Dwyer suffered extensive brain injuries that affected his memory, sense of smell, vision, and ability to cry. His memoir A Quest for Tears chronicles his journey to recovery.
(Ravenna, free) - Stephen Chbosky: Imaginary Friend
The author of the popular YA book The Perks of Being a Wallflower has turned his sights to horror for adults in this story of a beleaguered single mother, her son’s mysterious disappearance and reappearance, and a sinister treehouse.
(Lake Forest Park, free)SHOPPING
- Northwest Record Show
Flip through records, CDs, and tons of other music-related collectibles spread out across 50 tables. Bring non-perishable donations for Northwest Harvest to receive a dollar off admission.
(Seattle Center, $3)
FRIDAY
FESTIVALS
