MONDAY 12/29
(CHEESE) For the second year, Hotel 1000 is going full vintage Swiss-alpine fantasy with the Rosebay Chalet. Once entering through the gingerbread-trimmed facade (made of actual gingerbread) and settling into a faux fur-decked fireside lounge, you might just forget you’re in Downtown Seattle. Festive cocktails aren’t the only treat in store here, as the food menu leans into winter comfort with Beecher’s fondue, giant Bavarian pretzels, and French onion soup. Plus, this year offers build-your-own gingerbread chalets, a shotski, board games, and a chairlift photo op watched over by a (reportedly very handsome, albeit fake) St. Bernard. (Rosebay, through Dec 31) LANGSTON THOMAS
TUESDAY 12/30
Eat Clam Chowder at Taproot Cafe & Bar
(SOUP) Many may not know this, but I'm a clam chowder fan. I'm also very picky about this hearty form of soup. Clam chowder is often done wrong: Too thick or too thin, potatoes too hard or too soft, not enough clams, or the flavor of clams. Once in a while, however, I discover a place that gets all of these elements right, and that place, right now, is Columbia City's Taproot Cafe & Bar. They serve New England Clam Chowder with hickory bacon, steamed potatoes, and a herb emulsion. The bowl comes with a buttermilk roll and a warm feeling that is just perfect for long and cold nights. Heat must not come from the sun but from a stove operated by a cook who knows the secrets of clam chowder. (Taproot Cafe & Bar, open Tues-Sun) CHARLES MUDEDE
WEDNESDAY 12/31
(NEW YEAR’S EVE) Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, but Mudhoney could have retired after releasing their 1988 debut single “Touch Me I’m Sick” and still achieved god-tier status in Seattle’s—and Earth’s—underground-rock scene. The foursome’s signature song swerved into the Stooges’ Fun House and pinched Iggy’s nipples hard, while vomiting into Scott Asheton’s kickdrum. How do you follow up such a monumental first release? Well, Mudhoney have soldiered on for 37 years with the same creative nucleus of Mark Arm and Steve Turner, putting subtle variations on their thunderous garage- and psych- rock templates, augmented by abundant and astringent guitar FX. One key to their greatness is, they’re masculine, not macho. Another key is, they possess humor and self-awareness; so even though their sound hasn’t changed much, they still don’t obviously repeat themselves. The band’s riffs and melodies still sting with the vitality of musicians a third of their ages, and even their last four albums—delivered at five-year intervals—rip musically, while spanking all the right people lyrically. These gr*nge warhorses are still thoroughbreds. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL
Get plenty more New Year's Eve recommendations on EverOut!
THURSDAY 1/1
Polar Bear Plunge
(BRRRRR) For generations, people around the world have been marking the start of each new year with a startlingly cold polar plunge. The tradition is celebrated in Canada, the Netherlands, England, Scotland—basically anywhere with ice-cold bodies of water and brave souls. Here in Seattle, amateurs and seasoned dunkers alike are invited to ring in 2026 with the annual Polar Bear Plunge on January 1 at Matthews Beach Park. Lifeguards will be on duty, and since there are hundreds of participants all rushing into the water at the same time, it’s a lot harder to wuss out. But if you want to up your chances of spotting seals or an orca or two, check out New Year’s polar plunge events with local groups, including Puget Sound Plungers and Coldwater Collective, who host plunges year-round at Alki, Golden Gardens, Redondo Beach, and more. As an experienced plunger, my advice to you is this: Wear a warm hat, and don’t be afraid to scream, laugh, swear, or cry through the first 30 seconds or so. It really does make a big difference. (Matthews Beach Park, noon, all ages, free) MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 1/2
Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!
(VISUAL ART) Part art exhibition, part act of resistance, Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre! transforms tourism into protest and collective memory into defiance. Curated by Seattle-based Boricua artist Jo Cosme, the show expands on her solo work by featuring over 30 native Boricua artists from across the archipelago to confront colonialism, disaster capitalism, and displacement. Running through January, the exhibition is accompanied by La residencia: no me dejan quedarme aquí, a series of screenings, walk-throughs, and discussions exploring Puerto Rico’s history and ongoing fight for self-determination. (Office of Arts & Culture, various dates through Jan 10, all ages, free) LANGSTON THOMAS
SATURDAY 1/3
(MUSIC) Consistency, as a critique of art, may connote poorly, but in a medium like metal, which requires an artist to retain an ungodly amount of thunderous energy to remain true and relevant, long-term consistency is rare. To see a High on Fire show—guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike inevitably bare-chested and imposing, bassist Jeff Matz gray-beardly purveying low-end sludge, and smashing new drummer Coady Willis (who happens to be the same Coady Willis of legendary Northwest outfits the Murder City Devils, Big Business, and occasionally the Melvins)—is to affirm heavy music as the lifeblood of eternal youth. The power trio’s ninth album, 2024’s Cometh the Storm, the first with Willis on kit, carries the same level of fire Pike and co. originally got high on, sounding nothing like you might expect from a group that has earned every right to have gone hoarse and nappy by now. That angle aside, the band still stands in 2025 as a torch-bearer of crunchy sludge metal, continuing to frolic in trippy metal pastures when similar bands of the era like Mastodon sadly could not. (Showbox, 7 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM
SUNDAY 1/4
Catch up on Frieren
(ANIME) Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End starts where most adventure stories end. The demon lord is defeated, the hero’s party disbands, and time moves on. The story follows Frieren, an elf mage who is over one thousand years old, as she reckons with what that victory cost her. How does an immortal process grief when everyone she loves ages and dies? What does a 10-year journey mean when it is only a fraction of your life? Frieren is a quiet, devastating meditation on memory, regret, and learning too late how much people mattered. If anime usually turns you off, trust me: The superb world-building, animation, and storytelling put Frieren in the rare company of must-watch anime like Ghost in the Shell or Akira. The English dub is also shockingly excellent, and I say that as someone who hates dubs. Catch up before season two premieres January 16. Bring tissues. “Frieren, you should treasure the encounters you have. Death isn't the only goodbye in this life.” (Streaming on Netflix and available to rent at Scarecrow Video) CHRISTIAN PARROCO
