Panicking because you donât know what to do this weekend and you're short on cash? Don't worryâbelow, find all of your options for last-minute entertainment that won't cost more than $10, ranging from the ArtHaus Ball to the closing of Kamryn Tulare: 100 Heads, and from Belltown's Root Pie Day to a screening of The Dark Crystal with a re-imagined soundtrack. For even more options, check out our complete Things To Do calendar, our list of the top 100 cheap and easy things to do in Seattle all year long, and our roundup of Super Bowl parties.
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FRIDAY
COMEDY1. Wet Hot American Shut Down: The Coaster Show
The Core Ensemble will return with their vaudevillian improv act, inspired this time by the recent government shutdown.
(Capitol Hill, free)
2. The Black Planes, Shagnasty, Nurse Ratchett
Dance into the weekend with reverb-heavy psychedelic rockers Black Planes, Ken Trader tribute band Shagnasty, and local rockers Nurse Ratchett.
(Georgetown, $8)
3. Cavalerie, Flip Phone, MĆtus
Seattle jazz-funk-hiphop group Cavalerie will perform whatever "Rallyin' the Battalion" entails, with support from local nu-jazz group Flip Phone and MĆtus.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
4. Clear Soul Forces, Wizdumb, Dom Sicily, SpecsWizard
There are two forms of hiphop that are important: hiphop thatâs moving forward and hiphop thatâs being perfected. Local rapper/producer SpecsWizard, who recently completed an album with Silas Black (Blakwizard), is certainly the latter. This does not mean his work is not innovative, but that it innovates in a context thatâs grounded in a hiphop that has been defined and coded, and yet still has room for new ideas. SpecsWizard is a veteran. His entire life has been devoted to the art. Itâs almost impossible to imagine him doing anything other than rapping, making beats, and painting mystical urban images on walls. CHARLES MUDEDE
(Capitol Hill, $10)
5. Creosote
Brazilian accordion duo Creosote will play worldly covers and originals.
(Downtown, free)
6. Dead Sonics, Guests
Get into a night of fusion with Dead Sonics cranking out the "Intergalactic punk rock infused hip-hop jams," and support sets by additional guests.
(University District, $8)
7. The Georgetown Orbits, The Bandulus, The Seattleites
The Georgetown Orbits will bring "traditional ska" and upbeat reggae to Fremont with opening support from fellow Northwest ska bands the Bandulus and the Seattleites.
(Fremont, $8/$10)
8. Jim O'Halloran Trio with Osama Afifi and Larry Mahlis
Seattle flute-heavy jazz mainstays the Jim O'Halloran Trio will play for the first time in a long time with bassist Osama Afifi and percussionist Larry Mahlis.Â
(Columbia City, free)
9. Kingdom of the Holy Sun, Miss Rayon, Head Band
Dance to '60s-inspired psychedelia from Kingdom of the Holy Sun, plus more fuzzy tunes from Miss Rayon and Head Band.
(Ballard, $10)
10. Marty Mar & DJ Famous
Rave beat maker DJ Marty Mar will bring the party feelings with support from DJ Famous.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
11. Mister Master, Xolie Morra & The Strange Kind, The Jamfest Miracles, Sun Mother, Downglow
Bluesy funkers Mister Master will hit West Seattle for a wild night with support sets from local groups Xolie Morra & the Strange Kind, the Jamfest Miracles, Sun Mother, and Downglow.
(West Seattle, $10)
12. Oxygen Destroyer, Kömmand, Effluvia, Cystic
Thrash around to hardcore Northwest groups Oxygen Destroyer, Kömmand, Effluvia, and Cystic.Â
(Pioneer Square, $10)
13. Shizerdome, Bacon Grenade, Dilapidation
Shizerdome, Bacon Grenade, and Dilapidation will try to melt your face off with their death metal.Â
(Tukwila, $7)
14. Tech Startup with Teo Mattress, Livwutang, DJ Zumba, Cria Cuervos
DJ collective Tech Startup invite you to a "human-centered soiree of celebration, business, and dancing" in celebration of their sophomore release, TS000002 by Teo Mattress. Other DJs on deck: Livwutang, Zumba, and Cria Cuervos.
(Downtown, $7)
15. Wrong Way at the Roundabout, The Winter Shakers, Smokey Dawn
Local blues-rock band Wrong Way at the Roundabout will be joined by genre mutuals the Winter Shakers (who will play their new single) and Smokey Dawn.
(Greenwood, $7)
16. Chop Shop Experience Dance Program
The Chop Shop: Bodies of Work dance festival offers free dance workshops for all abilities every year as a prelude to its main event in mid-February. This year, there are two programs: "Reading Dance," in which choreographers give insight into the artistic creation process in contemporary dance; and "Introduction to Modern Dance," which focuses on movement.
(Bellevue, free)
17. First-Year Anniversary Party
Bellevue Dance Studios will celebrate their first year with a live DJ and performances, featuring rhythms like salsa, bachata, Kizomba, and more. Â
(Bellevue, $7)
18. ReBel's Drag Race: A Queer All-Stars 4 Viewing Party
If you love RuPaul's Drag Race but like your drag inclusive, trans-friendly, and all shades of queer, join Mercury Divine and company for performances, games, drink specials, and more during viewing parties of All Stars Season 4.
(Belltown, free)
19. Courtney Peppernell: Pillow Thoughts II
Courtney Peppernell returns with the sequel to her best-selling book, Pillow Thoughts, a collection of poems that "capture the time and experience that one goes through on their journey to peace through restoration."
(Ravenna, free)
20. Nights at Washington Hall presents InD.IGen.X
Hear stories and songs from "Indigenous ex-patriots living on stolen land," featuring work by Dian Million, Ernestine Hayes, and Storme Webber.
(Central District, free)
21. Pam Houston: Deep Creek
In her delightful novel Contents May Have Shifted, Pam Houston took on the need to flee. In her latest book, Deep Creek, she takes on homeâher own home, in particular, a 20-acre homestead high in the Rockies, where she watches over the resident Irish wolfhounds, horses, donkeys, Icelandic sheep, and wild animals that pass through, protecting both them and herself from the forces that threaten to undo them. It is here, reflecting on her life and her travels, that Houston begins to finds sanctuary, and to heal from a devastating and traumatic past. KATIE HERZOG
(Capitol Hill, free)
22. Anyuta Gusakova: Anyuta's Dreamscape
Pore over brightly colored magical creatures "ruled by majestic princesses" crafted from porcelain by resident Russian-born artist Gusakova.
(Seattle Center, free)
Opening Friday
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
FOOD & DRINK23. Chinese New Year Celebration
Taste a lineup of Chinese New Year beers, including the Mijiaya Historic Chinese Beer, the Lychee Sour, and the Buddha's Hand Citron IPA. Panda Dim Sum will provide additional nourishment.
(Ballard, free)
24. Dan Paz: the sun never knew how great it was until it struck the side of a building
Paz uses a variety of media, including high-resolution video, sculpture, photogram, and dance, to explore the spaces of youth detention centers and sports and recreation areas.
(Capitol Hill, free)
Closing Saturday
25. Deborah Curtiss: Women (& Men) Out of Line
Curtiss sets up her canvases in an unusual manner: They have four sides of different lengths, making an unstable-looking medium for her portraits.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
26. East European Printmakers
The wonderful print-focused Davidson Galleries presents mainly 19th- and 20th-century works by Czech, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian, and other artists, with an abundance of whimsical, fabulist, surreal figures.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
27. Escapism from LA
A host of accomplished local artists tackles the current exodus of Los Angeles residents to the Pacific Northwest as a springboard for pieces about escape, growth, and unmooring. Contributors include Nola Avienne, Seann Brackin, Jane Callister, Sijia Chen, Emily Counts, Alex Couwenberg, Tom Dunn, Roni Feldman, David French, Elizabeth Gahan, Yvette Gellis, Jimi Gleason, Cable Griffith, Ben Jackel, Jeffrey Mitchell, and Steven Wolkoff.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
28. Lynne Rotholtz: Re Cast
Vintage magazines and paper products achieve a second life in Rotholtz's impressively painterly collages, which are equally beautiful and controlled-chaotic in tributary, organic, and right-angled shapes.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
29. Nancy Coleman: What The Constitution?!
Coleman critiques the "ongoing misapplications" of the U.S. Constitution.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
30. Sylwia Tur, Nicholas Nyland
Linguistics scholar Tur sculpts angular, delicate, architectural, mysteriously symbolic-looking shapes in white porcelain. Her pristine objects are complemented by Nyland's blazes and tangles of color, painted onto ceramics or paper.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
VISUAL ART31. Kamryn Tulare: 100 Heads
Kamryn Tulare was discovered by Statix gallery director Peter Robinson (aka Ten Hundred) the way a lot of up-and-coming artists are discovered these days: through Instagram (@kamt.art). Tulare was posting her iridescent colored-pencil illustrations as part of #100heads, a challenge to create one hundred portraits. When she started in February, her posts garnered a few hundred likes. Her most recent postâa devilized portrait of LA artist Max Gunkelâhas more than 1,500 likes, and she now has almost 12K followers. All 100 Heads (many of them of her friends) will be on view during the first gallery show ever for the 20-year-old, mostly self-taught artist, and for sale from $75 to $120. KATIE KURTZ
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Sunday
SATURDAY
COMEDY32. Beyond The Tippe: The Anniversary Special
Enjoy funny performances by Clara Pluton, Val Nigro, Howie Echo-Hawk, Adi Naidu, Eli Schvetzel, and others on the one-year anniversary of the Beyond the Tippe comedy show.Â
(Beacon Hill, free)
33. 7th Annual Kidstock
This annual arts celebration geared toward kids and families features musical performances, theater productions, and arts workshops. This year's highlights include a set from Recess Monkey, Alchemy Tap Project (" a performance company for rising tap dancers"), the acrobatic UMO Ensemble, Ballet Folklórico de Tacoma, and Alex Zerbe ("Seattle's funniest physical comedian").
(Edmonds, free)
34. American History Traveling Museum: The "Unspoken" Truths
Celebrate the science and technology contributions of African Americans of the past and present by getting a survey of African American history back to the Jim Crow era.
(Renton, free)
35. Civic Saturday
Eric Liu will host Civic Saturday, described as "a civic analogue to church": a service that celebrates the American civic tradition through readings, songs, silent reflection, and a sermon by Liu himself.
(Beacon Hill, free)
36. A Commemorative Event for Seattle Civil Rights Leader Edwin T. Pratt
Honor the legacy of civil rights leader Edwin T. Pratt, who served as the Executive Director of the Seattle Urban League before his assassination in 1969. This event will host speakers like Urban League's Michelle Merriweather, Rev. Dr. Phyllis Beaumonte, King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, and Pratt's daughter, Miriam Pratt Glover.
(Capitol Hill, free)
37. Great Seattle Seed Swap
Got a bunch of vegetable starters you don't want? Swap your seeds for ones you want more of at the first of four Great Seattle Seed Swap events.
(Phinney, free)
38. Lunar New Year Family Festival
Ring in the Year of the Pig with live music, martial arts demonstrations, gallery tours, and drop-in art activities inspired by the Lunar New Year.
(Downtown, free)
39. Sammamish Lunar New Year Celebration
Discover Asian culture and ceremonial traditions to celebrate the Lunar New Year with a performance by the International Lion Dance Team, a martial arts demonstration, music, dance, visual arts, and interactive booths for kids.
(Sammamish, free)
40. Snohomish Groundfrog Day
Maybe we've been placing too much trust in the annual prognostication of a certain Pennsylvanian groundhogâthe residents of Snohomish certainly think so, which is why they allow a clairvoyant amphibian, Snohomish Slew, to tell us all whether we'll have an early spring or a prolonged winter. The day also features crafts, music, photo opportunities with Slew, and more family fun.
(Snohomish, free)
41. Root Pie Day
There's a fun bit of Belltown lore behind this unusual event: Years ago, the owners of the Belltown Café would provide food in exchange for art from hungry artists, which resulted in the creation of the Belltown Pan, a bell-shaped copper pan that could be used as a sign outside the cafe as well as a baking tray in a commercial oven. Each year on Groundhog Day, it would be taken inside to be washed, stuffed with tons of hearty root veggies and baked for a "root pie" feast, before it was returned to its usual place outside the door for the rest of the year. Now, the tradition symbolizing nourishment and community coming together to feed one another in the darkest part of winter lives on, as new reproductions of the original Belltown Pan go into circulation among local restaurants. Grab a free root pie pass under the canopy in Bell Street Park between 2nd and 3rd Ave to try root pies created by ten different restaurants, each with their individual interpretation.
(Belltown, free)
42. Amateur Eyes, Payge Turner, Trauma Del Rey
Ann Arbor rockers Amateur Eyes will stop by Seattle with support from singer-songwriter Payge Turner and locals Trauma Del Rey.Â
(Downtown, $8/$10)
43. Cloud Cover, New York City Cops, Sunday Girls
Cloud Cover kicks out the old school jams with a range of indie rock and alternative rock covers from the '80s to present. They'll be joined by Strokes tribute group New York City Cops and Blondie tribute group Sunday Girls.
(University District, $8)
44. Dravus House, Lizzy Gundersen, Gabriel Delayne
Local folk duo Dravus House will celebrate the release of their new album with support from Lizzy Gundersen and Gabriel DeLayne. Fans of Milk Carton Kids should be pleased.Â
(Fremont, free-$10)
45. The Drive Through, Bartender, Strange Jerome
Dance to a live set from Italian- and Mediterranean-inspired blues and swing trio Bartender, plus those of the Drive Through and Strange Jerome.Â
(Greenwood, $5)
46. Duende Libre
Power trio Duende Libre will bring a night of jazzy rhythms from "the Americas, Europe, and Africa" to Seattle.
(Downtown, free)
47. Federale, Eyelids, Zebra Hunt
Very solid rock bill alert. Portlandâs Eyelids contain current and former members of Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Guided by Voices, and Decemberists, and their breezy, introverted yet epiphany-laden indie rock reminds you why you cared about this smoothly melodious stuff so intently in the early â90s. (Those not around then will have to use their imaginations.) Seattleâs Zebra Hunt channel the wondrous chiming and jangling linearity of New Zealand and Australiaâs overachieving, understated, underground-rock groups of the â80s. Portland septet Federale features exâBrian Jonestown Massacre bassist Collin Hegna and evoke the florid, dusty melodrama of spaghetti western soundtracks. Check out âHoly Mountainâ off 2016âs All the Colours of the Dark for the most potent hit. DAVE SEGAL
(Ballard)
48. Groundhog Day Rawk Fest with Stucky Jackson & the Boys, Nordus, Niote Negra, Always Naked
Celebrate either an impending spring or a continuing winter with this night of sets by local rock groups like Stucky Jackson & the Boys, Nordus, Niote Negra, and Always Naked.
(Fremont, $8/$10)
49. Haute Sauce: Topspin, Famous, Gradeay, Swervewon
Spend your Saturday night dancing to night-out-worthy hiphop spun by DJs Topspin, Famous, Gradeay, and Swervewon.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
50. Hillside '77, James Anaya and The Current, Dr. Quinn and The Medicine Woman
Local rockers Hillside '77, James Anaya and the Current, and Dr. Quinn and the Medicine Woman will share a bill.
(Pioneer Square, $5/$8)
51. Jupiter Sprites, Darksoft, Don Piano
Jupiter Sprites deliver the best kind of dream popâitâs easy to find yourself lost in the pure fuzz, the angelic vocals, the shimmer of it all. They remind me of the first time I ever listened to My Bloody Valentine, that feeling of warmth that washed over me, like I was hearing what bright magenta sounded like or something. This Olympia band will be heading up to Seattle to celebrate the release of their self-titled EP, out February 1, alongside local acts Darksoft and Don Piano. JASMYNE KEIMIG
(University District, free)
52. The Lounge by AT&T Presents: Music Night with Jack Carrick
Local singer-songwriter Jack Carrick blends folk, jazz, and contemporary rock. Hear him play live.Â
(Capitol Hill, free)
53. Medical Rx Night: Italo Disco, Synthwave, Leftfield Dance
Records/Transfusions boss Dr. Troy, DJ Sh1-tr (Jason Taylor), and their obsessive clique of DJs have been reanimating the debaucherous spirit of Italo disco, minimal wave, and other retro-futurist electronic styles at the gay bar Pony. (All sexual orientations are welcome, however.) The first week of the year is always one of the grimmest on the calendar, but Medical Rx can remedy your winter malaise with its DJsâ deep expertise in the field of off-center dance music thatâs stood the test of time in underground clubs. DAVE SEGAL
(Capitol Hill, free)
54. Modular Nights
Space out to experimental electronic music from Ztar Boy, Four Dimensional Nightmare, Dark Side of the Tune, Aural Antithesis, Cameron Fraser, Animals at Night, Body Falling Downstairs, Rising Edge, Cindy Reichel, and Mechanical Plague. Allen Watke will provide visuals.Â
(Ballard, free)
55. The Requisite, Waking Things
Seattle-based alt-rockers the Requisite make what they qualify as "Sub-Rock-Indie-Psycho-Pop." They'll be joined by local emo-pop outfit Waking Things.
(Capitol Hill, $8/$10)
56. Selectcop, Nineteen Eighty D
Get down to some dance rock and "freaky synth jams" with Selectcop and Nineteen Eighty D.Â
(West Seattle, $7)
57. Smackout Pack and Swinson & the Expedition Present The Deep Freeze
Local indie rock bands Smackout Pack and Swinson & the Expedition will team up for an appropriately named winter concert called "the Deep Freeze."
(West Seattle, $8)
58. The Snubs, Mangy, Throw, Hellbat
The Snubs will "[play] the genre formerly known as 'punk'" with support from Mangy, Throw, and Hellbat.Â
(University District, $7)
59. ArtHaus 5.0: ArtHaus Ball
This seventh "episode" of the drag battle ArtHaus will take a break from its usual competitive nature for the first-ever ArtHaus Ball, where a representative from each drag house will sashay down the runway as "an outfit, a scepter, and a pet." The performers will still be judged (by Miss Texas 1988, Betty Wetter, and Cookie Couture), but the results will have no effect on the overall status of the winning and losing houses. However, the winner will get $100.
(Downtown, $7)
60. Student Flying Trapeze and Aerial Show
Trapeze and aerial students of all ages will fly above your head at this free show.
(Sodo, free)
61. Botnik Live!
Botnik Studios writers and engineersâwho have created a predictive text Harry Potter chapter and a computer-generated Coachella poster, among other thingsâwill host a night of readings, sketches, songs, and interactive experiments.
(Capitol Hill, $7)
62. Claire Rudolf Murphy: Martin and Bobby
Martin and Bobby chronicles the final days of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, who formed an allyship to fight poverty and racism in America. Join a panel of student activists for a discussion of the biography.Â
(Lake Forest Park, free)
63. Peter Manos: A Girl Named Cricket
Peter Manos will read from his new sci-fi novel about the plight of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., A Girl Named Cricket.
(University District, free)
64. Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett: The Inner Level
In The Inner Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett argue that inequality is the cause of all conflicts in the United States. Hear them talk about other countries that are doing things right.Â
(Ravenna, free)
SUNDAY
COMEDY65. An Improvised Man: Ray Bradbury Improvised
At this Ray Bradbury-inspired improv night, the players will use stories offered up by the audience (that's you) to create three stories drenched in the style of the anti-government, anti-robot dystopian fiction writer. Should be weird.
(Downtown, $10)
66. Tea Tasting at the PNA
Join the Phinney Neighborhood Association each month for a pinkies-out tasting of three different high-grade teas and learn how to describe flavor profiles using a flavor wheel.
(Phinney, $10)
67. DJ Nicfit & Substation Present The Dark Crystal
Seattle's own DJ NicFit will reimagine the 1982 Jim Henson cult classic The Dark Crystal with an eclectic playlist performed live on two turntables and fully synchronized to the film.
(Ballard, free)
68. Twilight Series with Randy Weeks
Randy Weeks has been writing country blues-rock since 1986. Hear him play his solo songs live.Â
(Greenwood, free)
69. Winehouse Casual Cubs, Guests
Seven-piece Olympia funky alt-rockers Winehouse will headline with support from Seattle's Casual Cubs.Â
(Pioneer Square, $7)
70. Christina McDonald: The Night Olivia Fell
A pregnant teenager suffers brain damage after falling off a bridge, and her mother tries to put the pieces together. Hear Christina McDonald read from her mystery The Night Olivia Fell.
(Ravenna, free)
71. Lecture: Natalie Krick
Hear an artist talk by prizewinning Seattle photographer Natalie Krick, of whom critic Emily Pothast wrote in The Stranger, "Krick's images are double-edged swordsâthey simultaneously elicit desire and encourage us to question the nature of that desire."
(Capitol Hill, free)
72. Paul Nelson
Paul Nelson, founder of Seattle Poetics LAB, will share a few interviews with literary people like Rupert Sheldrake, Jean Houston, Wanda Coleman, Allen Ginsberg, and others from his new book, American Prophets: Interviews with Thinkers, Activists, Poets & Visionaries.
(Capitol Hill, free)
