If you need something to distract yourself from the thought of starting a new month in quarantine, we have good news: there are still lots of ways to support local artists and entertainers (and stay entertained yourself) while you continue to practice social distancing. From comedy shows to concerts to cooking classes, we've rounded up the best local livestreamed events happening this weekend (plus a few notable national things), below—from the Capitol Hill Arts District Streaming Festival to the Seattle Public Library's just-announced Book Bingo program (it's early this year!), and from a Pastry Party with local dessert mavens to a lasagna tutorial with Samin Nosrat. For even more options, check out our complete livestreamed events calendar.
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FRIDAY
COMEDYCOVID Is No Joke
Laugh to your heart's content knowing that donations from this virtual comedy festival will benefit frontline health workers. Special guests include Elizabeth Banks, Steve Carell, Kristin Chenoweth, Jack Black, Chelsea Handler, and other very famous funny people.
The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Variety Show
If you're one of many Bon Appétit stans, you know that the magazine's Test Kitchen crew is quarantined like the rest of us. They've been recording themselves in their home kitchens to keep the BA YouTube channel full of serotonin-boosting content, and now they're taking things to the next level by going live. Tune in for cooking challenges, catchphrases (mostly from Brad), and more fun surprises. All donations will benefit the World Central Kitchen's COVID-19 relief project, which aims to provide meals to those in need, put restaurants back to work, and feed frontline healthcare workers.
State Night
Washington Wine has informally declared the 40th day of Seattle's stay-at-home order State Night, aka "date night with #WAwine and #WAdine." To participate, they suggest following @sipglocal on Instagram, ordering takeout from your favorite local restaurant and winery (check out our complete takeout and delivery directory for some ideas), and posting a picture of your bounty on social media with the hashtag #SipGlocal.
#TwerkingItTogether with Big Freedia
In 2013, Big Freedia broke the Guinness World Record for the Most People Twerking Simultaneously. Help the New Orleans rapper (who "knows how to get the motherfucking party going," as Jasmyne Keimig once wrote) break the record again by uploading a video of yourself twerking to Instagram from 6:45-7:45 pm and tag #TwerkingitTogether.
All4Doras Livestream Variety Hour: The Trilogy
Local boy band cover band All4Doras will keep you entertained with a live Q&A, music video heckling, TMZ-style updates, and live coordinated dancing.
Grateful Dead Shakedown Stream Pre-Show with Dave & Gary
Former Grateful Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux will join David Gans and Gary Lambert, hosts of Tales From the Golden Road on SiriusXM, for a pre-show before a live screening of The Closing Of Winterland, which contains the Dead's complete 1978 concert.
Nectar Virtual Concert Series Presents: Yaima
Yaima hits up the old world for sonic inspiration, using instruments like flutes and handpans to weave familiar yet ancient tunes. They'll perform live on Nectar's YouTube page.
Red Bull Records Virtual Festival
From pop quintet the Aces to punk rockers Beartooth to rapper Blxst to UK alt-pop trio Flawes, Red Bull Records' virtual music festival will have something for everyone.
From the Vault
Every Friday, Spectrum Dance Artistic Director (and legendary Seattle dancer) Donald Byrd will re-release a past performance to the company's YouTube channel. Each piece is inspired by "the notion of time during this current period of uncertainty and change." Tonight's piece is called "Rambunctious."
Pacific Northwest Ballet Streaming Series
Pacific Northwest Ballet had to cancel several anticipated performances this season due to COVID-19, including Alejandro Cerrudo's One Thousand Pieces and the revival of Giselle. Now, the company is releasing dress rehearsals of the shows on their Facebook and YouTube channels in a series that will last through the end of June. (One Thousand Pieces, the best ballet Rich Smith has ever seen, is screening tonight.)
Phyllis Grant: Everything is Under Control
Phyllis Grant, author of the recipe-filled memoir Everything is Under Control (which deals with appetite—"how it comes, goes, and refocuses its object of desire"), will join Book Larder for a live chat on Instagram.
Poetry Open Mic and Jam Session
J Mase III, Luna Merbruja, and Joss Barton will perform live poetry in this virtual jam hosted by the Gender Justice League.
Solitude Social Club
Hugo House's bookish happy hour will give the digital floor to guest writers every Friday evening. This week, tune in to hear how Christina Chiu (Troublemaker and Other Saints) is finding happiness and meaning through literature during this period of isolation.
UW Engage Science: Bark Beetles, Iron Bacteria, and DNA Thumb Drives
What do seabirds have to do with the health of the ecosystem, chemical communication among fungi, and the search for water on Mars? Find out from UW Science Engage grad students, who will give a live virtual presentation on their latest research.
Carine Roitfeld and amFAR Present: Fashion Unite
Derek Blasberg, head of fashion and beauty partnerships at YouTube, will host this second edition of French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld's celebrity-stocked virtual fashion show to benefit COVID-19 relief efforts through amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. Special guests include Kim Kardashian-West, Hailey Bieber, Diane von Fürstenberg, Alexander Wang, Adriana Lima, and other big-name celebs. The 30-minute event will be styled from the wardrobe of each top model by Roitfeld and her team.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
COMMUNITYThe Call to Unite
Tons and tons of celebrities will gather virtually to raise money for GiveDirectly, who are supporting families around the world hit hardest by the pandemic. Donate to the cause and tune in on YouTube for live appearances from Oprah Winfrey, Josh Groban, Bill Clinton, Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Gabriel, and Quincy Jones (just to name a few).
One Horse Town
On a post-apocalyptic ranch, three queers defend the last horse on Earth—but when some starving fugitives show up, the ranchers, like the runaways, must "struggle to remember what makes them human in a world urging them to forget their compassion and their sanity." You can see it streaming via Patreon.
Preston Singletary and Jane Rosen: Exhibitions
Two of the best artists Traver Gallery represents—Preston Singletary (Tlingit), whose glass art draws on woven basket and hat forms, and Jane Rosen, who has made "regal and utterly terrifying" bird sculptures (Jasmyne Keimig)—combine forces to make an unmissable show.
Closing Saturday
Preston Singletary: Artifacts From A Future Dream
Tour renowned local glass artist Preston Singletary's studio and his new exhibition, which the artist describes as "an homage to the future generations of Indigenous people," at Traver Gallery via Vimeo.
Closing Saturday
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
COMMUNITYEat Read Hugo
Hugo House's annual fundraiser helps support its grants for student scholarships, writing classes, youth programs, and events. This year's event will take the form of an online auction with welcome toasts, author testimonials, and a conversation between Charles Johnson (Night Hawks), and bestselling author Garth Stein (The Art of Racing the Rain). The main event will take place next week, but the auction is open now.
Capitol Hill Arts District Streaming Festival 2020
While quarantine is still in effect, Capitol Hill arts organizations will come together for a 12-block program of free and pay-what-you-can livestreams benefiting the COVID-19 Artist Trust Relief Fund. Participants include AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway, BeautyBoiz, Capitol Hill Block Party, Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas, Crybaby Studios, Hugo House, Kame Hou$e 206, Velocity Dance Center, and many others.
Love from Philly
Philadelphia's city-wide music and arts festival, headlined by Kurt Vile, hopes to support the many entertainers who are struggling financially during COVID-19, with all donations benefiting 30amp Circuit’s grants for Philly musicians, entertainers, venues, and charitable organizations. Friday's theme is "Busking on Broad," with sets from folks like Ali Awan, Alexxis and the Medicine, Brian Fitzy, and Marc Singer. Saturday brings a jazz fest headed up by Arnetta Johnson, Christian McBride, Henry Tirfe, and many others, followed by Sunday's "Sounds of Philadelphia" with Erick Slick of Dr. Dog, Low Cut Connie, Mondo Cozmo, and more.
WWOZ: Jazz-Festing in Place
Not to be outdone by Pickathon's throwing open the doors to their prized vault of amazing live performances, New Orleans' listener-supported radio station 90.7 WWOZ has dug into their own archive of amazing music and come up with "Jazz-Festing in Place," putting together a program spanning eight days made up of nothing but absolute classic performances from over 30 years of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival concerts, starring legends like Aaron Neville, Roy Ayers, the Ohio Players, Charlie Musselwhite, Terence Blanchard, Bonnie Raitt, Toots & the Maytals, Ella Fitzgerald & Stevie Wonder from 1977, Hugh Masekela, Dr. John, Trombone Shorty, and many, many more. BOBBY ROBERTS
Pat Graney's Faith Triptych
These three performances from renowned choreographer Pat Graney (titled "Faith," "Sleep," and "Tattoo," respectively) span the course of a decade, from 1991-2001. Stream all three parts featuring 12 of the original cast members (including KT Niehoff, Peggy Piacenza, and Amii Legendre).
Seattle Public Library Adult Book Bingo 2020
For the last several years, the Seattle Public Library has been running an adult summer reading program called Book Bingo. If you participate, all summer long, you'll check off categories (like "uplifting" or "on your shelf") on your Seattle Public Libraries Adult Bingo Card as you read books that correspond to them. Get to bingo or blackout and send your card (designed this year by Seattle Walk Report creator Susanna Ryan) to the library (or drop it off at any location) for a chance to win prizes! You can also show you've completed your card by taking a photo and posting it on social media. This year, to give us all something to look forward to, SPL has kicked off Book Bingo two weeks earlier than usual.
SATURDAY
MUSICEarshot Jazz Live at the Forum: Remembering Lee Konitz
Celebrate the memory of the legendary alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, who passed away on April 15 of COVID-19, by tuning in to this virtual concert with jazz musicians Brent Jensen, Chris Symer, Marina Albero, and Stefan Schatz.
Nectar Virtual Concert Series Presents: Vaudeville Etiquette
Dance to Americana rock on the internet with Vaudeville Etiquette.
Bearracuda Seattle: Virtual Butt Contest & Dance Party!
Got an award-winning butt? Show it off in Bearracuda's virtual contest (or just watch) and join saucy go-go boys from across the West Coast for a livestreamed dance party with DJs Mateo Segade and Matt Stands.
The Zoom Bachelorette
The reality TV show wherein many single dudes try to win the heart of a lady lookin' for love is coming at you live and from a safe distance: It's The Zoom Bachelorette, featuring LA native Katia, who loves to go backcountry skiing when she's not working on her skincare brand. Who will she choose to unite with after the quarantine? Will it be Dino, a Cash App security manager who enjoys skydiving? Or perhaps Steve, a defense contractor who is "just trying to do the right thing while having fun"? Find out in real-time, and know that all ticket proceeds will benefit Feeding America.
The First Saturday in May: Virtual Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby (also known as "the most exciting two minutes in sports" by people who own one or more floppy hats) will forsake its old-timey ways by going digital this year. The 146th event has been postponed to September, but this weekend, Churchill Downs will honor the traditional first Saturday in May with a virtual race between each Triple Crown winner to raise $2 million for COVID-19 emergency relief funds.
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
FOOD & DRINKA Pastry Party
For two full days, your favorite local bakers and dessert shop owners (like Trophy Cupcakes' Jennifer Shea, Hot Cakes' Autumn Martin, Raised Doughnuts' Mi Kim, and Not Without Salt's Ashley Rodriguez) will join together to host demos, classes, and panels on Instagram Live.
The Roots: Stravinsky the Rite of Spring
In pre-COVID times, Rich Smith wrote, "Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring caused everybody in the audience to flip out and pour into the streets of Paris when it first debuted in 1913, not only because Sergei Diaghilev's very weird accompanying ballet depicted a young girl dancing herself to death (an alarmingly common COD in Russian and German folklore), but because no one had ever heard music like that before. Tonally ambitious, inquisitive, impressionistic, challenging." See a limited rebroadcast for free.
SUNDAY
FILMVirtual Moving History — John Frankenheimer: As Seen on TV
The Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound will hark back to the 1950s with a compilation of black-and-white anthology dramas—campy commercials included.
Samin Nosrat Wants Us to Make Lasagna Together
Samin Nosrat is, for many foodies, something like an angel, a culinary godsend who puts an amazing amount of time, thought, and love into everything she does, and it translates through her recipes, into her dishes, and finally onto your tastebuds, which is where heaven is discovered in this overlong and overwrought analogy/metaphor/thing I'm abandoning right here to get to the point: She's going to be on Instagram Live walking us through a lasagna, and damned if a lasagna-feast to close out the first weekend of May isn't a great idea. So read the New York Times post she wrote about why she's doing it, make sure you've got the ingredients you need via the recipes she's going to be using, and then let's all hang out in the kitchen with Samin on Sunday at 4pm, and treat ourselves right. BOBBY ROBERTS
41st Annual Blues Music Awards
Multi-BMA-winning blues vocalist Shemekia Copeland will host this year's Blues Music Awards from her living room, where she'll announce the nominees and winners and introduce guest performances.
Bang on a Can Marathon
This virtual music marathon will bring you six nonstop hours of performances by composers and classical musicians from around the world, from Meredith Monk to Ken Thompson to Philip Glass.
David Sax: The Soul of an Entrepreneur
Together with fellow journalist Glenn Fleishman and local entrepreneur Jody Hall (Cupcake Royale), David Sax (James Beard Award-winning author of The Soul of an Entrepreneur) will delve into "the human questions" of starting a business.
The Stay at Home Slam
The sports world, still reeling from the relatively bush-league nature of the NBA 2K tournament that was put on a couple weeks ago, is looking to the Williams sisters to save their rep, and they're sure to serve up some redemption (haha get it serve haha because tenn—) with the Stay at Home Slam, a celebrity tournament starting at 4pm Sunday, using the Nintendo Switch game Mario Tennis Aces as the weapon of choice, pairing tennis pros with celebrities (Serena & Gigi Hadid! Venus & DeAndre Hopkins! Kei Nishikori & Steve Aoki! Madison Keys & Seal! SEAL) and letting them go to town on each other, with John McEnroe and YouTube's iJustine on commentary. BOBBY ROBERTS
