Our arts and culture critics have already recommended 43 great things to do this week and our music critics have picked the 40 best music shows, but there are still tons more events happening. To prevent some of the quirkier and more extraordinary ones from slipping through the cracks, we’ve compiled them here—from a Harry Potter Doughnut and Beer Pairing to a Chess Exhibition with Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and from the Seattle Transmedia & Independent Film Festival to Buttsquatch. For even more options this week, check out our complete Things To Do calendar.
Found something you like and don’t want to forget about it later? Click “Save Event” on any of the linked events below to add it to your own private list.
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- Modern Mixology: Shrubs
Learn how to make shrubs (a tangy drinking vinegar that can be used as a cocktail mixer or soda flavor) with berries and infusions to take home.GEEK
- Trivia Tuesday: Black Mirror
Brush up on the disturbing plausible technology-related stories of Black Mirror for this trivia night.MUSIC
- Laser Good Men and Thorough
Local punk-rockers Good Men and Thorough will celebrate the release of their third album, Layers of Horizon, with a special laser show. - Rockstar Energy Drink DISRUPT Festival
Thrash around this summer to punk and rock groups like the Used, Thrice, Circa Survive, Sum 41, the Story So Far, Atreyu, Sleeping With Sirens, Andy Black, Four Year Strong, Memphis May Fire, Trophy Eyes, Meg & Dia, Juliet Simms, and Hyro the Hero at this Rockstar-sponsored touring arena festival.RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY
- Vigil for Donnie Chin
Honor the memory of community leader Donnie Chin—who founded the International District Emergency Center in 1968 when he noticed the police and fire department’s slow responses during medical emergencies in Chinatown—at a vigil. Chin was murdered four years ago when he allegedly drove into the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, police reports say. The organizer say Chin was not fond of candles, so you’re encouraged to bring glowsticks or electric candles instead.SPORTS & RECREATION
- Mariners Stitch n’ Pitch Night
Mix up your knitting club location and finish up the hat or scarf you’ve been working on while watching the Mariners play the Texas Rangers.TUESDAY-SATURDAY
PERFORMANCE
- Oedipus the King
Play Your* Part is a theater company that partners with nonprofits to bring productions to underserved, “under-invited” communities. For this ASL-incorporating adaptation of Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, perhaps one of the most fundamental works of Western literature, Play Your* Part will partner with the journalism nonprofit Investigate West. They’ll stage the play, which is lensed through “archetypes of various religions and cultures,” on the steps of Saint Mark’s Cathedral.VISUAL ART
- Lockwood Dennis Retrospective
Davidson Galleries displays the work of a venerable Northwest printmaker: Lockwood “Woody” Dennis (1937-2012), who had a penchant for the smooth, bulky shapes of vintage cars and industrial design.
Closing SaturdayTUESDAY-SUNDAY
VISUAL ART
- Hib Sabin: The Still Point of the Turning World
Sabin’s work is frequently on display at Stonington. He’s a non-indigenous artist who has adopted and dedicated himself to many Native forms of art. This exhibition celebrates the publication of his new retrospective book, Hib Sabin: The Other Side of Silence, The Far Side of Time. His sculptures reimagine figures from 20th-century literature, paintings, and film.
Closing SundayWEDNESDAY
FILM
- Patagonia Film Screening: Artifishal
See a screening of Artifishal, Patagonia’s new film about the people fighting for the future of wild fish and the rivers they live in. While you’re there, you can try a “Salmon Safe” drink, pick up some merch, and learn about ways you can protect local wildlife. All proceeds will benefit Wild Orca, the Wild Fish Conservancy, and the Center for Whale Research. - Secret Life of Muslims: Screening & Panel Discussion
Joshua Seftel’s Emmy-nominated documentary series tells the stories of two Muslims whose faith helped them overcome hate. Join the filmmaker for a moderated discussion after the screening.FOOD & DRINK
- Beers at the Boathouse
Spend a warm summer evening hanging out on the dock for your fill of food, music, beers, and free boat rides. - The Diet of Conquerors – A Presentation on Viking Cuisine
We’ve all seen Vikings chow down on meaty chicken legs in the movies, but are onscreen depictions of the Nordic warriors’ diets historically accurate? Chef James Bushell will tell you what people in the Viking age actually ate during feasting occasions (hint: It’s healthier than you think). You’ll even go home with some recipes to try at home. - Doughnites: Harry Potter Doughnut & Beer Pairing + Trivia
Test your command of Hogwarts minutiae with Harry Potter trivia and savor a flight of themed doughnuts and beer pairings, including butterbeer doughnuts with English-style ESB (extra-special bitter), honey lavender with Witbier, and Black Forest with stout.GEEK
- Astronomy on Tap: Space Exploration in the Digital Age
Dr. Kim Bott will share her research on astrobiology and its prevalence in video games before Apollo Program expert Dr. Toby Smith takes things in a lunar direction.MUSIC
- Mike Gebhart’s Citrine
Local quartet Citrine will play Afro Colombian music and avant-garde jazz; Wally Shoup, Greg Kelley, Tom Scully, and Casey Adams will perform improvised music; and Ruby Dunphy will open the night with drums and electronics.PERFORMANCE
- Just Between Us Live!
Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin will put on a live version of their YouTube web series Just Between Us, a sketch-style comedy show where the two women act like the “worst versions” of themselves as they take on single life, friendship, and feminism.WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
VISUAL ART
- Ryan Finnerty and Tracy Simpson
Ryan Finnerty is a skilled young artist who makes turbulent figurative paintings with structural paint strokes, which are hung here under the exhibition title Outside Works. In both and, Tracy Simpson starts with a grid and fills it out with acrylic paint applied via sliced russet potato to make geometric monotypes.
Closing SaturdayTHURSDAY
COMEDY
- Cherish or Perish!?
Comedians Amanda Gemmill and Desirae McCain invite you to revisit the cult films from yesteryear—like The Last Unicorn and Labyrinth, by the looks of it—and see if they’re as good as you remember.FILM
- Meaningful Movie: Never Give Up: Minoru Yasui & the Fight for Justice
As the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans was taking place during WWII, Oregon-born attorney Minoru Yasui initiated a legal test case and spent nine months in solitary confinement awaiting appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Learn more about his story at a screening of Never Give Up: Minoru Yasui & the Fight for Justice, and stay on for a discussion with members of Yasui’s family. - The Oregon Trail Show: Live Filming for the Official Documentary
Jim Stewart Allen will be shooting a scene for his upcoming documentary in which he plays the audience through the Oregon Trail computer game, with Native American comic Howie Echo-Hawk on hand to lend hilarity. Be a part of the movie magic.FOOD & DRINK
- Bathtub Gin & Co Ten Year Anniversary!
Party like it’s Prohibition at Bathtub Gin & Co.’s 10th anniversary party, complete with drink specials, snacks, a DJ, and a champagne bar. - Seattle Waterfront Party
Check out the recent revamp of Agua Verde Cafe and try the new menu of food and cocktails while lounging in colorful furniture by the waterfront. (You can rent a kayak and glide out onto the waters if you’re feeling adventurous.)PERFORMANCE
- Christmas in July: Tits and Tinsel
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…again. Join the Trinkettes as they dance their way through the opposite of Yuletide.READINGS & TALKS
- Cassandra Kircher: Far Flung
After working for four years as a ticket collector for the National Park Service, Cassandra Kircher became the first woman to patrol an isolated backcountry district of Rocky Mountain National Park, where she encountered all kinds of wildlife. Hear her read excerpts from her book of essays about her experiences. - Noir at the Bar: July
Seattle crime writers will gather in the Pike Place pizza spot Alibi Room to drink whiskey and read from their latest murder-filled, hard-boiled stories. This evening’s lineup will include Danny Gardner, Frank Zafiro, Roz Ray, Renee Patrick, Baird Nuckolls, Colin Conway, and Michael Fowles. Hosted by Nick Feldman.VISUAL ART
- Art Battle Seattle
Twelve local painters will compete to snag the prize at this 20-minute-long competition. The paintings will be available afterward for a silent auction.THURSDAY-SUNDAY
FILM
- Seattle Transmedia & Independent Film Festival
STIFF will spend a weekend celebrating digital storytelling, with a program exploring the cultural importance of technology and highlighting work created specifically for digital platforms—including features, video games, short films and music videos, and virtual reality. At the opening party, watch the Seattle premieres of two new fantasy TV shows.PERFORMANCE
- The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion
Gregory Award-winning local playwright Justin Huertas (Howl’s Moving Castle) penned a play inspired by Puget Sound stories and myths, about a high school girl who discovers her mother’s secret and very unusual sports trophy and must cope with new revelations about herself and her family. - Venardos Circus
Former Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Kevin Venardos combines the magic of animal cruelty-free circus acts with the fun of Broadway musical-style performances. Expect a roster of aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and daredevils in a classic stripey tent.FRIDAY
COMEDY
- 22 Years of Stupidity
See two siblings, Steven of the Maple Daddies and the “Responsible” “Adults” and his sister Natasha, share some stupid humor. (Aww.) - Bring Back the ’90s
Bandit Theater will present a night of improv dedicated to the glory days of TRL and frosted tips. - Kristina Kuzmic: The Hope and Humor Tour
Fans of the world of parenting vlogs are likely to be familiar with Kristina Kuzmic, who has amassed a couple million YouTube followers through humor and motivational speaking. You can hear her in the flesh in Tacoma this summer.FILM
- Bug Wars
Spend your Friday evening with film cultists VHS Über Alles as they screen a ridiculous schlock movie from 2000 about two hot ladies trying to rid the Earth of bugmonsters.FOOD & DRINK
- Tasting Flight Presented by Alaska Airlines
Enjoy some perks of a day at the zoo—animal encounters, access to select exhibits—while sipping wine from your favorite glass (that means bring your own). Each ticket includes 10 tastings.MUSIC
- Buttsquatch
Skate around the rink or boogie at the bar to live sets from local rockers Medejin, Lipstitch, AIAIA, Sweet Creature, Mud on my Bra, and others. - Studio 54 with Hit Explosion
Northwest party band Hit Explosion will recreate a night at NYC’s Studio 54 with live hits from the ’80s.PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
- Theory
This adults-only party under the Pacific Science Center’s arches promises a laser light show, craft cocktails, and a chance to build creations in a Tinker Tank.PERFORMANCE
- Beer and Puppet Theater: A Puppet Slam!
Drink beer and enjoy short-form experimental puppet shows for adults by Vashon Island and Seattle artists as well as “loads of Puerto Ricans.” The earlier show will include Stink Guy and Robot, “written & directed by Tiny, our resident 3-year-old.” The later show will be “kind of fucked up.” - InsecuriTease: The Art of Vulnerability
Drag queens, burlesque artists, spoken-word poets, and other performers will explore the ups and downs of self-exploration.READINGS & TALKS
- Travis Parker Smith: Touch ‘Em All
Travis Parker Smith and his buds made it their mission to see a baseball game in every Major League ballpark in the country. Hear about his adventures and enjoy a hot dog.VISUAL ART
- The Edgewater Welcomes Renowned Artist Wyland with Celebratory Block Party
Artist and clean-water conservationist Wyland will reveal the restoration of his “Whaling Wall” mural, which depicts life-sized killer whales.FRIDAY-SATURDAY
COMEDY
- Lukas Seely, Kate Carlson Carlsen
Billings-born Seely was nominated as an Emerging Comic in the New York Underground Comedy Festival and has opened for Bill Burr, performed on Fox’s Laughs, and appeared with Emeril Lagasse on TNT’s On the Menu.VISUAL ART
- Stephanie Hargrave: Semantic Drift
Hargrave melded her interests in “entomology and etymology” at a residency in Brooklyn, where she referenced pollination, fungi, insect movement, climate change, and more.
Closing SaturdayFRIDAY-SUNDAY
FILM
- Hecklevision: The Wicker Man (2006)
Once upon a time, Neil LaBute decided to remake a creepy British folk-horror classic as a laughable excuse for Nic Cage to wear a bear suit and punch women in the face. The result may be better viewed as a worst-hits reel on YouTube than in full, but texting wisecracks to the screen as Cage slobbers all over the scenery sounds like fun. Expect communal screams of “NOT THE BEES!”PERFORMANCE
- The Kenmore Quickies
As If Theatre Company jumps into the short-play game with a brand-new festival of original 10-minute works. Each was inspired by Gaul Culley and Staci Adman’s Kenmore Mural Project. Vote on your favorite! - Princess Ida, or The Castle Adamant
The strong-willed Princess Ida and her court sequester themselves in a castle, where they vow to study the high arts and swear off the company of men—including Ida’s fiancé, Prince Hilarion. Unsurprisingly, the prince and his friends try desperately to win back the hearts of their beloveds, sparking the plot of a very fun musical.VISUAL ART
- Melanie Stevens: If You’re Watching This, It’s Too Late
Stevens, whose body of work concerns the “long history of appropriation and erasure” of the experience of the African diaspora, prints images from the news onto transparent chiffon, which she uses to create long bands that hang from the ceiling. Since 2016, the installation has grown from 15 to 130 feet long!
Closing SundaySATURDAY
COMEDY
- Fancy Cafeteria
Fond of both the “glamour of a Broadway production” and “the dishevelment of improv”? This improvised musical, based on audience suggestions, will be just for you.COMMUNITY
- Bird & Nature Art Fair 2019
Local artists both professional and amateur will sell their nature-inspired works and donate a portion of the proceeds to Seattle Audubon.FESTIVALS
- Destiny City Comics and Arts Festival
Meet comics creators at this fest for indie zine vendors and other creative types.FOOD & DRINK
- Chuck’s CD Sour Fest 2019
Sour beer fanatics can pucker and choose from a draft list of acidic brews. - Sake Picnic with Umami Kushi Okazu Pan
Swill Japanese rice wine and snack on Japanese okazu pan (portable breads stuffed with savory fillings like beef curry, barbecue tasso, and salmon cream cheese).MUSIC
- Heart By Heart
Steve Fossen and Michael Dressier got kicked out of and/or left the legendary rock group Heart years ago, but they regrouped and revamped, with a new group playing the old hits. Heart By Heart will play all your favorite Heart tracks, just with a different lineup, and no Wilson sisters. - Hillbilly Headbangers Ball IX
Slim’s’ Hillbilly Headbangers Ball celebrates its ninth birthday with a whole day and night of scorching live rock and country acts like Detonator, Acid Teeth, Darci Carlson, and others. Throw on your dirtiest gingham and get to stompin’. - Ugliest Man Alive, The Gaping Lotus Experience
Local metal band Ugliest Man Alive will take the stage after cover band the Gaping Lotus Experience play your favorites by alt-metal punks Tool.PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
- Gatsby’s Beautiful Little Fools: A 1920’s Party on the High Seas
Pull the feather boa and fake pearls out of your closet and party like it’s the roaring ’20s while cruising Lake Washington.PERFORMANCE
- The Primrose Players presents Measure for Measure
The Primrose Players present Measure for Measure, a modern take on Shakespeare’s problem play about the corrupt nature of power. Sofia Rybin directs these outside performances. - The Wiggles: Party Time Tour!
The Australian children’s show troupe, including Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, and Shirley Shawn the Unicorn, will stop by Seattle on their American tour.SPORTS & RECREATION
- Capital One Torchlight Run
With the Alaskan Way Viaduct finally ready to go, runners can look forward to a brand-new course at this annual Seafair race that takes place in conjunction with the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade. - The Great Inflatable Race
This touring fun run—made even more fun by the fact that it’s punctuated by bouncy inflatable obstacles—will make a stop in Seattle.VISUAL ART
- Maker Days: Rag Dolls
Local artist Marita Dingus will teach you to make your very own rag doll out of reclaimed fabric, wire, beads, and other doodads.SATURDAY-SUNDAY
COMMUNITY
- Leavenworth River Tubing Getaway
Board a “luxury bus” to the sunny Bavarian-style village, then transfer yourself into a mesh-bottomed innertube and float your afternoon away on the scenic waters. Once you’re done with that, you can head back on shore to enjoy drinks, bratwurst, and other German delights in a beer garden. The bus will take you back home to Bellevue or Seattle.FESTIVALS
- Alki Art Fair
There will be juried art, three stages of music, kids’ activities, and lots of food at this large community fair on scenic Alki Beach.SUNDAY
COMEDY
- Dungeon Darlings
Improv performers will roll the dice and take on mythical roles in this live Dungeons and Dragons role-play show, with the leadership of DM Brendan Barr.FESTIVALS
- Caribbean Sea Fest
This family festival celebrates both Caribbean culture in the Northwest and the environment. Celebrate green energy as you take in dancers, Moko jumbies (ghostly stilt walkers), and music.GEEK & GAMING
- Chess Exhibition with AG Bob Ferguson
Did you know that Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson pursued a professional career in chess after graduating high school? If you think you can beat him, sign up for a chance to play him in this special exhibition. Otherwise, sit back and watch the strategic magic unfold. Ferguson will also talk a bit about how the game has influenced his career.PERFORMANCE
- The Odyssey: an Exploration of Myth, Magic and Monsters
Inspired by Homer’s epic, Book-It Theatre presents a play in the Greek tradition that celebrates the importance of teamwork, problem-solving, and “the power of ingenuity and perseverance.”SPORTS & RECREATION
- Street Scramble U-District
Rush around on foot or bike to reach as many U-District checkpoints as you can in either a 90-minute of three-hour race.
TUESDAY
FOOD & DRINK
