Panicking because you don’t know what to do this weekend and you’re short on cash? Don’t worry—below, find all of your options for last-minute entertainment that won’t cost more than $10, ranging from an Opera Center Open House to the Italian Festival, from the Taste of Russia Food Bazaar to the Black Owl Market, and from Elysian’s Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off to the Seattle Public Library’s Playback Showcase. For even more options, check out our complete EverOut Things To Do calendar, our list of cheap & easy things to do in Seattle all year long, and our roundup of this weekend’s biggest events.
Heading to Portland or Tacoma? Check out EverOut to find things to do there and in Seattle, all in one place.
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- Acoustic Night! Rev, Erin Doyle, Drew Smith, Skim.Milk
Individual members of the Drowns, Three Fingers, Burn Burn Burn, and Skim.Milk will unplug for an acoustic night.
(University District, $7) - Aurora Borealis Presents: No Rules
Zesty rhythms, tight horns, and six talented vocalists make up No Rules.
(Shoreline, $10) - Billy Brandt
Described by the event organizer as having a “voice like dark roasted coffee with a hint of cream and a band as sweet as the cube of sugar,” Billy Brandt will bring his jazz, blues, and soul sounds to Seattle.
(Downtown, free) - The Bismarck, Wyoming Young and Strong, Zebra Hunt
Loud rockers the Bismarck will celebrate their new album We Will Never Be Young Again with support from Wyoming Young and Strong and Zebra Hunt.
(Pioneer Square, $7) - Blinded By No One, Medicinehead, Echocheck, Haymaker
Mellow rock trio Blinded By No One will head up this show in Greenwood with support from local groups Medicinehead, Echocheck, and Haymaker.
(Greenwood, $7) - Brainard, Zach Warnes, Patrick Galactic, Moon Darling
Local artist Patrick Galactic will serve up dark psych-pop after opening sets from mellow psych-rockers Moon Darling, Zach Warnes of Lonely Mountain Lovers, and singer-songwriter Brainard.
(Eastlake, $8) - Brian Di Julio & the Love Jacks, Rain City Rewind
Having reunited at their 40-year high school reunion, Brian Di Julio & the Love Jacks are back to jamming to ’90s alt-rock, grunge, and blues-rock. They’ll play live with support from Rain City Rewind.
(West Seattle, $8) - Carter Wilson Album Release Celebration & Cafe Red Benefit Show
At this Northwest hip-hop/trip-hop music showcase, Cafe Red fundraiser, and album release party, move around to live sets from Carter Wilson (the album releaser in question), Skully Vega, Athr, Kamppi, Max Moodie, Isadore Noir, Jaycob, and Cesar the Martyr.
(Rainier Valley, free) - Cyrus Wirth, Liam Clarke, Ryan Barber
It’s an all-ages night of local singer-songwriters with Cyrus Wirth, Liam Clarke, and Ryan Barber.
(University District, $5-$10) - Daniel Champagne
Australian singer-songwriter Daniel Champagne will return to Seattle with his new album, Fault Lines.
(Ballard, $10) - Downtown, Static & The Cubes, Science Of Deduction
Synthy rock quartet the Science of Seduction take pride in being one member short of a traditional five-piece electro-rock band. They’ll be joined by local smutty electro-punks Downtown and Portland synth-punks Static & the Cubes.
(Tukwila, $7) - Folked Up Festival
Spend the evening in Green Lake with lo-fi anti-folk bands Appalachian Yard Art, Brian Kennon, Chris Marcone, John G. from Signal Flags, Truckers Lemonade, and Gitmo Trio.
(Green Lake, free) - Fucked and Bound, Acid Teeth, Trash Fire
Raging local d-beat hardcore band Fucked and Bound will head up a punk show in Belltown with Acid Teeth and Trash Fire.
(Belltown, $10) - Jeans and Chucks
Slip into your most well-worn jeans and converse for casual Friday and groove to live sets from Surround Sound Band and DJ Craig Jackson.
(Sodo, $10) - Kate Dinsmore, Kathleen Murray
Jazzy singer-songwriter Kate Dinsmore will play her tunes live with opening support from Kathleen Murray.
(Ballard, $8/$10) - Playback Showcase
The Seattle Public Library will present a free show with four great, genre-diverse Seattle bands: art-rock power trio Tres Leches, hip-hop artist SPECSWIZARD, dream-punk outfit Dark Smith, and self-proclaimed “gunk-pop” trio Black Ends.
(Beacon Hill, free) - Pop Secret: Supagi, Ca$h Bandicoot, Kuroneko
DJs Supagi, Ca$h Bandicoot, and Kuroneko will cover a wide spectrum of genres for all you musically indecisive party people.
(Capitol Hill, $10) - Rosie Tucker
Tune in to Rosie Tucker’s airy indie-rock riffs and Courtney Barnett-esque lyrics.
(Eastlake, $10) - School of Rock Seattle Performs: More Cowbell!
The tiny musicians of the future will get meta by performing their version of the SNL sketch that fictionalizes the recording of the song “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult.
(Shoreline, $10) - Seaprog Presents: Shimmertraps, Isthmusia, Pinto Wagonfire
The fall edition of the quarterly Seaprog concert series (which is inspired by the artist-run Seaprog Music Festival) will feature prog-rock bands Shimmerraps (Bellingham), Isthmusia (Kingston), and Pinto Wagonfire (Seattle).
(Ballard, $10) - SLAY
This dance party is geared toward LGBTQ+ people of color, featuring two live DJs, a photo booth, and more.
(Capitol Hill, $5/$10)READINGS & TALKS
- Dusti Bowling: Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus
Dusti Bowling, a fabulously named author, will come to Seattle with the sequel to her young adult novel Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, which takes a momentous turn as Aven Green and her misfit friends learn to navigate high school.
(Ravenna, free) - Jean-Baptiste Del Amo: Animalia
Come meet the author of this new novel, described as “all blood and stench and despair” by the Guardian, at a bilingual reading co-presented by the Alliance française. Animalia depicts four generations of peasant pig farmers as their bleak existence—and the treatment of their animals—gradually degrades from old-world hardship to capitalist depravity. This does not look like a treat for those tender of heart, but should be worthwhile for lovers of the darkest strains of the European literary tradition.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Megan Whalen Turner: Thick as Thieves
Whalen Turner continues her popular Queen’s Thief series with the tale of Kamet, an ambitious slave who flees the palace of his servitude and becomes embroiled in a conflict that involves three kingdoms.
(University District, free) - Poetry & Conversation with Anne Lesley Selcer & Amaranth Borsuk
In anticipation of her newly released poetry collection Sun Cycle (the winner of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center First Poetry Book Prize), Anne Lesley Selcer will read in Seattle alongside Amaranth Borusk, who is an assistant professor of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, Bothell.
(Wallingford, free) - Tracey West: The Land of the Spring Dragon
Fantasy writer Tracey West will read from her latest foray into the world of dragons and wizards. One of the wizards is named Drake and one of the dragons is named Worm.
(Lake Forest Park, free) - W. Caleb McDaniel: Sweet Taste of Liberty
McDaniel’s book recounts the incredible story of Henrietta Wood, who, after being legally freed in 1848, was kidnapped and sold back into slavery. In 1869, Wood once again won her freedom and sued her former abductor, a deputy sheriff named Zebulon Ward. Discover this important account of the righting of one terrible wrong. McDaniel will be joined here by Johann N. Neem.
(Downtown, $10)VISUAL ART
- Michael Hawkins and Marc Pearson
Meet the founders of Australia’s Glom Press, a risograph publisher that has produced graphic novels and prints in styles ranging from quirky to elegant to sinister. From their website: “Glom Press aim to fill a gap in the Australian publishing industry in between minicomics and Graphic Novels and to provide opportunities for emerging and established creators to experiment and hone their craft.”
(Georgetown, free)FRIDAY-SATURDAY
FESTIVALS
- 2019 Everett Sausage Fest
This family-oriented Bavarian-themed fall festival will offer heaps of German sausages (in addition to banh mi sandwiches, egg rolls, Mexican food, and more to keep you sated), carnival rides, live music, kids’ activities, a raffle, and plenty of beer and wine.
(Everett, free) - Psychedelic Autumn Equinox Festival
Move into fall with the help of psych-rock, prog-rock, and jazz-rock from local artists like Nosretep, Zhong Yu, and Super Z Attack Team (Fri) and Pink Octopus, Fraktal Phantom, and Cantrip (Sat).
(University District, $8/$10)FOOD & DRINK
- 4th Annual Queen Anne Beerhall Oktoberfest!
How heavy of a stein can you raise with your brute strength? Find out at this two-weekend bier fest, where you can dance around to live music from the Bavarian Beer Garden Band, Prom Date Mixtape, Caspar Babypants, and others, feast on hearty delights (like German-style sausages), and drink lots of beer.
(Queen Anne, free)VISUAL ART
- Anna Jannack: Line of Inquiry
Jannack’s exhibition is full of visual metaphors for the brain’s retention and “storage” of painful experiences.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Anne Traver: Unearthed
Ceramics artist Traver professes her interest in “diminishing the functional nature of the pot with a little push towards the forms of nature” and “the remains of ceramic objects as signposts of human history.”
(Downtown, free)
Closing Saturday - Barbara Noah: Toss and Turn
This artist has had works hung in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, in museums abroad, and at the Henry and Seattle Art Museum. With Toss and Turn, she continues a series called Likely Stories, which depicts “metaphoric objects” symbolizing the imaginative possibilities of childhood hanging in the cosmos. The effect is both playful and melancholy, an evocation of human endeavor in the vast emptiness of space.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Coley Mixan, Liz Mputu, and Richie Brown: Re-Thinking Digital Nature
Curated by art critic, curator, and occasional Stranger contributor Leah St. Lawrence, A Digital Nature brings together three artists who explore themes of “health, humor, the body, and emotional prosperity” and our experience of “the digitized” in our daily life. Coley Mixan is a musician and an artist, creating trippy and thought-provoking work. Liz Mputu is Very Online, using digital platforms to grapple with topics like white privilege, sexuality, and digital embodiment. And Richie Brown—an animator who calls himself the hypothetical son of Walt Disney, Robert Crumb, and Andy Warhol—brings his kooky and unconventional animations to the show. JASMYNE KEIMIG
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Colleen Maloney: Finding Comfort
The painter returns to her favorite themes of comfort and pleasure, from food and flowers to family and friends.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - D.W. Burnam: Roommate
Burnam juxtaposes photographic collage with “short narrative pieces” about humanity, ecology, and “depersonalization.”
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Evolution of the Duwamish River in Virtual Reality
Use one of two VR stations in this exhibition, which also features objects from the library’s collections, to discover the history of the Duwamish River, including—sadly—the city of Seattle’s abuse of it for industrial purposes.
(Downtown, free)
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Jed Dunkerley and Cable Griffith
Jen Graves has written that Dunkerley’s drawings of machines erase “the nature/human binary and [replace] it with a new mixture that did not separate human activity from other processes in nature.” In this series, he paints scenes wherein “technology and human ingenuity overwhelm the natural world,” in the words of the gallery. Cornish professor Cable Griffith’s abstract landscape paintings are similarly concerned with the melding of the natural and artificial realms.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Karen Klee-Atlin: Granite Spit
Toronto-born Klee-Atlin’s new big linoleum prints depict those classic elements of the Pacific Northwest landscape: “rock, wood, light, and water.”
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Laurie LeClair: The Hours
In the past, LeClair has shown her preoccupation with old manuscripts and other used materials. This exhibition is a continuation of her favorite themes, remixing “Renaissance iconographic format” for her mixed-media paintings on used drop cloth.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Melinda Hurst Frye: The Forest Floor
In The Forest Floor, Hurst Frye probes the symbioses of plant and animal ground-dwellers (and subterranean creatures), using photographs and tableaux.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Monica Daugherty
In the BLUR Gallery, Daugherty’s night interiors exert an expressionistic pull.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Richard Hutter: Bloom
Abstract printmaker/mixed-media artist Richard Hutter, influenced by pop art and minimalist design, has work in public and private collections like University of Washington, Tacoma Art Museum, Swedish Medical Center, and the King County Public Art Collection, and has been commissioned by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and Seattle City Light’s 1% for Arts Funds to create a large-scale public mural. Here’s an excerpt from the gallery description: “Unified by an ongoing exploration of organic forms seen through an architectural lens, the work combines a range of mediums: painting, collage, printmaking, and drawing. Over his career, Hutter has constructed a unique visual language of floral shapes and clean, repetitive forms created using drafting tools. His vocabulary conflates minimal and pop aesthetics with nostalgic languages of images and writings from textbooks and encyclopedias.”
(Downtown, free)
Closing Saturday - Richard Marquis and Johanna Nitzke Marquis: Recent Works
In addition to his show at the Museum of Glass later this fall, prominent glass artist Marquis collaborates with his life partner, painter and sculptor Nitzke Marquis, who’s the former director of the Foster/White Gallery and of the Visual Arts Program of the Washington State Arts Commission.
(Downtown, free)
Closing Saturday - Seattle League of Arts
The League hangs some of its members’ artworks.
(Seattle Center, free)
Closing Saturday - Susan Christensen: Benefaction
The figure of the mother creator dominates in these emotional, fantasy-tinged paintings.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Yvonne Kunz: Apron Strings
Kunz explores the metaphor of the apron as a pejorative synonym for a woman’s role (as in “apron strings”) in an attempt to reconcile womanhood and her experience as a soldier.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing Saturday - Z.Z. Wei: Palouse to Pacific
See stoic pastoral paintings by Z.Z. Wei that will transport you “to a place where time stands still.”
(Downtown, free)
Closing SaturdayFRIDAY-SUNDAY
COMMUNITY
- Bite of Broadview
This annual carnival-style event brings tasty bites, rides, ponies, a beer and wine garden, and vendors to Broadview for an entire weekend.
(Broadview, free)PERFORMANCE
- Yen
The Kenan Fellowship for Directing will co-present this play about two teenage brothers whose porn-and-video-game-filled existence is interrupted by a stranger who changes everything.
(Downtown, $10)VISUAL ART
- Connection
Brooke Westlund has curated a show of art by six locals—Jen Tucker, Thomas Brown, Shamika Rivera, Ruth Arlin, Kyle Krauskopf, and Westlund herself—with themes like science and energy, Nigerian and Kongolese spirituality, the unconscious, the occult, “pictorial menageries” melding realism and surrealism—and order and chaos.
(Downtown, free)
Closing Sunday - End of Day: American Oil Painting Around 1900
Around the turn of the last century, American artists who enjoyed new prospects for travel and education were inspired by European masters and contemporaries to depict natural landscapes in their own land. This exhibition captures a particular moment in American history, in which painters were poised on modernity and mass industrialization and longed to capture the comforts and beauties of the bucolic countryside.
(First Hill, free)
Closing Sunday - Gnarly
The Pacific Bonsai Museum pays tribute to “American bonsai renegade” Dan Robinson, one of the founders of the PNW bonsai scene and a lover of whorly, gnarly forms in nature.
(Federal Way, donation)
Closing Sunday - Ikebana Exhibit
To kick off their fall chrysanthemum season, the Volunteer Park Conservatory’s Seasonal House will honor the centuries-old Japanese floral arrangement tradition of Ikebana with carefully crafted displays.
(Capitol Hill, $4)
Closing Sunday - Kellie Talbot: America
Kellie Talbot’s oil paintings revolve around the landscape of American artifacts, craftsmanship, and history, using “rust and decay” as agents of change rather than negative forces.
(Downtown, free)
Closing Sunday - Magic Box: Defining Words in a Digital Age
Butoh dancer and artist Shoko Zama and poet David Thornbrugh present an interdisciplinary dialogue between collage/painting that evokes dictionary illustrations and ekphrastic writing (i.e., poetic commentary on the works of art).
(Chinatown-International District, free)
Closing Sunday - Salish Brilliance: Dan Friday and Maynard Johnny, Jr.
Lummi glass blower Friday crafts exquisite sculptures based on Native practices like, in this case, cedar bark weaving and totem carving (his great-grandfather, Joseph Hillaire, numbered among the masters of the latter). The objects pay homage to the intricacy of the traditional craft while adding his own asymmetries and vividly contrasting colors. His fellow Coast Salish artist Maynard Johnny, Jr. (Penelakut/Kwakwaka’wakw) paints brightly and beautifully on paddles and canvases.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Closing SundaySATURDAY
COMMUNITY
- The 2019 Teeny Awards
The teens are our future, and they’re taking over at this annual awards show, giving all the olds (read: non-teens) a chance to peer into their minds. In addition to giving recognition to their favorite local arts and culture figures, they’ll open up the stage to Seattle entertainers like glam drag performer Betty Wetter (who will also host), Jet City Improv, and Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Wei-Wei Lee.
(Capitol Hill, $5) - The American Century Cycle Celebration
Celebrate the work of playwright August Wilson with food, performances, trivia, and a kickoff event for the 2020 August Wilson Monologue Competition for teens. - Live in D5
Councilmember Debor Juarez invites her North Seattle neighbors and visiting friends to join her for a day of live local music, a petting zoo, free food, and more.
(North Seattle, free) - National and State Park Free Days
All national and state parks will waive their entrance fees for National Public Lands Day.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Opera Center Open House
This open house will treat one and all to free performances by Seattle Opera artists, a Q&A with the new General Manager Christina Scheppelmann, a peek inside the costume shop with Costume Director Susan Davis, a chance to learn about the wig-making process, and much more.
(Seattle Center, free) - Seattle ZeroLandfill 2019
For crafters, builders, and back-to-schoolers, there are plenty of treasures to be found in soon-to-be trash, including material samples of fabric, carpet, wall covering, wood, tile, stone, glass, rubber, and laminate. ZeroLandfill will host another day of rummaging for these and other gems.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Wishtree Community Celebration
Inspired by Katherine Applegate’s subtle political commentary novel Wishtree, about a 200-year-old oak tree that watches over its urban neighborhood, Mel & Mia’s Unique Pastries and the Neverending Bookshop are setting up their own wishtree for you to tuck your hopes and dreams into. Plus, there will be special treats and a chance to hear an excerpt of the book read aloud.
(Edmonds, free)FESTIVALS
- Seattle Children’s Book Festival
Take your young readers to meet award-winning children’s book authors and illustrators from all over the country, including Tracey West (DragonMasters), Tui T. Sutherland (Wings of Fire), Dana Simpson (Phoebe and her Unicorn), and many others. You’ll have the chance to pick up signed copies, participate in hands-on literary and arts activities, and hear readings and presentations.
(Greenwood, free) - Sustainable Ballard Festival
The Sustainable Ballard Festival will continue its tradition of championing a more environmentally friendly world by offering arts activities, an urban farm with goats and chickens, live music on a solar-powered stage, a tea garden, and much more. This year’s theme is “Green Steps,” which will focus on ways you can make a difference in your community.
(Ballard, free)FILM
- Paddle Pilgrim: Kayaking the Fjords of Norway
Learn about Norway’s breathtaking Sogne and Hardanger fjords from professor and pastor Dave Ellingson, who’ll also present a short film, “Coming Home,” about the stunning landscape he explored by canoe.
(Ballard, $10)FOOD & DRINK
- Fremont Brewing – 10 Year Anniversary Bash!
Fremont Brewing, with its ample outdoor seating, free pretzels, and extensive list of brews, is a local favorite. Raise a glass to its 10th birthday by enjoying special “throwback” beers, a fresh hop special, free cake, and more.
(Fremont, free) - Elysian Brewing’s 5th Annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off
The weekend before the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, local growers will haul in their gigantic gourds to determine the biggest pumpkin, which will take the honor of serving as a pumpkin beer vessel at the festival. There will also be pumpkin painting, food trucks, and an Elysian beer garden.
(Georgetown, free) - Tea Ceremony:Introduction to Chanoyu
Experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, also called Chanoyu, in the garden.
(Madison Park, $6/$8)GEEK & GAMING
- MINECON Live Party
If you’re crazy about Minecraft, now’s your chance to “celebrate your love for all things blocky and brilliant” with fellow gaming geeks at this Minecon Live party with trivia, giveaways, a costume contest, and, of course, gaming opportunities.
(University District, free)MUSIC
- Bear Axe, Gabija & The Blue Gleams, Sous Chef
Local soulful prog-rockers Bear Axe will headline with support from local jazz/R&B outfit Gabija & the Blue Gleams and Sous Chef.
(Ballard, $10) - Forest Ray, Bear Call, The Whags
Bear Call will visit from San Francisco to play tracks off their sophomore album, which adds structured funk to the lighthearted surf-punk songs on their debut. They’ll share the bill with lo-fi post-punks Forest Ray and the Whags.
(Pioneer Square, $8) - Great Falls, Convictions, City of Industry, Despairer
For a night of hardcore punk, join City of Industry for the release of their new album Conspire Conspire Conspire! with additional sets from Great Falls, the Convictions, and Despairer.
(University District, $8) - Hall Pass Band
Hall Pass will dish out all your party-appropriate rock and pop favorites.
(Shoreline, $10) - Haute Sauce: Swervewon, Lourawk, Famous, JCU3
Swervewon, Lourawk, Famous, and JCU3 will be your DJs at the edition of “Seattle home for hip-hop and dance music.”
(Capitol Hill, $10) - The Heyfields, Atomic Rust, Communist Eyes, Thankless Dogs
The Heyfields will rip through Shoreline with more local punky support from Atomic Rust, Communist Eyes, and Thankless Dogs.
(Shoreline, $10) - Jail Weddings, Bad Blood, Jimmy the Pickpocket
Fronted by Gabriel Hart (the former frontman of the now-defunct LA noir-punk band the Starvations), Jail Weddings will bring big Nick Cave energy to the stage with support from Bad Blood and Jimmy the Pickpocket.
(Eastlake, $10) - MIND at LARGE IV
Electronic music and art collective Mind at Large will throw a party with live dance tunes from local DJs Pressha, PostMatts, ÅSE, Abek, and Jaderade.
(Ballard, $5) - Moroccan Dog, Pablo’s Legs
Having formed as a means of competing in their high school’s Battle of the Bands competition, Seattle rock trio Moroccan Dogs will headline in the U-District with spacey jazz quartet Pablo’s Legs.
(University District, free) - Original Music inspired by Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
The Bushwick Book Club will play music inspired by Haruki Murakami’s acclaimed novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, about a man who discovers a netherworld beneath the city when he goes looking for his cat and his wife.
(Capitol Hill, $10) - Ryan Anthony Brooks, Vivian, Midnight Movie, Dusty Cubby
Indie-rock solo artist Ryan Anthony Brooks will play “songs for dreamers and non-believers” with support from Vivian, Midnight Movie, and Dusty Cubby.
(Eastlake, $8) - SFC: Ricardo Guity and Hagucha Garinagu
Drummer Ricardo Guity will lead the folkloric group Hagucha Garinagu for this Saturday Family Concert.
(First Hill, $5) - Spellbound: One Year Anniverscary
Join DJ Voodoo for a scary-fun night of old-school goth, industrial, and post-punk.
(Downtown, free) - Ten Years of Trash
The most fun gay bar in Seattle and possibly the world is turning 10 years old! They’ll go off with a night of drag and dancing with Ade, Cucci Binaca, and resident DJ Sling Dion.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Tribute Night
Get your Tom Petty and Neil Young obsessions catered to in a single evening with Petty Thief and the Neil Youngs.
(Greenwood, $10) - White City Graves, The Finger Guns, The Hop Monsters
Get spooked with local horror punks White City Graves, plus more (less-scary) punk from the Finger Guns and the Hop Monsters.
(Burien, free)PERFORMANCE
- Vodka and Vaudeville
The Seagull Project, devoted to the works of Anton Chekhov, will throw a party featuring performances of his little-known but very entertaining short vaudeville plays. It’s free, and your donations get you drinks (made with vodka, of course) as you watch “The Harmful Effects of Tobacco” and “The Jubilee.”
(Capitol Hill, Donations accepted)READINGS & TALKS
- African-American Writers’ Alliance Poetry Reading and Closing Reception
Hear African American Writers’ Alliance members read original poetry inspired by the ONYX Fine Arts Exhibit Truth B Told – A Visual Legacy at the closing reception.
(Downtown, free) - Alexandra Horowitz: Our Dogs, Ourselves
Canine cognition scientist Horowitz will present Our Dogs, Ourselves, a follow-up to her Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know, in which she delves into the strange paradoxes of dog ownership. Namely: “We celebrate their individuality but breed them for sameness. Despite our deep emotional relationships with dogs, legally they are property to be bought, sold, abandoned, or euthanized as we wish.”
(First Hill, free) - La Causa by Living Voices
Celebrate Cesar Chavez day with this storytelling hour, in which an actor playing a young woman on the picket lines will talk about Latin American strikes against racism and civil rights violations in the 1960s.
(Renton, $5) - LeeAnn McLennan: Supernormal Trilogy
Teen readers can meet LeeAnn McLennan, ask her some questions, and get signed copies of the author’s latest trilogy installment, Supernormal Legacy, about the life and times of a 14-year-old girl with superpowers.
(Edmonds, free) - Piper Lauri Salogga: Living from the Heart Divine & Profane
Eat snacks and hear Piper Lauri Salogga read excerpts from her new book Living from the Heart Divine & Profane, told through poetry and prose.
(Wallingford, free)SHOPPING
- Pendleton Wool & Whisky
Pendelton will introduce their new Dry Goods collection for fall at this launch party complete with live folk music and a whiskey tasting.
(Downtown, free)SPORTS & RECREATION
- Badminton, Pickleball & Volleyball
Play some midday badminton, pickleball, and volleyball using provided equipment.
(Pioneer Square, free) - HAWKtoberfest 2019
Fans of cars and the Seattle Seahawks will be giddy over this display of automobiles decked out in blue and green hawks graphics. You’re invited to enter your own car in the show, but you can always just show up to ogle the sporty whips and shop from vendor booths.
(Kent, free) - Seattle YMCA Fitness Class
YMCA instructors will lead a free, all-ages fitness class—no experience or equipment required.
(Downtown, free)VISUAL ART
- Helen Lessick: The Burning Forest (Pyrolysis)
While life-sized, Helen Lessick’s tree trunk installations are made of delicate, diaphanous material. They’re suspended above a circle of bituminous coal, exploring the process of pyrolysis (the transformation of organic material by high heat). Learn about what happens to trees in natural disasters and ponder the peril of the wildfires currently raging in the Amazon. Also on view: bronze sculptures and works on paper “exploring vegetal responses to environmental challenges in both somber and playful ways.”
(Roosevelt, free)
Closing SaturdaySATURDAY-SUNDAY
FESTIVALS
- The Italian Festival
Celebrate the rich culture of the old country with food, crafts, puppet theatre, Italian films, a grape-stomping contest, and a bocce ball tournament.
(Seattle Center, free) - Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival
Geek out over the history, craft, and culture of wooden boats of all shapes and sizes at this annual festival. You’ll get to climb aboard classic and modern vessels, tour Lake Union on a historic fleet, shop from maritime vendors, sip beer in a garden, and more.
(South Lake Union, free) - Taste of Romania
Discover Romanian food, music and dancing, and crafting.
(Mountlake Terrace, free) - Taste of Russia Food Bazaar
Choose from a variety of sweet and savory Russian pastries at this two-day bazaar.
(Capitol Hill, free)SHOPPING
- Abloom
Shop party dresses, jewelry, mid-century housewares, and more vintage gems from Indian Summer and the Garden.
(Capitol Hill, free)VISUAL ART
- C. Davida Ingram: The Deeps & Unknown Senders
C. Davida Ingram, a 2014 Stranger Genius Award winner, will be displaying new work at her Wa Na Wari exhibition. Both the performance installation The Deeps (with composer Hanna Benn) and Unknown Senders are described as a “multi-sensory journey about healing.” Unknown Senders specifically focuses on how survivors heal. In this exploration, Ingram will be diving headfirst into her own autobiography, Black feminism, politics, and “how freedom dreams meet myth, poetry, and radical imagination.”JASMYNE KEIMIG
(Central District, free)
Opening Saturday - Creative Justice: Up from the Table
Artists and organizers working with Creative Justice—an “arts-based alternative to incarceration for young people in King County”—show new work.
(Capitol Hill, free)
Opening Saturday - State of Flux
Kristin Alama, Abbie Birmingham, Di Faria, Kate Harkins, and Juliett Ripley-Dunkelberger show glass, printmaking, beadwork, painting, and clay pieces.
(Columbia City, free)
Opening SaturdaySUNDAY
COMEDY
- 600 Level Student Show Fall 2019
New students from Unexpected Productions’ Improv School will perform in front of an audience for the first time, so ready your applause.
(Downtown, free) - Vonnegut Unexpected: Kurt Vonnegut Improvised
The improvisers of Unexpected Productions will take some instinctual liberties (paired with audience suggestions) with Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and other works by the late writer Kurt Vonnegut.
(Downtown, $10)FILM
- Woman on the Run
Scarecrow will present the first screening in an upcoming “Women in Noir” series. This film by Norman Foster is a midcentury crime drama about a woman chasing her husband, an eyewitness to murder, around town.
(Ballard, free)FOOD & DRINK
- Friends 25th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of National Coffee Day and the 25th anniversary of the enduringly popular ’90s sitcom that launched a million copycat haircuts, the Lounge by AT&T will temporarily transform into a life-size replica of the famed TV hangout Central Perk—legendary orange couch included. The Rembrandts will be on hand to perform their theme song (you know the one) and other “Friends-related songs,” and James Michel Tyler, who played the Central Perk manager Gunther, will host trivia. There’s also “Phoebe’s Yellow Cab Escape Room” in a “fully functional taxicab,” a Friends-themed karaoke booth, an interactive technology timeline tracking the changes in technology since the show, and coffee from the Lounge, managed by 2018 US Barista Champion Cole McBride.
(Capitol Hill, free) - PedFest Celebration
Dogs and kids are welcome at Peddler’s all-day take on Oktoberfest. Beer specials will flow and prize-bearing games will abound.
(Ballard, free)MUSIC
- Autumn Leaves, An Evening of Jazz and Poetry
John Paul Sharp and Axel will play jazz while Dre shares poems.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Jason Hawk Harris, Massy Ferguson, Wonderly Road
Classically trained musician Jason Hawk Harris describes his current sounds as “meta-apocalyptic country/Americana grief-grass.” Join him after hearing opening sets from local alt-Americana outfit Massy Ferguson and country rockers Wonderly Road.
(Ballard, $10) - Spain with Josh Haden and Friends
Best known for their 1995 debut The Blue Moods of Spain, LA rock band Spain “bestowed a burnished, jazz-informed glow to the slowcore subgenre,” as Dave Segal has it. They’ll play their first Pacific Northwest show since 2001.
(Columbia City, $10) - Tula’s Closing Party with the Bill Anschell Trio
The Belltown jazz institution will close its doors after this final event. Tip your hat to its loyal patrons and enjoy live music from pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Michael Glynn, and drummer D’Vonne Lewis.
(Downtown, free) - Wet Temple, Duvcon, Foxlynd
Metal trio Wet Temple will bring the doom and sludge from Mount Vernon at this Seattle show with Duvcon and Foxlynd.
(Ballard, $8)PERFORMANCE
- Studio Current Sessions #21
The studio will showcase the talents of Dani Tirrell, Michael O’Neal Jr.Jr., Brian J. Evans, Sir Killer Bunny, and Hilary Grumman in various genres.
(Capitol Hill, $10 suggested donation)READINGS & TALKS
- Discovery Park Historic District Walking Tour
Learn about the history of Discovery Park from the turn of the century to post-Cold War, including the old hospital site that is now a forest and the original Nike missile command center.
(Magnolia, free) - Dr. Joel Fuhrman: Plant-Based Nutrition for the Whole Family
If you and your family are considering leaving meat behind for good, Dr. Joel Fuhrman has some advice for you. He’ll talk about plant-rich foods that contain lots of nutrients on his only Seattle stop this year.
(First Hill, $5) - Jenny Brown: The Abortion Struggle Now
Feminist Jenny Brown was one of the plaintiffs in the legal case that brought us over-the-counter access to Plan B, the “morning-after pill.” Now, she’ll appear with her book Without Apology: The Abortion Struggle Now, in which she’ll trace the history of abortion in the US and argue for a new approach to rallying around reproductive rights. Brown will be joined by local Shout Your Abortion activist Amelia Bonow.
(First Hill, $5) - Joan Fiset and Sarah C. Townsend
In this joint affair, Joan Fiset will present her new book How It Was with Scotland, a collaboration with visual artist Noah Saterstrom, and Sarah C. Townsend will read from Setting the Wire, her debut memoir that deals with experiencing postpartum depression as a young psychotherapist and new mother.
(Capitol Hill, free) - Kit Chapman: Superheavy
Find out how superheavy elements are synthesized and why we should care about them.
(Ravenna, free) - People’s Town Hall on Nuclear Weapons
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Washington Against Nuclear Weapons Coalition will converge on Town Hall to talk nuclear war, nuclear arsenals, and the nuclear arms industry in Washington State. The organizers say: “The Town Hall culminates in the development of a resolution based on this testimony, complete with recommendations for action needed by Congress to be delivered to the Washington Senators.”
(First Hill, $5) - Seattle Writes: Representing Race Plus
Local writer Nisi Shawl will lead a workshop (geared toward writers who are already working on a story) on how to depict characters with identities and backgrounds that are different from your own.
(West Seattle, free)RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY
- Carnival for Sanity
Bring cash to play rounds of bingo, trivia, and more to raise money for organizations actively fighting against the Trump administration, including Emerge Washington, Planned Parenthood, and LegalVoice. There will also be an auction, drag performances by Tammy and Friends, live music by the Drop Shadows, and a free postcard-writing session.
(Ballard, $5)SHOPPING
- Black Owl Market
Shop from comix artists, indie publishers, ceramicists, soap purveyors, and tons of other local vendors. If you’re hungry and thirsty, grab coffee and sandwiches from a Chayen Coffee pop-up or hang out in a beer garden.
(Capitol Hill, free)VISUAL ART
- Endless Summer
Check out vibrant, surreal paintings by Goldsuit (Katie Kurtz: “The pop-art lushness of Genevieve St. Charles combines the sweaty ooziness of MAD magazine comic strips and the shellacked glossiness of 1950s-era fast-food advertising”) and Blake Blanco (Jasmyne Keimig: “There’s something about Blanco’s portraits that are compelling”).
(Capitol Hill, free) - National Coffee Day
To get your buzz going for National Coffee Day, Motif will host an “interactive coffee art experience” with Jon Norquist, the founder of Coffee on Canvas. You’ll get to spill a bunch of the caffeinated stuff on a big canvas that will be displayed in the hotel. While you do that, you can sip a special coffee drink made with Patron Anejo barrel select, salted caramel Kahlua, horchata, and cold brew, topped with espresso beans.
(Downtown, free) - Southwest Artist Showcase
See art by members of the community of Southwest Seattle.
(West Seattle, free)
Opening Sunday
FRIDAY
MUSIC
