The final month of summer is bittersweet, which is all the more reason to make the most of it (which, in part, means spending as much time in the sun as possible). Seattle is here for you this August—you’ll find things to do every day of the month whether you’re a music lover, a gamer, a wine-drinker, a film buff, or all of the above (and then some—you get the idea). As we do every month, we’ve compiled the biggest events you need to know about in every genre, from the South Lake Union Block Party to Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, from the new festival THING to the 49th annual Bumbershoot, from Hempfest to PAX West, and from Weird Al to the Rolling Stones. If all of that isn’t enough, you can also look ahead to the rest of this year’s big events, see our list of cheap & easy year-round events, visit our outside calendar, or 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.
AUGUST 1
MUSIC
Toots and the Maytals, The Gladiators with Droop Lion
Toots and the Maytals have been around for a long time. Formed in the early 1960s, the Maytals were one of the most renown ska and rocksteady vocal groups to come out of Jamaica, dropping such biggie reggae hits as the storm-is-coming-for-you “Pressure Drop” (you might’ve heard the Clash version), tender wedding ode “Sweet and Dandy,” and “54-46 (That’s My Number),” about the stint frontman Toots Hibbert spent in prison (the Clash’s “Jail Guitar Doors” has a shout out about it—they were big Maytals fans). Hibbert continues to produce new recordings minus his two old Maytals vocal-mates (Henry “Raleigh” Gordon and Nathaniel “Jerry” Matthias), although much of what comes lately is new renditions of old material or covers amid the few new tracks. Still, he’s pure musical joy materialized in short beaming Jamaican man form, his vocals are soulful and lightly raspy and warm like your favorite snuggly sweater, and his legacy speaks for itself. Plus, he turns 77 this year, so who knows how much longer he’ll be touring? In sum, get the hell out to this show. LEILANI POLK
