Seattle Erotic Art Festival is an uncensored collection of art, films, and live performances at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. Bring ID and be age 18 to see the gallery (age 21+ after 6 p.m.).
Boats Afloat Show includes cabin cruisers, sailboats, ski boats, and yachts on Lake Union at Chandler’s Cove, 901 Fairview Ave. N in Seattle. Children younger than age 12 are free and can build toy boats for free.
Seattle Black Film Festival “features film screenings, hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and in-depth chats with filmmakers” at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, 104 17th Ave. S, Seattle.
Saint Mark’s Evensong Choir performs its monthly Choral Evensong service in the cathedral nave at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E in Seattle. Free.
Celebrate spring by playing games, singing, and dancing around the Maypole at the May Day Celebration and Potluck in Woodland Park. Bring a potluck dish, non-alcoholic beverages, and flowers for making head wreaths. Free.
Children can touch and explore heavy machinery and emergency vehicles, and talk to the drivers, at Touch a Truck in Magnuson Park. Silent hour without horns is 9 to 10 a.m.
A Festival for May opens with demonstrations, crafts, food, and musicians. Games are at 1 p.m., the Maypole ceremony is at 4:30 p.m., and dinner is by reservation at quaint Camlann Medieval Village in Carnation.
Taste wine, spirits, and chocolate from 40 vendors, and see three rooms of vintage cars, and hear local musicians and bands at Wine, Spirits & Chocolate at Marymount Event Center for age 21+.
Victorian Heritage Festival has evening parties; a Saturday Victorian fashion show (3 p.m.) and contra dance (7 p.m.); plus weekend talks, teas, and tours of historic buildings. Festival headquarters is at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St. in Port Townsend.
Washington State Apple Blossom Festival in sunny Wenatchee has food vendors, carnival rides, a car show, arts and crafts, a run, and a grand parade in and around Memorial Park, 2 S. Chelan Ave. in Wenatchee. See schedule.
Factory workers gather in a local bar to share laughs, hopes, and cold beer, but when management threatens to cut their jobs, lifelong friends are pitted against each other and resentment leads to violence in Sweat at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St. in Seattle.
Much Ado about Nothing is the original battle of the sexes, with passionate and humorous verbal sparing by members of Seattle Shakespeare at Center Theatre, 305 Harrison St. in Seattle.
Featuring characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown brings Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, Sally, and Schroeder to life in a “charming revue of vignettes and songs” at Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N in Issaquah.
Watch hot glass demonstrations, meet the artists, take a tour of the campus founded by Dale Chihuly, and shop for glass art at the Pilchuck Glass School Spring Tours in Stanwood. Buy tickets online.
Party on the Cut has live music, food trucks, a beer garden for age 21+, and lawn games on the Montlake Cut near University of Washington Waterfront Activities Center, 3710 Montlake Blvd. NE in Montlake. You can take Link Light Rail to University of Washington station. No pets.
Billed as the state’s oldest festival, Sequim Irrigation Festival has an art walk, arts and crafts, a carnival, a logging show, a tractor pull, a fun run, a kids’ parade, a grand parade, and fireworks, mostly near Sequim Civic Center, 152 W Cedar St. in Sequim. Schedule of events on May 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14. Free.
Enjoy Mexican food for sale, live music, children’s activities, and a craft fair at Cinco de Mayo Celebration sponsored by El Centro de la Raza at Plaza Roberto Maestas, 2601 17th Ave. S in Seattle. Free.
Watch boats parade through the Montlake Cut near the University of Washington on Opening Day. Free to watch from either side of the water, for example behind Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, 1715 NE Columbia Rd. in Montlake.
Cheer crew teams as they row through the Montlake Cut during the Windermere Cup. Free to watch from either side of the water, for example behind Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, 1715 NE Columbia Rd. in Montlake. [The Montlake exit from SR 520 and the Montlake Bridge will be closed part of the day.]
Wear red to the fantasy Mom and Me Wonderland Tea, which features tea, iced tea, lemonade, snacks, and games with the Queen of Hearts at Chateau du Nuage, 21145 212th Ave. SE in Maple Valley.
See hundreds of bonsai on display, 2atch live bonsai demonstrations, talk to bonsai artists, and join tour during Bonsai Fest at Pacific Bonsai Museum, 2515 S 336th St. in Federal Way. Donation.
The Marriage of Figaro is a popular comic opera by Mozart, which is sung in Italian with English subtitles at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St. in Seattle. The Guardian says “the chorus and soloists are impressive.”
The Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise by Waterways Cruises includes a buffet, a rose, and two hours of views on Lake Union and Lake Washington, departing from Chandler’s Cove, 901 Fairview Ave. N in Eastlake.
Walk or run the Wag Love 5K fundraiser, then make flower garlands, hear speakers, visit vendors, and do activities with your dog at Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE in Redmond.
We Stand with Ukraine features singers, a children’s choir, dance, speeches, and video at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N in Edmonds. The $63 tickets support Ukraine.
Take a two-hour roundtrip between North Bend and Snoqualmie on a real steam-engine train operated by Northwest Railway Museum. You can depart from North Bend or Snoqualmie.
The dance company MOMIX “creates surreal and fantastic worlds with light, shadow, props and the human body” in Alice at Meany Center for the Performing Arts, 4040 George Washington Lane NE in Seattle.
Yakima River Canyon Bird Fest has guided bird walks, workshops, vendors, kids’ activities, and social events on the drier side of the state. Check in at Helen McCabe State Park, 23942 Canyon Road in Ellensburg.
Register online for the self-guided Northwest Green Home Tour to see solar-powered, energy-efficient, and sustainably built homes in Seattle and on the Eastside. Map. Free.
Children’s Day Festival (Kodomo no Hi) events include martial arts, a tea ceremony, dance show, hands-on taiko drumming, yukata dress up, stories, and food vendors at Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington, 1414 S Weller St. in Seattle. Free.
Burien UFO Festival features flying saucers, alien costume contests, guest speakers, kids’ activities, films, and DJ music at Town Square Park, 480 SW 152nd St. in Burien.
“Enjoy different whiskies from up to 20 distilleries” plus food, music and entertainment for age 21+ during Seattle World Whisky Day at Downtown Park, 16101 NE, Redmond Way in Redmond.
See frogs, snakes, geckos, and other exotic creatures at Seattle Metro Reptile Expo, with educational tables and vendors at Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 11405 179th Ave. SE in Monroe.
Watch 38 teams race in long boats holding 20 paddlers at Rainier Dragon Boat Festival, with opening ceremony at 8 a.m., first race at 9 a.m., and vendors onsite at Thea’s Park. See parking instructions. Free.
Gig Harbor Beer Festival features a wide variety of Northwest craft brewers and live music at the pavilion at Uptown Gig Harbor, 4701 Point Fosdick Drive in Gig Harbor. Bring age 21+ ID.
Penn Cove Water Festival in Coupeville has tribal canoe races, native arts and crafts, food, dance, music, traditional storytelling, and children’s activities on and around Coupeville Wharf, 24 Front St. NW in Coupeville. Free.
Celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day at 17th of May Festival in Ballard with a luncheon [sold out], kids’ activities, and music near National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market St. in Seattle. The 6 p.m. parade includes marching bands, drill teams, and Norwegians in costume. Parade route.
Celtic Woman performs Irish traditional and contemporary standards with style, joined by Irish dancers and musicians at Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St. in Seattle.
SeaTown Block Parties promise “live local music, nearby beer gardens, plus appearances by local sports personalities” at Seattle Center in the Mural Amphitheater, 305 Harrison St. Free.
Attend an emotional wedding ceremony that is actually a renewal of vows, enjoy a cocktail and light bites, and dance at a reception while you check out wedding vendors in action at The Big Fake Wedding Seattle at Block 41, 115 Bell St. in Seattle.
Local innovators and visionaries “explore the pressing topics of environmental sustainability and the global climate crisis” during Innovation Exchange at the Museum of History and Industry, 860 Terry Ave. N in Seattle.
Hear 44 bands with a ticket to Fisherman’s Village Music Festival, or visit the free night market (Fri. & Sat. until 10 p.m.) with food trucks and a beer garden on the streets near Scuttlebutt Brewing, 1205 Craftsman Way in Everett. Some venues are age 21+. Free.
A ticket to Nose Art After Dark for age 21+ includes “signature cocktails and appetizers catered by McCormick & Schmick’s” plus a curated look at naughty art from World War II at The Museum of Flight, 9404 E Marginal Way S in Seattle. Buy tickets by May 16, 2022.
A ticket to the West Seattle Wine Walk gets you a glass and 12 tastes of wine with light snacks in shops at West Seattle Junction, beginning at Windermere, 4526 California Ave SW in Seattle. Bring age 21+ ID. Also held in September.
Viking Fest celebrates Scandinavian heritage in Poulsbo with a carnival, food & craft vendors, and music on car-free streets surrounding Liberty Bay Waterfront Park, 18809 Anderson Pkwy in Poulsbo. The big parade is Sat. at 2 p.m., and the brewfest is Sunday at Centennial Park, 19250 7th Ave NE.
Destination Delridge is a $78 charity dinner with food, drinks, entertainment, music, art, and interactive games at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW in Seattle.
World Doll Day Show and Sale promises antique, vintage, and modern, dolls plus bears plus toys at DoubleTree Suites Southcenter, 16500 Southcenter Pkwy in Tukwila.
Hear six musicians perform, and shop from food trucks and vendors at Awakening Music Festival at ShoWare Center, 625 W James St. in Kent. Children age 10 and younger are free. Doors open at 3 p.m.
Sample beer & cider from local breweries, eat from food trucks, and hear six bands at Bothell Block Party and BrewFest for age 21+ in the parking lot at Bothell Furniture, 18811 Bothell Way NE in Bothell.
“Come visit and interact with more than 20 service vehicles and personnel” (fire engine, aid car, state patrol car, backhoe, etc.) during Rig-A-Palooza. Also visit the bouncy houses and food trucks at Sammamish Commons Plaza, 801 228th Ave. SE in Sammamish. Free.
See the blue poppy meadow in bloom, shop from 10 artists, visit two food trucks, and hear live music during Blue Poppy Day, when admission is free at Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, 2525 S 336th St. in Federal Way.
Bring your leashed dog to Petpalooza for a morning fun run, pet contests, pony rides, flying dogs, racing pigs, roving reptiles, and vendors at Game Farm Park, 3030 R St. SE in Auburn.
Spring Fairy Magic Market is an indoor/outdoor street fair with artists, craft vendors, dancers, magicians, musicians, and costumed fairies & elves at Crescent Moon Gifts, 6901 6th Ave. in Tacoma. Free.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord opens its gates to the public to celebrate Armed Forces Day, with historical reenactments, military vehicles, music, entertainers, food vendors, a beer garden, and carnival rides at Heritage Hill Airpark, McChord Air Force Base. Take exit 125 off I-5. Bring ID if age 16+. Prohibited items. Free admission.
Immerse yourself in native culture, including costume, dance, food, and crafts at the Skagit Valley College Powwow at Skagit Valley College, 2405 E College Way in Mount Vernon. Grand entry at both 1 & 7 p.m. Free.
Watch juried selections at Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival at SIFF Cinema Egyptian (Saturday) and SIFF Cinema Uptown (Sunday). Programming is the same both days, except Sat. has a filmmaker Q & A, and Sun. has a youth showcase.
The Classic Workboat Show features tours of classic and modern working boats (tugboats, fishing boats, research vessels, and ex-military vessels), engine demonstrations, mini carnival, and a floating beer garden at Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave. N in Seattle. Free.
Kick off street-fair season at the laid-back University District StreetFair, with arts & crafts booths on University Way NE (from NE 41st to NE 50th). The entertainment includes music, dance, and comedy, plus a beer garden near 41st St., food vendors on 42nd St., kids’ zone near Chipotle, food trucks on 43rd St., Saturday farmers market at 50th St. Free.
Shop from 60 sellers of minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, and mineral art at the Seattle Mineral Market in Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park, 6310 NE 74th St. in Seattle. Free.
Tacoma Guitar & Drum Festival features live performances, guitar workshops, and 120 vendors in a “festival atmosphere” at the Tacoma Dome. Children age 12 and younger are free.
Children can watch and even operate heavy construction equipment on Dozer Day, which also has police cars and fire engines on display at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. Buy tickets online.
Seattle Festival Orchestra performs works by Sibelius, Rossini, Saint-Saens, and the Ukrainian composer Skoryk in its spring program From First to Last at Town Hall Seattle, 1119 8th Ave. in Seattle.
A ticket to Seattle Bike-n-Brews gets you a fairly flat 38-mile ride from Georgetown to Tukwila, beer at the midpoint, and beer and lunch at the finish line. The starting point is Two Beers Brewing Co., 4700 Ohio Ave. S in Seattle.
Marymoor Park Concerts include big-name acts in a green setting. Buy a reserved seat, or for lawn tickets bring a low-back chair or a blanket up to 5 feet in size. Prohibited items. Located at Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE in Redmond.
Seattle Night Market promises “the ultimate night of eating, drinking, and shopping” plus evening wrestling performances by Lucha Libre Volcanica at Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park, 6310 NE 74th St. in Seattle. Must be age 21+.
Enjoy shrimp, live music, belt-sander races, arts & crafts, and a beer garden at ShrimpFest at Yelvik General Store, 251 Hjelvicks Road in Brinnon, on Hood Canal.
Celebrate traditional arts by attending some of the hundreds of dance and musical performances, workshops, and panels from around the world held at Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center. Donation.
Join a Memorial Day Boat Party for age 21+ to enjoy DJ music (top 40, hip hop and old school), a dance floor, a pricey bar, and views aboard The Spirit of 76, departing from Lake Union Park, 1611 Fairview Ave. E in Seattle.
Ride atop a mini steam train over a bridge and through a tunnel, and then visit the gift shop at Great Northern & Cascade Railway, 101 5th St. N in pretty Skykomish. Free. [Another option is Kitsap Live Steamers in Port Orchard.]
Take a $39 one-hour narrated Harbor Cruise of Elliott Bay that includes Seattle’s waterfront and its bustling port, departing from Pier 55, 1101 Alaskan Way in Seattle. Or spend $10 roundtrip to Bainbridge or Bremerton on a Washington State Ferry.
Enjoy three cocktails as a local guide shares tales of Seattle’s notorious past and you visit historic buildings on the Seattle Cocktail Tour, which begins at the Smith Tower, 506 2nd Ave. in Seattle for age 21+. Closed Monday.
Enjoy a dozen tastes of chocolate at eight locations (including an actual chocolate factory) on the delicious $76 Seattle Chocolate Tour. Your easily accessible walk begins at Cupcake Royale, 106 Pine St. in Seattle.
The highly rated $63 Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market introduces you to artisan vendors and includes a dozen delicious treats. Your two-hour walk begins at Simply Seattle, 1600 1st Ave. in Seattle.
When Emma invites another girl to The Prom, the town erupts in chaos. Show-stopping dance numbers keep the mood joyful, and eventually the show ends on an upbeat note, at The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Ave. in Seattle.
Unknown director Steven Spielberg invades a sleepy fishing island off Cape Cod and faces hostile locals, storms, and a malfunctioning mechanical shark while filming his blockbuster movie Jaws in the musical Bruce at Seattle Repertory Theatre, 155 Mercer St. in Seattle.
Hear live music, play free games, shop from food trucks, and visit the kids’ zone (Westlake only) at Parties in the Parks until 3 p.m. Reopens at 4 p.m. with adult beverages for sale, but no kids’ zone.
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May 2022
