2024 is a banner year for big events in Seattle. It’s the 40th anniversary of ZooTunes at Woodland Park Zoo, the 50th anniversaries of Seattle Pride Month, the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Sounders, and the 75th anniversary of the SeaFair Festival. So break out your calendars, put on your party hats, and start reviewing some of these standout Seattle events, concerts, and festivals.
PAX West 2024
August 30 – September 2
📸: PAX West
📆 Labor Day Weekend 2024: Friday, August 30th – Monday, September 2nd
📍 Seattle Convention Center: 900 Pine St + 705 Pike St, Seattle
👀 Sign up for PAX’s newsletter for breaking event news
The countdown to PAX West 2024 is on. 🎮
The annual gaming festival returns to Seattle for the Labor Day weekend, from August 30th to September 2nd, 2024. Expect this one to be massive—the con is turning 20! Born from the humble origins of the Penny Arcade Expo, PAX came to life in 2004 as a gaming industry-specific show. It’s a beast that’s grown as large as any video game boss. Catering to all sorts of gamers, from consoles to tabletop to VR, the festival includes numerous components such as free play, tournaments, a “Bring Your Own Computer” (BYOC) party, panels, an exhibit hall with merch—and, famously, the Omegathon, a mega tournament featuring games of all platforms and genres.
Last year, PAX brought Nintendo Live to Seattle, the first time the Nintendo-focused convention was held outside of Japan. For this double-decade birthday party, expect surprises and celebrations. And speaking of celebrations, PAX has had more than its share during its history, including many wedding proposals—like the Halo one or this somehow cute and cringe Pokemon proposal. This year, expect an anniversary as epic as any RPG game. 2024 PAX badges started being on sale this May. Badges will get you access to almost all content. Unlike many other nerdy cons, there are no added fees for panels, autograph sessions, demos, and workshops.
Sign up for PAX’s newsletter for updates.
How much are PAX West 2024 badges?
🎫 4-Day Badge: $250
🎫 Friday Badge: $66
🎫 Saturday Badge: $66
🎫 Sunday Badge: $66
🎫 Monday Badge: $66
✔ Purchase badges here
IMPORTANT DATES:
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Washington State Fair 2024
August 30 – September 22
📸: Foreigner | Coming to the Washington State Fair 2024
📆 Friday, August 30th – Sunday, September 22nd
“Doing the Puyallup” is an annual tradition for many Washingtonians. Whether you go for the scones, elephant ears, or rides like the Xtreme Scream, the fair is full of PNW flavor. Not only does it let us ride a culinary roller coaster with all of its good food, but there are also all the attractions, from the fair’s well-known concert series to a new “udderly amazing” birthing exhibit. For 2024, the Washington State Fair returns from August 30th to September 22nd at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.
Though the fair is still far away, its Umpqua Bank Concert Series just announced two live performances. First, catch Foreigner for the band’s farewell tour, then hear country singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett. Tickets for those concerts are on sale now. In addition to the paid concert series, the fair has numerous stages featuring free entertainment—everything from comedy to juggling, plus local bands. And don’t forget the fair’s hobby hall, fair farm, and rodeo. As always, there’s a fireworks show each night at 10 pm.
Tickets are cheaper if you buy in advance online. Each year, select days are free to enter (usually with a donation of nonperishable food for the food bank or school supplies). There are also Military Mondays and a Free Kids Weekend. For those who love rides, grab the Xfinity Dizzy Pass for unlimited rides.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Bumbershoot 2024 @ Seattle Center
August 31 – September 1
📸: Bumbershoot
📅 Saturday, August 31st – Sunday, September 1st
📍 Seattle Center: 305 Harrison St, Seattle
🎟 $70–$350
👀 Tickets available here
🫠🤌🏻💗 NEW! Bumbershoot releases its 2024 music lineup
The Full 2024 Bumbershoot Music Lineup
Acid Tongue, All Them Witches, Aly & AJ, Angélica Garcia, Automatic, BADBADNOTGOOD, Balthvs, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Carl Cox, Corridor, Courtney Barnett, Cunningham / Bird, Cypress Hill, Dean Johnson, Disq, Emi Pop, Flesh Produce, Freddie Gibbs, George Clanton, Gold Chisme, Grynch, Helado Negro, Hurray for the Riff Raff, I Dont Know How But They Found Me, James Blake, k.flay, Kassa Overall, Kim Gordon, King Buffalo, Kultur Shock, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Ladytron, Lauren Mayberry, Lee Fields, Lemon Boy, Linda from Work, Lol Tolhurst x Budgie, Marc Rebillet, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Mercury Rev, Moor Mother, NAVVI, Neal Francis, Oh, Rose, Parisalexa, Pavement, Pink Siifu, Pom Pom Squad, Psymon Spine, Pure Bathing Culture, R E P O S A D O, Rocket, Spoon Benders, Squirrel Flower, St Paul and the Broken Bones, Stephanie Anne Johnson, Sux, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, TEKE::TEKE, The Divorce, The Groovy Nobody, The Polyphonic Spree, Thee Sacred Souls, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Tres Leches, Warren Dunes.
Seattle summer feels like Seattle summer again now that Bumbershoot is back in action. After a three-year hiatus, the Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival took over Seattle Center with force for its 50th anniversary last year, attracting an estimated 40,000 people to the grounds to revel in music, art, fashion, and wrestling.
Over Labor Day weekend this year, Bumbershoot will again sprawl across the many lawns of Seattle Center from Saturday, August 31st, to Sunday, September 1st. Organizers New Rising Sun and Third Stone have dropped the festival’s music and arts lineups—and they’re pretty stacked.
The 2024 Bumbershoot arts experience, which happens throughout the Seattle Center during Bumbershoot weekend, is split up into many “districts.” A few of them:
- A Fashion District with catwalks and marketplaces
- Wrestling and skateboard competitions located in a Recess District
- A large-scale contemporary Pacific Northwest-focused art show courtesy of Out of Sight at the Fisher Pavilion
- A DIY music photography show called If You Know You Know at ANT Gallery
- A popular Cat Circus (IYKYK)
- A new Comedy Dome curated by Dan Hurwitz
New this year is an Animation District held at Cornish Playhouse, where Bumbershoot will host an international competition to see who can make the best Bigfoot deepfake. (Full details here.)
Pacific Science Center will house a Century 21 District, replete with a large-scale sculpture show in the main courtyard and an exhibition—done in partnership with NASA—of James Webb Space Telescope images in the IMAX theater, shown alongside live vocalists singing gospel, opera, and Gregorian chants. Mosey over to SIFF to check out Exceptionally Underrated, a Bumbershoot TV competition where local musicians will screen their original music videos for a $5000 prize. And keep your eyes peeled for “free-range” artists doing contemporary performance art or Lion Dances around the festival grounds.
Tickets are available now. Prices will increase on June 21st.
🎟 Saturday GA (Tier 2): $70
🎟 Sunday GA (Tier 2): $70
🎟 2-Day General Admission: $125
🎟 Deluxe GA Weekend Pass (21+): $350
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Afropunk Seattle
September 7
📸: Afropunk | KEXP
📆 Saturday, September 7th
🕓 2 – 8:30 pm
🎟 $35
👨👨👧👦 All ages
📍 Pier 62, Seattle
For an alternative Black kid, attending Afropunk is akin to a pilgrimage to the holy land—a journey that takes them to a place where their choices in fashion, art, and music no longer make them stick out, where the diaspora is an inclusive space, and where they can embrace their identity.
Started in Brooklyn in 2005, Afropunk has expanded globally to include Atlanta, Paris, London, Salvador, Dakar, and Johannesburg. The festival has become a movement focused on Black herstory, activism, and culture. (And now, Afropunk is reimaging a whole new world with Blktopia, a space where every member of the Black diaspora can flourish.) For those who have never had the opportunity to experience an alt-Black homeland, thanks to a partnership between Afropunk, Seattle’s KEXP, and Friends of Waterfront Park, there’s now a space and place at Afropunk Seattle, an all-ages event on Saturday, September 7th, at Pier 62’s Waterfront Park.
Hosted by KEXP DJ Eva Walker, who is also frontperson of rock band The Black Tones, the day will feature community organizations and local food trucks, plus a beer garden for those who are 21 or older. And, of course, it’s got a sick line-up.
🤘🏿 Headlining is jazz rocker Cautious Clay
🤘🏿 Openers include the gunk pop trio the Black Ends
🤘🏿 Plus three different DJS: the founder of Seattle Afrobeats Fest DJ BLAST, KEXP DJ Lace Cadence, and DJ Faridaguyzzz, who will surely spin some Amapiano bangers.
It’s time to bring the goths, punks, emos, and grungers together to unleash the ultimate alternative vibe at Afropunk Seattle.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Fremont Oktoberfest
September 20 – 22
📸: Fremont Oktoberfest
📆 Friday, September 20th – Sunday, September 22nd
🕓 Friday: 5 pm – 11 pm
🕓 Saturday: 12 pm – 11 pm
🕓 Sunday: 12 pm – 5 pm
🎟 Tickets start at $15
📍 Fremont, Seattle
There’s a slight chill in the air, which means a big thing is coming to the “Center of the Universe”—the Fremont Oktoberfest. For over 20 years during late September, a portion of Fremont transforms into a tiny piece of Bavaria to celebrate the high German holiday of Oktoberfest.
Billed as Seattle’s largest beer festival, over 30 breweries will be onsite to serve up over 100 of their best and tastiest craft lagers, ales, IPAs, stouts, and more on tap. And for those who love commemorative gifts, both general admission and premium admission will receive a 5-ounce commemorative mug. A general admission ticket gets you five tasting tokens (if you get premium, up to ten). You exchange those tokens like money for five fill-ups of your mini mug. If that’s not enough, you can purchase full-liter steins or boots for $25 (with $15 refills).
In addition to beer, there will be lots of programming for your buzzed pleasure: a Stein Hoisting competition, where drinkers are challenged to hold a heavy stein for as long as possible; a Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest, which is exactly what it sounds like; and Dogtoberfest on Sunday where fest attendees can pick up swag for their doggos. DJs and food, like German pretzels and Ziegler’s bratwurst, will also be at the Tasting Garden. Please don lederhosen if you so please! It goes without saying, please drink responsibly.
Friday, September 20th
DJ Meglados – 5-7 pm
Stein Hoisting – 7-8 pm
DJ ASIA – 8 – 10:30 pm
Saturday, September 21st
DJ Jerry Wang – 12 – 3 pm
Stein Hoisting – 3 – 4 pm
DJ Meglados – 4 – 7 pm
DJ Baby Van Beezly – 7 – 10:30 pm
Sunday, September 22nd
Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving – 1 – 2 pm
DJ Baby Van Beezly – 2 – 4 pm
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Local Sightings Film Festival
September 20 – 29
📸: Local Sightings Film Festival
📆 Friday, September 20th – Sunday, September 29th
🎟 Passes start at $60
📍 Online and at Northwest Film Forum: 1515 12th Ave, Seattle
Though many movies are set in the area, and The Ticket has listed some of them right here—not all Seattle-set movies are shot or made by locals. Northwest Film Forum has held the Local Sightings Film Festival for 27 years, offering those looking for films an opportunity to experience shorts, features, workshops, and panels focusing on regional filmmakers.
Watch films in person or at home. Purchase individual tickets or passes. Or join in for the Opening Night Party with a “Pun-Off” hosted by the director of the documentary Underneath It All, a flick about how a weekly Seattle pun-off became so popular it spread around the globe.
Check out the full festival lineup here, but don’t miss seeing these gems:
- Ghost of Recent Past, a dark comedy by Portland-based Edgar Garcia Chavez, in which newlyweds move into a haunted house. (Sunday, September 22nd, @ 7 pm)
- In #TalithaKoum, Indigenous filmmaker Misty Shipman dives into her experiences with radical religious communities by examining one mother’s search for a miracle. (Sunday, September 29th, @ 7 pm)
- Starring an all-canine cast, Block Dog examines the lives of tree restoration workers in BC through the eyes of their four-legged friends. (Saturday, September 28th, @ 7:30 pm)
- Finding Groovopolis takes an interesting approach to looking at how mental health impacts lives as filmmaker Wil Kristin works on his deceased father’s unmade screenplay. (Sunday, September 29th, @ 7:30 pm)
- Closing out the final Saturday of Local Sightings is Seattle of the Future?, a trio of films that investigate the changing landscape of a city. Join Seattle artists, activists, and space-makers as they question how we keep community spaces as the city vanishes. (Saturday, September 28th, @ 7 pm)
Festival passes are available at a sliding scale, and discounted tickets are available for students, children, seniors, and Northwest Film Forum members. Stay tuned for announcements on this year’s workshops and panels.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
R-Day
September 21
📸: Rainier Day
📆 Saturday, September 21st
🕓 4 – 10 pm
🎟 Free
📍 Georgetown: Airport Way S Seattle
R-Day is a holy day for Rainier beer lovers. The refreshingly light Seattle-famous lager has been keeping our green city pleasantly buzzed since 1878, and it’s the preferred cheap beer amongst Seattleites—or at least among my friends.
Originally brewed at the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company in Georgetown, the past hundred and forty-odd years have taken the beloved Rainier Beer production out of the city thanks to Pabst’s acquisition of the brand in the late ‘90s. Around 20 years ago, the iconic “R” that stood on top of the Old Rainier Brewery in SoDo was taken and put in the Museum of History and Industry. But in 2013, a new “R” was resurrected and placed again on top of the old SoDo brewery. Rainier celebrates that moment yearly with R-Day on the streets outside its original brewing spot in Georgetown.
The free event for anyone over the age of 21 has everything a Rainier Beer fanatic could ever dream of—a Rainier fountain, Wild Rainiers, an outdoor “R-Cade,” Rainier paper crowns, limited edition merch, silly photo cutouts, food trucks, and, of course, Rainier beer and Rainier gin cocktails. You can crack a cold one and check out R-Day’s stacked music line-up: psych rockers Allah Las, ’70s-inspired rock band Sheer Mag, local punk band Monsterwatch, and DJ Prometheus Brown of the Blue Scholars.
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Luminata
September 21
📸: Luminata
📆 Saturday, September 21st
🕓 Lantern shop opens @ 5:30 pm | Procession begins at 7:30 pm
🎟 Free
📍 Green Lake, Seattle
Would you believe it? Fall equinox is almost here. For those who love sweaters, pumpkin spice, and crisp autumn walks, your season has come. And while the bicyclists in the buff harken the summer solstice, the fall is about brightening the night. Join the Fremont Arts Council on Saturday, September 21st, for Luminata at Green Lake.
This fall-time lantern festival and parade is free and kid-friendly. So grab a thermos of your favorite warm beverage and head to the Green Lake Community Center. The procession begins at 7:30 pm and will wind around the lake as light reflects off the night water. The walk ends with a display of illuminated art that will add magic to the moment.
Head to Power House Art Center (3940 Fremont Ave N, Seattle) from August 27th – September 19th for free lantern-making classes. No registration is required. Drop in during workshop hours, below:
Tuesdays & Thursdays: 6 – 9 pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 1 – 4 pm
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Freakout Festival 2024
November 7 – 10
📸: Freakout
📆 Thursday, November 7th — Sunday, November 10th
Every November, a suspicious amount of people with cool wolf haircuts and fat silver rings congregate in dark bars around Ballard to listen to acts from around the world as they shred guitars and scream into mics while gloopy blobs of color project onto them. It’s psychedelic. It’s fun. It’s so Seattle.
I’m talking about Freakout Festival, an annual music fest that celebrates all things punk, rock, and psychedelia. Started in 2013 by musician Guy Keltner, Freakout has nurtured a community of freaks who like to get down to all manners of music while Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show projects sick visuals onstage. There’s always local talent on display, with bands like Monsterwatch and Biblioteka regularly playing, but the festival also brings in national and international acts like No Age, Allah-Las, and Os Mutantes. There’s a strong connection with the Latin American punk underground, with bands like Margaritas Podridas, Carrion Kids, and Sgt. Papers gracing Freakout stages. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of many bands on the lineup—half the fun is discovering groups you might not have gotten the chance to see otherwise.
At every festival, dozens of bands usually spread across venues like Sunset Tavern, Tractor Tavern, The Salmon Bay Eagles, and Caffe Umbria in Ballard over three days. This year, Freakout Fest runs from November 7th to 10th, and while it will still focus on Ballard, they have plans to expand the debauchery into Fremont at Nectar Lounge and High Dive. The official lineup is still on the way, but expect their specific brand of local, Latin American, European, and national acts to play the fest.
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Miracle on 2nd @ Rob Roy Seattle
November – December
📸: Miracle on 2nd
Right on the corner of Battery Street and 2nd Avenue is a miracle—the Miracle on 2nd.
At least… for the last month or so of the year.
Every year, usually starting in November, the vaunted and swanky Rob Roy ceases to be a James Beard-nominated cocktail bar and turns into Miracle on 2nd, a Christmas cocktail bar. Replete with kitschy decor and red velvet out the wazoo, it’s the perfect setting for adults who want some Christmas cheer and a strong drink. The bartenders all don holiday-appropriate attire, and they’ve even been known to host ugly sweater parties and seminars on how to make tasty holiday drinks that don’t suck.
Initially started as a part of an NYC-based cocktail pop-up franchise nearly ten years before the pandemic, Belltown’s Miracle on 2nd is now a beloved Christmas tradition here in Seattle. While the exact menu changes from year to year, past Miracle on 2nd selections included:
🎅 The Christmaspolitan (vodka, elderflower, dry vermouth, spiced cranberry sauce, lime, rosemary, and absinthe mist)
🔔 The Jingle Balls Nog (cognac, sherry, almond milk, cream, egg, vanilla, and nutmeg)
🎁 The Christmas Cricket (blanco tequila, vanilla liqueur, minty amaro, coco pandan, cream, mole bitters, and dark chocolate)
Knock back a couple Christmaspolitans and you’ll be ho, ho, ho-ing on your merry way home!
🖊️ JAS KEIMIG
🎟️ Too late! You missed it!
All of the events below have already passed, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year.
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2024 @ Skagit County
April 1 – 30
📸: Zeiss4Me
📅 Monday, April 1st – Tuesday, April 30th
📍 Locations around Skagit County and Mount Vernon, Washington | Find a brochure here
🎟 Tickets start at $13 | Find tickets and farms here
There’s an unwritten list of attractions that define being an Emerald City local. It starts with the typical tourist haunts: the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Kerry Park, and the Fremont Troll. Then, it expands outside the city. Doing the Puyallup, Bavarian-ing it up in Leavenworth, making a trip to Mt. Rainier, and, of course, finding all the ways to soak up every second of spring and summer. To help with that last mission, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival has given locals 41 years of flower fascination.
When do the tulips bloom at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in April 2024? 🌷
That’s up to Mother Nature. Check the official “Bloom Status” tracker to find out when she will paint the landscape with a pallet of petals.
Thursday, April 11th: Welcome to the festival! We’re seeing “full bloom” out there!
Held for the entirety of April, the event is the right spot for a planned or impromptu photo op. It incorporates more than buds with breweries, restaurants, and farms—like this alpaca farm or the art in the pickle barn exhibit at Schuh Farms. The festival is free, but you’ll need a ticket to enter the gardens. Each of the four tulip fields offers distinct experiences, ranging from different tulip varieties, acreage, and even one that offers U-Pick.
Numerous events are available all month, including the tulip parade (April 6th), the annual photo contest, English tea at Willowbrook Manor, the Kiwanis salmon barbecue, and the downtown Mount Vernon street fair. Visitors can find a full schedule of events online.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Seattle International Film Festival 2024
May 9 – 19
📸: Adam Kubota
📆 In theaters: Thursday, May 9th – Sunday, May 19th
🖥️ Online: Monday, May 20th – Monday, May 27th
2024 is a big year for the Seattle International Film Festival. It’s turning the big 5-0.
For the past half-century, the film festival has brought Seattle audiences boundary-pushing feature-length movies, shorts, and secret screenings from around the world. (Full disclosure: I served on their Ibero-American jury last year.) SIFF’s history is mythical—they premiered Ridley Scott’s Alien back in 1979, served as Dutch director Paul Verhoeven’s American launching pad, and supported films from Seattle directors like Lynn Shelton and Megan Griffith. (For more history, read this feature from Gemma Wilson at the Seattle Times.)
Although SIFF had to shrink its length and screening schedule, last year’s festival saw a bump in in-person attendance, suggesting people are hungry for IRL movie experiences. Last year, I saw Ira Sach’s chaotically European bisexual drama Passages at SIFF Egyptian. I immediately hopped on a Lime bike to check out the fest’s Pacific Northwest shorts screening at SIFF Uptown. Both were just too good to miss!
Running in-person from May 9th to 19th this year, SIFF is going all out with their 50th birthday celebrations. The party kicks off on Thursday, May 9th, at the Paramount Theatre, where they’ll be screening Thelma, hosting a tribute for the film’s star June Squibb, and hosting a night of food, drinks, and dancing. Throughout the ten days of IRL SIFF, you can catch director Harmony Korine’s freaky, retina-burning AGGRO DR1FT at SIFF Cinema Downtown or check out experimental horror film I Saw the TV Glow and chat with director Jane Schoenbrun after. The fest’s festivities end with a screening of Greg Kwedar’s luminous drama about a group of imprisoned actors putting on a play, Sing Sing, before a closing night fête at MOHAI.
Get your planner and look carefully over SIFF’s schedule. There’s lots to see. We recommend:
🥂 Thelma + Opening Night
🌎 Janet Planet
📺 I Saw the TV Glow
🌳 Good One
♦️ Red Rooms
🦉 Porcelain War
🐅 Tiger Stripes
😣 Stress Positions
🖥️ So Unreal
📦 The Box Man
🔫 AGGRO DR1FT
🏆 A Conversation + Screening with Jean Smart
🛹 Dìdi (弟弟)
🎭 Sing Sing
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Northwest Folklife Festival 2024
May 24 – 27
📸: Raven Juarez and Eli Lara
📆 Friday, May 24th – Monday, May 27th
Northwest Folklife is a Seattle tradition that spans more than five decades. The 53rd iteration of the yearly event takes place May 24th to 27th at the Seattle Center. (And streaming online!) For those new around here, the festival celebrates the arts, cultures, and traditions of a global Pacific Northwest. It’s community-powered and free to attend—though donations keep this Seattle staple going.
Each year, the fest sets a specific cultural focus. In 2022, coming out of the pandemic, the theme was Metamorphosis. This year, it’s Meraki, a Greek word that means passion, joy, and the actualization of desire. Very fitting, considering the lockdown inspired many of us to seek out self-realization.
Daily Schedules
Click the links below to find comprehensive daily schedules for Northwest Folklife 2024.
📆 Friday, May 24th
📆 Saturday, May 25th*
📆 Sunday, May 26th*
📆 Monday, May 27th*
*On the schedule page, change the “Day” button from Friday to the day you’re interested in.
Expect a big festival, with performers on 20+ stages and hundreds of food and craft vendors showcasing local ingenuity. This year, enjoy “Threads of the People,” a new take on a fashion show, “Kuleana Corridor,” which highlights those working in food justice, and “The Maker’s Space,” where numerous hands-on demonstrations will happen. And see the 15-inch quilt blocks, which will make up the “Community Quilt” to honor the art of quilting.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
HONK! Fest West 2024
May 31 – June 2
📸: HONK! Fest West
📆 Friday, May 31st – Sunday, June 2nd
HONK! Festival West is all about bringing music to the streets during an annual multi-day fest in public spaces. This year, it’ll happen from May 31st to June 2nd, 2024.
Imagine the energy of a second-line procession from New Orleans brought to a neighborhood near you in the Seattle area. In 2024, HONK! goes down in Georgetown on May 31st, Columbia City on June 1st, and another TBD location on June 2nd. A worldwide festival, it started near Boston in 2006 when a group of renegade street bands got their groove on. Two years later, the event spread to Seattle. Now, it happens all over, including in our neighboring cities of Tacoma and Portland.
In addition to brass bands, find percussion groups, punk rock marching bands, and even Seattle-based cultural performances all jamming away. Previous banks that have played include Neon Brass Party, 8-Bit Brass Band, and Filthy FemCorps—Seattle’s all-women, nonbinary, and trans street band! Expect color and costumes from the performers and an all-ages crowd psyched for summer. Plus, the harmony of the horn section.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Seattle Pride Month 2024
June 1 – 30
📸: Seattle Pride
📆 All of June
If Seattle is one thing, it’s proud.
As one of the gayest cities in America, the LGBTQ+ community in Seattle is strong and shows out in support of one another. That’s what makes Pride such a special time in the city—everyone is always poised to clackity-clack their fans and down to revel. Pride is all month long in June, but Seattle traditionally celebrates being queer on the last week of the month. This year, June 29th to 30th is Seattle’s 50th Pride. Like every year, Seattle PrideFest will host a big two-day party.
🏳🌈 PrideFest Capitol Hill
📆 Saturday, June 29th
⏰ 12 pm – 8 pm
🎟 Free to attend
📍 Broadway, Roy to John + Barbara Bailey Way/AIDS Memorial Pathway, and Cal Anderson Park
ℹ️ Full schedule coming by Memorial Day
On Saturday, the festival takes over Capitol Hill, closing Broadway Ave between E John and E Roy for vendors, food trucks, and performances. I’ve always loved Bait Shop Pride, where some of my favorite drag entertainers lip-sync in the blazing sun on a stage just outside the bar. (The perfect moment for Jello shots.)
🏳🌈 PrideFest Seattle Center
📆 Sunday, June 30th
⏰ 12 pm – 8 pm
🎟 Free to attend
📍 Seattle Center
ℹ️ Full schedule coming by Memorial Day
Then, on Sunday, loads of hungover gay people lounge around the PrideFest Seattle Center ground, watching more musical and dance performances or cooling off in the big fountain. It also serves as a landing place for the Seattle Pride Parade, which takes place earlier that morning with hundreds of groups marching downtown and usually around 300,000 paradegoers cheering on the past, present, and future of the LGBT community.
More Pride 2024 events in Seattle
🏳️⚧️ Seattle Pride in the Park @ Volunteer Park
🏳🌈 Pride Day @ T-Mobile Park
🏳️⚧️ Seattle Pride Classic Hockey Tournament @ Seattle
🏳🌈 Kraken Community Iceplex
🏳️⚧️ Seattle Pride @ Pioneer Square Art Walk
🏳🌈 Jinkx Monsoon + Major Scales @ Seattle Rep
🏳️⚧️ Lesbian Nights @ Kamp Social House
🏳🌈 Queer/Pride Festival 2024
🏳️⚧️ Rhein Haus Pride 2024
🏳🌈 Kremwerk Pride 2024
🏳️⚧️ Somos Pride 2024
🏳🌈 The Cuff Complex Pride 2024
Though not officially apart of the Seattle Pride organization, Queer/Bar, Rhein Haus, The Cuff, and Wildrose all host big festivals and parties, typically just outside their respective bars on Pride weekend. You should also keep an eye on queer-focused clubs like Kremwerk and new-to-the-scene Massive for all your late-night dance music needs. And, of course, there will be tons of one-off Pride events hosted by clubs, bars, and restaurants across the city, not just on Pride weekend but throughout June. Clear your schedule!
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
ZooTunes Concert Series 2024 @ Woodland Park Zoo
June 16 – August 21
📸: Waxahatchee
📆 Sunday, June 16th – Wednesday, August 21st
🎟 Individual tickets available here
📍 Woodland Park Zoo: 5500 Phinney Ave N, Seattle
For 40 years, Woodland Park Zoo has welcomed fans to a summer concert series on the lawn. ZooTunes is more than a show. It’s a fundraiser for the zoo’s upkeep and its educational and conservation programs like Living Northwest, an effort that works to promote human-wildlife coexistence. (And also to protect endangered species like the Oregon silverspot butterfly. Bet you didn’t realize listening to a band could do all that.)
Shows take place in the zoo’s north meadow. General admission is first-come, first-served festival-style seating. Children two and under are free. ZooTunes often becomes a family affair due to the ability to pack your own food. However, local food trucks are on-site for those who want to splurge. And in true PNW style, all shows are held rain or shine—or heat or smoke!
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Seafair Festival 2024 @ Gas Works Park, Downtown Seattle, Lake Washington, and More Local Spots
June 29 – August 4
📸: Seafair Festival
📆 Saturday, June 29th – Sunday, August 4th
👀 Festival highlights include:
🏴☠️ Seafair Summer 4th (Thursday, July 4th)
🏴☠️ Torchlight Parade (Saturday, July 27th)
🏴☠️ Seattle Fleet Week (Monday, July 29th – Sunday, August 4th)
🏴☠️ Seafair Weekend Fest (Friday, August 2nd – Sunday, August 4th)
🎟 See the full calendar of events
The biggest summer festival in the area turns 75 this year! While the hydroplane races, Blue Angel demonstrations, and 4th of July fireworks show get the majority of attention, Seattle’s Seafair Festival includes over 40 events that bring together an estimated more than two million people each year.
The Seafair Festival was first organized by a group of businessmen in 1950. Their aim was to showcase Seattle as the “boating capital of the world” and attract tourists. The inaugural festival featured a unique ritual that still thrives today—members of the Washington State Press Club dressed as pirates. These pirates would land and ignite a decommissioned ship with fireworks, a spectacle that marked the beginning of a tradition.
The Seafair Festival will run from June 29th to August 4th this year. A full calendar of events is online, but mark your calendars for these favorites:
🇺🇸 Seafair 4th Of July @ Gas Works and South Lake Union Parks
📆 Thursday, July 4th
⏰ 3 pm – 11 pm
📍 Gas Works Park: 2101 N Northlake Way, Seattle
📍 South Lake Union Park: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle
📍 Lake Union
DJs, food trucks, and beer gardens will fill Gas Works Park and South Lake Union Park, along with those looking for spectacular views of the choreographed light show.
🏴☠️ Pirates Landing @ Alki Beach Park
📅 Saturday, July 6th
⏰ 1 pm
📍 Alki Beach Park: 2665 Alki Ave SW, Seattle
Pirates will raid the beach to steal the key to the city. Who will stop them?? Show up early for the fun and stay around to score some booty.
🔥 Torchlight Parade @ Downtown Seattle
📅 Saturday, July 27th
⏰ 3 pm – 6 pm
📍 4th Ave
Seafair is home to numerous community festivals, but the Torchlight Parade is where our city’s cultural diversity culminates. Drill teams, dragon dancers, and marching bands will join Seafair Royalty and the Grand Marshals for the procession. Ticket-reserved seating is available.
🛩️ Seafair Weekend @ Genesee Park and Lake Washington
📆 Friday, August 2nd — Sunday, August 4th
⏰ 9 am – 5 pm
📍 Genesee Park: 4316 S Genesee St, Seattle
📍 Lake Washington
An airshow, hydroplane races, and the largest boating party (called a “log boom”) are just a fraction of the festivities. Live music, a car show, family-friendly activities, and, of course, food are also on the agenda. 🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
@theticketsea Ahoy sailors and Seattleites, it’s Fleet Week ⚓️ A part of Seafair (@seafairfestival), the Seattle Fleet Week Boeing Maritime Celebration has been held at the waterfront since 1950. What is Fleet Week? It’s when US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard ships that have been deployed return to dock in major cities for one week. The sailors get a chance to enjoy the city, and they also offer us an opportunity to tour their fleet. Below is a list of some tour dates and times. See a full list by clicking our link in bio 🫡 ⚓️ PIER 46 ⚓️ 🚢 US Navy Ship Tours 🚢 August 3rd, 4th, and 6th: Tours 9:30 am – 3 pm August 5th: Tours 9:30 am – 11 am 🚢 US Coast Guard Ship Tours 🚢 August 4th – 6th: Tours 9:30 am – 3 pm ⚓️ PIER 62 ⚓️ 🚢 US Coast Guard Ship Tours 🚢 August 1st: Tours in the afternoon ⚓️ PIER 66 ⚓️ 🚢 US Coast Guard Ship Tours 🚢 August 2nd: Tours 9:30 am – 3 pm August 3rd: Tours 9:30 am – 11 am Tours are free and open to the public. On Tuesday, Pier 62 was the place to be for the Parade of Ships and performances by US Navy Band Northwest! Ships featured were the USS Barry, HMCS Yellowknife, and HMCS Edmonton. 🖊️ @patheresa_ #theticket #fleetweekseattle #seafair ♬ original sound – TheTicketSeattle
Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire 2024 @ Sky Meadows Lane (Snohomish)
July 19 – August 18
📸: Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire
📆 July 19th–21st, 26th–28th, August 2nd–4th, 9th–11th, and 16th–18th
📍 18601 Sky Meadows Lane, Snohomish
Hear ye, hear ye! Prepare thy lance and don thy chainmail—the Renaissance Faire hath arrived in our midst.
The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire is back and celebrating its 14th season in all its 15th- and 16th-century glory. Throughout July and August, the town of Merriwick will be abuzz with as many faeries, fire eaters, and turkey legs as our hearts desire. Though organizers are still firming up details, revelers can expect a merchant market (filled with handcrafted splendors like leather goods, perfumes, jewelry, and the like), era-appropriate pubs for those who are 21+, tons of food as well as entertainment in the form of jousting, axe throwing, and comedy sets. Just like ye olden times!
This year, the faire has expanded from three weekends to five, upping your dose of Renaissance by 60%. Moreover, this edition’s themes are manifold and fun:
- Weekend 1: A Magical Midsummer – an enthusiastic beginning!
- Weekend 2: Pirates’ Plunder: A High Seas Adventure – a throwback to the golden age of piracy
- Weekend 3: Choose Your Alliance: Villain or Hero? – come dressed as your favorite hero or villain from comic books, anime, movies, sci-fi, etc.
- Weekend 4: Warriors of the Wild: Swords & Shields – an homage to Viking and Barbarian warriors
- Weekend 5: Mystical Realms: A Fantastical Finale – faeries, wizards, and gnomes will be afoot!
Your own take on Renaissance attire is encouraged, so roll through donning your best bustier and elf ears. You may spot Queen Elizabeth I herself!
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Downtown Summer Sounds 2024 @ Westlake Park and More Seattle Locations
July 5 – September 7
📸: UMI | Photo by Adam Kubota
📆 Friday, July 5th – Saturday, September 7th
🎟 Free to attend
📍 Venues include Westlake Park, City Hall Plaza, Occidental Square, Freeway Park, and more downtown Seattle venues
Last year, a few days after the fourth of July, Seattle sensation UMI drew a massive crowd to Westlake Park to kick off the Downtown Summer Sounds series. Attendees got to catch the R&B songstress, known to hold sound bath sessions and text fans daily affirmations, shortly after her first Coachella performance.
Organized and produced by the Downtown Seattle Association, the series brings free live music from local performers to numerous outdoor venues from July through September. In 2023, an estimated 17,000 people enjoyed the over 40 performances popping up in places like City Hall Plaza, Occidental Square, and Lake Union Park.
Here’s the 2024 lineup:
🎤 Thao @ Westlake Park on Friday, July 5th @ 5:30 pm
🎤 Parisalexa @ 2+U on Wednesday, July 10th @ 12 pm
🎤 Modern Biology @ Occidental Square on Thursday, July 11th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Shimmertraps @ Westlake Park on Friday, July 12th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Ural Thomas & The Pain @ Bell Street Park on Saturday, July 13th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Los Eclipses @ Westlake Park on Tuesday, July 16th @ 12 pm
🎤 Two Runner @ Occidental Square on Thursday, July 18th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Etran de L’Air @ Westlake Park on Friday, July 19th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Nite Wave @ Harbor Steps on Tuesday, July 23rd @ 6 pm
🎤 Kuinka @ Occidental Square on Thursday, July 25th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Grieves @ Westlake Park on Friday, July 26th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Mitchum Yacoub and the Brass Empire @ City Hall Plaza on Wednesday, July 31st @ 12 pm
🎤 Kara Jackson @ Occidental Square on Thursday, August 1st @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Irreversible Entanglements @ Westlake Park on Friday, August 2nd @ 12 pm
🎤 Daniel Villarreal @ Westlake Park on Saturday, August 3rd @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Shamarr Allen @ Rainier Square on Tuesday, August 6th @ 12 pm
🎤 King Youngblood @ 2+U on Wednesday, August 7th @ 12 pm
🎤 The Whags @ Union Square on Tuesday, August 13th @ 12 pm
🎤 Sparkle Shark Stringband @ Washington 1000 on Wednesday, August 14th @ 12 pm
🎤 Mala Suerte @ Occidental Square on Thursday, August 15th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Adrian Xavier & Ska Island @ Westlake Park on Friday, August 16th @ 12 pm
🎤 Drea & the Marylyns @ Freeway Park on Tuesday, August 20th @ 12 pm
🎤 All Star Opera @ 999 3rd on Wednesday, August 21st @ 12 pm
🎤 The Moondoggies @ Westlake Park on Friday, August 23rd @ 12 pm
🎤 Khu.eex @ Occidental Square on Thursday, August 29th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Parlor Greens @ City Hall Plaza on Tuesday, September 3rd @ 12 pm
🎤 Chimurenga Renaissance @ 2+U on Wednesday, September 4th @ 12 pm
🎤 Massive Monkees @ Occidental Square on Thursday, September 5th @ 4:30 pm
🎤 Linda From Work @ Westlake Park on Friday, September 6th @ 12 pm
🎤 Ryan Caraveo @ Bell Street Park on Saturday, September 7th @ 4:30 pm
🖊️ PATHERESA WELLS
Capitol Hill Block Party 2024
July 19 – 21
📸: CHBP
📆 Friday, July 19th – Sunday, July 21st
🎟 Presale passes available
🎶 UPDATE 3/5: Kaytranada, Remi Wolf, Still Woozy and more performing this summer
Nothing says summer in Seattle like the Capitol Hill Block Party (CHBP).
For one weekend every July, the three-day music festival takes over four blocks in the Pike/Pine Corridor on Capitol Hill. It brings some of the hottest names, locally and globally, to perform for crowds of sweaty, enthusiastic concertgoers. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve watched Charli XCX perform “Vroom” right next to the 79 on Pine, Yves Tumor slink around the outdoor Vera Stage, or raucous Tacoma band Enumclaw chuck CD cases at the crowd.
Capitol Hill Block Party 2024 Lineup 🎵
Kaytranada • Remi Wolf • Still Woozy • Cannons • Elderbrook • Chappell Roan • Girl Talk • Becky Hill • COBRAH • The Beaches • Mindchatter • Slow Pulp • Flyana Boss • Joey Valence & Brae • Vandelux • Show Me The Body • Tkay Maidza • BUNT. • Dreamer Isioma • Late Night Drive Home • Corook • Annie DiRusso • Vansire • Alice Longyu Gao • METTE • Frost Children • Maeta • Nourished by Time • Fiji Blue • Carol Ades • chokecherry • THEM • Akira Galaxy • Cherry Ferrari • LIVt • Princess Pulpit • Oblé Reed • TeZATalks • Juliette • King Sheim • Jaiden Grayson • The Rayes • Tinsley • Anna Thompson • Linda From Work • Aryana León • Jaywop • Instant Crush • Zookraught • Nobi and the Force • Seiichi • Lovely Colours • Balcony Bridge • mold mom • Dark Chisme • Camille • swamp wife • Fleetwood Snack • Terra Nobody • Jaymyloni • Power Strip • Blksknn • Jna • Warren Dunes • Saint Deon • FCON • Caspian Coberly • sister swimmer
CHBP’s roots go back to 1997 when Jen Gapay organized a free one-day event on the Hill with five bands, a couple of DJs, and a small stage on 10th and Union. In the 26 years since, the festival’s footprint has expanded to encompass several venues in the area, bringing in big-name talents like Lizzo and Diplo. And it’s certainly no longer free. However, CHBP is a good opportunity to see an eclectic mix of popular, upcoming national acts alongside Seattle musicians on big stages.
This year, the block party goes down from July 19th to 21st. CHBP typically has close to 10 stages to check out: a main stage near Broadway, the Vera Stage on 11th and Union, the entire Neumos complex, Cha Cha Lounge, Vermillion, Cafe Racer, Wild Rose, and activations in Chophouse Row. The block party is for all ages, but there are beer gardens and 21+ venues for those who want some distance from teeny-boppers stanning Dominic Fike. And, of course, there’ll be a food court to satisfy your dietary needs.
If you check out CHBP, I have two pieces of advice: wear sunscreen and stay hydrated. Thank me later!
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
Lowrider Block Party 2024 @ Nepantla Cultural Art Gallery
July 20
📸: Nepantla stickers
📆 Saturday, July 20th
⏰ 11 am – 8 pm
🎟 Free to attend
📍 17th Ave SW between Roxbury St + 100th St
👀 More info here
Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery was started in 2018 to provide a space focused on Chicana/o Latinx artwork. As the only art gallery in the Seattle area devoted to this artistic legacy, it’s become a staple since its opening in White Center, a diverse neighborhood sandwiched between the Duwamish River and Puget Sound. Also known as Rat City, this unincorporated part of King County lacks some of Seattle’s regulations and rules. It’s also become a Seattle hot spot for nightlife, food, and art.
In 2021, Nepantla owners Jake Prendez and Judy Avitia-Gonzalez brought the community the Lowrider Block Party, a now-annual event that celebrates lowrider art, music, and culture. For its 4th year, Nepantla will transform the streets with hydraulics, heritage, and harmony. It’s usually in August, although this year, Nepantla is hosting it on Saturday, July 20th.
Expect to grab coffee sweetened with piloncillo, listen to Mexican rap music, and eat yummy Peruvian Street food. Each year, the block party opens an accompanying art exhibit of the same name. Though speaking of exhibits, you can stop by Nepantla all year long and see art, where you can score a sweet luchador mask in the gift shop.
@theticketsea 🖼️ What happens when an art opening pairs with a social and cultural gathering? This past Saturday Nepantla Cultural Arts’ Lowrider Block Party gave us just that. Now in it’s third year, Block Party helps support local artists and vendors in White Center while allowing eventgoers to experience Mexican American culture, food, and music! #theticket #nepantlalowriderblockparty2023 #whitecenter ♬ original sound – TheTicketSeattle
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Bite of Seattle 2024 @ Seattle Center
July 19 – 21
📸: Bite of Seattle
📆 Friday, July 19th – Sunday, July 21st
⏰ Friday + Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm | Sunday: 10 am – 8 pm
🎟 Free to attend
📍 Seattle Center: 305 Harrison St, Seattle
Each year, Seattle-area foodies unite for a fest on the Seattle Center’s lawns. Now one of the oldest culinary events in Seattle, Bite of Seattle (also known as “The Bite”) dates back to 1982 when the owner of the local restaurant Barnaby’s came up with the idea. The event allows attendees to enjoy an assortment of cooking in one location. While munching, they can also visit the fest’s arts and crafts market to grab local handmade goods. Then, score a spot on the lawn for some live music.
In the over 40 years since its start, Bite of Seattle reports that it’s grown from an estimated 75,000 visitors to a high point of around 425,000. The family-friendly event, this year under new management by FoodieLand, is free to enter—and with over 250+ vendors, you might want to do a lap to see all the options before you get in line. According to Seattle Center, which partners with FoodieLand to put on the event, this year the fest will reintroduce sample-sized portions, cooking demos, and more:
“Moving forward, attendees can expect an expanded selection of vendors and the return of in-person cash and card payments—no app to download or digital-only platform. Further reintroductions include sample-sized portions at an affordable price range and cherished pre-pandemic traditions and activities: cooking demos by professional chefs, cook-off competitions, and The Alley’s experience—a featured festival activity where attendees can purchase a fixed sampler plate of multiple bites from various vendors for one flat fee.”
You can find a complete listing of vendors online, but if you want to get your tastebuds wet, here are a few I’ve got my eyes on 👀
🐔 Theary Cambodian Foods: Grab a Khmer beef screwer, chicken/beef meatballs, coconut chicken wings, or pretty much anything else they have.
🥧 Kaleenka Piroshky: These yummy stuffed pies are full of savory flavor.
🫕 Raclette Cheese House: Cheese + prosciutto + crossaint = enough said.
🍉 Sugar Mama Sugarcane: Fresh squeezed sugar cane juice, watermelon, pineapple, even hibiscus.
🌮 Birrieria Michi: Grab birria tacos, fries, quesadillas, and/or ramen.
🖊 PATHERESA WELLS
Seattle Art Fair 2024 @ Lumen Field
July 25 – 28
📸: Seattle Art Fair
📆 Thursday, July 25th – Sunday, July 28th
📍 Lumen Field Event Center: 800 Occidental Ave S, Seattle
Since its inception in 2015, the Seattle Art Fair has become a summer staple for the art-hungry.
For four days every year, several dozen galleries from around the world bring their best work for curious and discerning Seattleites to take in (and, if the price is right, consider buying). The 2024 edition of Seattle Art Fair returns to the Lumen Field Event Center from Thursday, July 25th to Sunday, July 28th, with Nato Thompson serving again as the art fair’s artistic director.
Like in art fairs past, you can expect to sip wine while getting lost in the maze of gallery booths featuring local, national, and international galleries. See Seattle scene stalwarts like Greg Kucera Gallery, Traver Gallery, and studio e alongside galleries like YUKI-SIS from Tokyo, Perve Galeria from Lisbon, Sobering Galerie from Paris, MookjiArt Contemporary from Seoul, and more.
Another unmissable aspect of Seattle Art Fair are the public projects that are specific to each fair. This year, Seattle-based artist Emily Counts’ unique, surreal ceramic sculptures will be installed in a display called Sea of Nectars. Perve Galeria’s Carlos Carbral Nunes will curate an exhibition celebrating the work of João Artur da Silva, a key founder of the ’40s-era Portuguese Surrealist Movement. And the Corning Museum of Glass will have a pop up of contemporary glass artists and projects from New Glass Review 43. Check out the full public project and event list on Seattle Art Fair’s website.
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
SAM Remix 2024 @ Seattle Art Museum
August 23
📸: SAM Remix
📆 Next date = August 23rd, 2024
🕓 8 pm – 12 am
📍 Olympic Sculpture Park: 2901 Western Ave, Seattle
🎟️ $50 (discounts for SAM members)
👀 Purchase tickets here
Ever wanted to gossip under an Alexander Calder mobile? Take a dramatic turn around the Porcelain room? Swirl spirits in front of a Christ child? Smooch surreptitiously underneath Jaume Plensa’s disconcerting Echo?
@theticketsea No party like an art party 🎨 Thanks for having us at SAM Remix last night, @seattleartmuseum !! #samremix #thingstodoinseattle #seattleartmuseum ♬ I Think I Like When It Rains – WILLIS
Seattle Art Museum’s SAM Remix series is your best bet to engage with the museum’s extensive art collection after dark. Once every quarter, SAM opens its doors at either its downtown location or Olympic Sculpture Park for an evening of music, art, dancing, and partying with whatever besties you bring in tow. SAM started the party back in 2008 to invite local artists and musicians to collaborate on a one-evening-only nighttime event in what they call their “love letter to Seattle.” The night often incorporates the themes and images found in SAM’s temporary and permanent exhibitions, like at the March 2024 Remix when Maiden Voyage curated a high-fidelity listening experience based on works in American Art: The Stories We Carry. We love a bespoke evening of merriment!
A tip—buy your tickets AS SOON AS THEY DROP. SAM Remix usually sells out pretty quickly, so tickets are a hot commodity. While museums are places for all-ages fun, this event in particular is 21+ so be sure to hire a babysitter. Also remember: no touching the art and be respectful of those around you. Now remix away!
🖊 JAS KEIMIG
