Summertime and the livin's easy, and this weekend is no exception. Seattle is offering plenty of ways to get cultured on the cheap, so you can sound impressive next Monday when someone asks you what you did over the weekend. From offerings spanning the literary (Free Comic Book Day at Phoenix Comics and Games Past Event Like List ) to large festivals (Alki Beach Pride Past Event Like List ), and everything in between, you're sure to find something that strikes your fancy.

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FRIDAY

FILM

August Movie Nights at Freeway Park
Unless you were one of those lucky kids whose parents had a TV screen in their minivan back in the day, not many folks are able to say they've seen a movie while on the freeway. To add this distinction to your personal list of weird flexes (but ok), head to Freeway Park's Seneca Plaza on Friday evenings in August to watch films on the big screen in the heart of the city. Early birds can enter a raffle, snag some popcorn, and see what surprises the hosts have in store. This week brings David Byrne’s concert film American Utopia.
Freeway Park (free) Past Event Like List

FOOD & DRINK

Pier 62 Beats & Eats Past Event Like List
Propel your summer weekends on the pier by grooving to a live DJ set from Lace Cadence while you graze from food trucks. 
Pier 62, Downtown (free)

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

PERFORMANCE

GreenStage's Shakespeare in the Park
Past Event Like List Laying out a spread of one's favorite snacks and swatting away gnats as players belt familiar verses of iambic pentameter across a park lawn never gets old. GreenStage's free Shakespeare in the Park series returns this year with productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest. 
Various locations (free)

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

FESTIVALS

Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair
Past Event Like List Over 40 galleries are coming together for the second iteration of the Seattle Deconstructed Art Fair, which will take place across the city all month long. You can filter your experience by venue, or you can check out SDAA-hosted events, like a poetry reading at Wa Na Wari (Sat Aug 14) or an opening reception for Beyond Pork at Food Art Collection (Sun Aug 15).
Various locations (free)

Seattle Arab Festival
Past Event Like List Learn about different cultures and heritages from 22 countries within the Arab world through performances, food demos, storytelling, and more.
Virtual (free)

VISUAL ART

Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem
Past Event Like List Nearly 80 artworks created by Black artists between the 1920s and the present, from Barkley Hendricks to Lorna Simpson to Alma Thomas, are on display courtesy of the American Federation of Arts and the Studio Museum in Harlem. 
Frye Art Museum, First Hill (free; closing)

SATURDAY

MUSIC

Swing-Jazz Trio Outdoor Concert
Past Event Like List Kevin "Muscle Mouth" Buster, Mira Dasu, and Lamar Lofton will be laying down some swingin’ jazz tunes from atop the Lowdown Ballroom's garage terrace. BYO lawn chair or blanket and settle in as their smooth notes waft through the air.
Lowdown Ballroom (free)

VISUAL ART

Fujifilm Family Instax Day Past Event Like List
Capture snapshots of the Seattle skyline and park scenery with complimentary loaner Instax cameras provided by Glazer's Camera and Fujifilm. Experiment with the latest Fujifilm products and take home some pocket-sized prints to commemorate this summer.
Gas Works Park (free)

SHAPESHIFTERS: a film program for Black Refractions
Past Event Like List The final weekend of Black Refractions Past Event Like List brings a special program of videos and short films curated by the Black Cinema Collective, featuring work by artists featured in the exhibit and those beyond. 
Frye Art Museum, First Hill (free)

ACTIVISM & SOCIAL JUSTICE

Clean Cars 2030 Rally Past Event Like List
If you recall Governor Inslee's climate-focused presidential campaign, he promised that the country's roads would see 100% clean cars by 2030. Join a rally to push that goal forward, and enjoy a bit of music, food, and an energy-efficient car show in the process.

BOOKS

Free Comic Book Day at Phoenix Comics and Games Past Event Like List
The comics emporium will have stacks of free comics up for grabs, as well as a backstock sale, discounts dependent on how you roll a pair of dice, and signings by the creator of new Ms. Marvel G Willow Wilson and Amulet creator Kazu Kibuishi.
Phoenix Comics and Games, Capitol Hill (free)

Free Comic Book Day at the Shoreline Library! Past Event Like List
Snag free comics from Marvel, DC, Image, Tokyopop, Dark Horse, and more while supplies last!
Shoreline Library (free)

Secret Seattle Exhibition and Book Signing Past Event Like List
Cartoonist Susanna Ryan (of Seattle Walk Report fame) shares her top tips for exploring Seattle’s historical treasures and outdoor wonders in illustrated form during this book signing and exhibition of original work.
Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery, Georgetown (free)

FILM

Black Summer Camp Past Event Like List
Join Sankofa Film Society every Saturday for outdoor movies centering the Black American experience, including this week's screening of Hollywood Shuffle. “Some of these films are campy, some of these films are silly, some of these films pack a punch, but all of these films are about the Black experience,” writes Sankofa co-founder Karen Toering. “We just picked the films we love. The films we know that afterwards—or even during—folks will want to talk about.” They have a popcorn machine, but viewers are welcome to bring takeout from nearby restaurants.
El Centro de la Raza, Beacon Hill (free)

NIGHTLIFE

#FreeBritney - A Dance Party Honoring The Queen of Pop & Similar Pop Stars
Past Event Like List Celebrate pop princess Britney Spears as she works to free herself from her toxic conservatorship with DJ PrettyPlease and some of Seattle's finest drag queens Mikey Xi, Varian Oatman, and Tiana Monet.
Neumos, Capitol Hill ($5)

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

FESTIVALS

Alki Beach Pride
Past Event Like List Most Pride events take place in June, but there’s one community celebration that’s found its own place later in the summer, and it happens to be the only Pride event in Washington that takes place on a beach. Now in its eighth year, Alki Beach Pride offers plenty of sandy waterfronts to pitch a canopy or beach umbrella. There are fire pits, contests and prizes, a car parade and skate/bike/board "Roll OUT," and partnerships with over 23 bars and restaurants all along Alki Avenue and into White Center. For those looking for a Pride free of corporate sponsorship and (mostly) without cops, that's just how Alki's done it for over eight years. MARK VAN STREEFKERK
Various locations, West Seattle

PERFORMANCE

Dacha Theatre's Star Play
Past Event Like List Billed as a "wondrous, galaxy-sized adventure for all ages," the Dacha original Star Play is a storybook romp through the night sky that follows Pleione, the seventh brightest Pleiades sister, as she charts a course through the Milky Way to save the red giant Betelgeuse from going supernova.
Various locations (pay what you can)

SUNDAY

MUSIC

Refill Live: Block Party & Live Stream
Past Event Like List A slew of Seattle musicians will perform at this block party and benefit concert for Vera Project’s new Equip the Kids program, which aims to provide a "launching board into creative industries" for underserved youth in King County. The stacked lineup includes hometown heroes like Blimes and Gab, Stas THEE Boss, Enumclaw, Archie, and Brujita XO, plus other as-yet-unannounced guests. 
9th and Thomas, South Lake Union (free)

Vera on Yr Block Past Event Like List
The Vera Project is teaming up with Friends of Waterfront Seattle for an eight-week music series centering up-and-coming artists from the PNW—this week features J.F. Sebastian, Tuff Talk, and honeypot—plus pop-up programs like screenprinting, civic engagement opportunities, and more.
Pier 62, Downtown (free)

Seattle Center Festál presents Music at the Mural
Past Event Like List Shake your booty or chill out on the lawn at this free outdoor concert series presented by Seattle Center Festál. The lineup will take you around the globe, with dynamic musicians and DJs like Sistas Rock the Arts, Two Story Zori, and Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano. This week, groove to beats by La Cantina, Eduardo Mendonça & Show Brazil.
Mural Amphitheatre, Lower Queen Anne (free)