Editor's note: Venue opening times may vary due to the Labor Day holiday—please check event websites directly for the latest information.

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Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Labor Day | Multi-Day

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FRIDAY

COMMUNITY

Sound Transit Night Market Past Event Like List
Seattle’s light rail system is expanding! On Friday morning, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially open the new Lynnwood extension of the 1 Line, adding 8.5 miles of rail and four new stations. Stick around (or return on the new rail!) for a night market celebration where live performances, food vendors, arts and crafts booths, games, and more will be set up around the Lynnwood station. A commemorative map will encourage visitors to check out each new station along the extension, where over 350 organizations are participating in the opening day festivities. I'm hoping to get my hands on a plushie of Sound Transit's adorable mascot Boop. SL
(Lynnwood City Center Station, free)

Waterfront Block Party 2024 Past Event Like List
The Seattle waterfront has been under construction for...a while. This fourth annual Waterfront Block Party is being presented as a milestone on the road to its grand opening in 2025—fingers crossed! Celebrations will sprawl across Olympic Sculpture Park, Pier 62, Occidental Square, and the waterfront with live music, drum line and dance performances, jellyfish lantern making, and eats from local vendors including Moe Vegan and Ma & Pops. SL
(Pier 62, Downtown, free)

FILM

?????? CINEMA Remind Like List
This "blindfolded" cinema series is exactly what it sounds like—just show up and prepare to be titillated by whatever pops up on screen. Opportunities to be entirely surprised by a film don't come along very often, so try it out as a reminder that there are still mysteries to uncover in the world. Or maybe you'll hate it. Who knows! That's the fun of the whole shebang. Go forth, switch off your brain, and let the enigma reveal itself. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City, free)

Center City Cinema Past Event Like List
Seattle Parks and Recreation presents this summer series of much-loved film screenings under the stars, with pre-movie activities kicking off around 6 or 7 pm and each film beginning at dusk. The series continues this week with Jurassic Park, a films that both delighted and scared the hell out of me as a child, screening at Freeway Park. LC
(Freeway Park, Downtown, free)

LIVE MUSIC

Blind Pilot LIVE at Easy Street Records Past Event Like List
After an eight-year hiatus attributed to writer's block, Portland-based indie-folk outfit Blind Pilot is finally back with new music. Their fourth album, In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain, incorporates unexpected instruments like synth, trumpet, vibraphone, and clarinet. The band will stop by Easy Street for a free in-store performance before heading out to the Gorge to open for the Dave Matthews Band. AV
(Easy Street Records, Junction, free)

Wimps, Night Court, and SPELLS Past Event Like List
The beloved Seattle trio Wimps will bring their infectious brand of slacker-rock and pop-punk to the Kraken Bar & Lounge in honor of their new album City Lights. The band is known for their relatable little ditties and the new album is no exception. If tracks like "Never Leave the House," "Rut," and "Lonely" make you feel seen, you're not alone! Don't miss opening sets from punk bands Night Court and SPELLS. AV
(The Kraken Bar & Lounge, Roosevelt, $10)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

TEASE TEASE TEASE: A Flirty Pop Dance Night Past Event Like List
If it looks like I haven't slept in weeks, that's that me espresso. Seriously, my brain has had every song from Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet on replay since the album's release last week—I'm losing my mind! This Friday, congregate with fellow Sabrina stans at this flirty pop night playing her hits along with songs from other of-the-moment pop girlies like Madison Beer, Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, and more. AV
(High Dive, Fremont, $15)

READINGS & TALKS

Yvie Oddly with Matt Baume Past Event Like List
They're odd, but like, in a good way. And it turns out the avant-garde drag diva, legendary cackler, and "authentic weirdo" Yvie Oddly is also a writer. All About Yvie: Into the Oddity offers "an intimate and in-depth look" into the life of the RuPaul's Drag Race season 11 winner, starting with their childhood and moving through journeys of self-discovery in gender and sexual expression. I'd expect nothing less than candid tea-spilling from the alien-glam powerhouse. Oddly will be joined by pop culture YouTuber and former Stranger staff writer Matt Baume, author of the 2023 tome Honey, I'm Homo! Sitcoms, Specials, and the Queering of American Culture. LC
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill, free)

SHOPPING

Un Verano con Aquí Mercado Past Event Like List
When husbands Daniel and Ismael Calderón first started their joyful Latinx, POC, and LGBTQ+ pop-up market Aquí Mercado in spring 2023 to celebrate the opening of their photography studio Aquí, it was supposed to be a one-time occurrence, but the couple quickly realized Seattle had a true hunger for this type of community spirit and hospitality. Now, it's blossomed into a thriving monthly event with vendors selling everything from flash tattoos to concha plushies to spicy candy. This block party, hosted in partnership with Friends of Waterfront Park and the DSA, is the last mercado of the summer and will feature over 45 Latin/POC/LGBTQ+ vendors, vintage goods, tasty food, art, a kids' area, DJ tunes from La Mala Noche, traditional Mexican and Latine dances with a queer spin from the local troupe Danza Monarcas, and performances from drag queen Melody Lush Volt Paradisco. (Psst: If you're a fan of Aquí Mercado's festive vibes, be sure to also check out Daniel and Ismael's forthcoming coffee shop and market Bonito Café y Mercadito, opening September 14 on Capitol Hill.) JB
(Occidental Square, Pioneer Square, free)

SATURDAY

COMMUNITY

Alki Beach Pride Past Event Like List
Alki Beach Pride is celebrating its tenth year at Alki Beach Park by the bathhouse and across from Harry’s, and it’s just a big gay beach party replete with music, queens, swimming, and dancing, obviously. Stop by the nearby restaurants on Alki Avenue for “Pride discounts,” or bring your own grill and have a cookout on the beach. There are a few fire pits at the park too, but they’re first come, first served. If you don’t feel like driving, you can take the Elliott Bay Water Taxi from downtown out to Alki Point, then hop on the free five-minute shuttle to the beach, which is always a super Seattley treat. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR MEG VAN HUYGEN
(Alki Beach, Alki, free)

FOOD & DRINK

Trinidad Independence Celebration Past Event Like List
The Wallingford location of the iconic Trinidadian-Caribbean institution Pam's Kitchen will celebrate the anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago's independence from the United Kingdom with a festive day packed with lively soca and calypso music and plenty of food and drink specials, including doubles, peanut punch, sea moss, free pholourie (fried, spiced split pea and flour dough balls), and more. JB
(Pam's Kitchen, Wallingford)

Anyoung Super & Ohsun Banchan's Brunch Market Past Event Like List
Join the Korean cafe and deli Ohsun Banchan and its in-house shop Anyoung Super for their last monthly brunch market of the summer. The event will have plenty of limited-time food and drink specials—I'm especially excited about Ohsun's craveable Korean-American twist on classic loco moco, featuring a bulgogi beef patty atop kimchi fried rice smothered in gravy. Other draws include cookies from Butter Bandit Bakery, jewelry from Dyme Design and Emerald Seas Jewelry, adorable stationery and pet portraits from Cathy Wu, jelly coffee from Koto, goods from artist Monyee Chau, blends from Sugimoto Tea Company, and hand-crocheted plushies and accessories from Sunday Stitches. JB
(Ohsun Banchan Deli & Cafe, Pioneer Square, free)

VISUAL ART

THE END Past Event Like List
Envisioning the experience of an "alternate-dimensional life as a closeted (slash) ex-gay evangelist," Christopher Paul Jordan's THE END transforms the gallery space into a "queer comic-tract" in the style of African American illustrator Fred Carter. (Unfamiliar? Read more about Carter's zany, ultra-religious comics here.) Jordan, a Tacoma-based artist, salvages textiles and considers removal and relocation to think critically about public space and human relationships. You might already be familiar with his work: Jordan's multimedia sculpture andimgonnamisseverybody is the centerpiece of the AIDS Memorial Pathway in Capitol Hill. LC
(Veronica, Mount Baker, free; by appointment)

SUNDAY

COMMUNITY

Freedom Day Past Event Like List
Northwest African American Museum's annual Freedom Day offers free admission to the cultural space once a year so that visitors can "expand their knowledge, understanding, and enjoyment of the histories, arts, and cultures of people of African descent." The event is a no-brainer for families or folks with a free Sunday on their hands: This year's Freedom Day will include live musical performances, a classic car exhibition, face painting, and more, but don't miss the opportunity to duck into the museum's galleries for Emmett and Mamie-Till Mobley: Let the World See. LC
(Northwest African American Museum, Central District, free)

GEEK & GAMING

Seattle Indies Expo 2024 Past Event Like List
If you didn't shell out for a PAX badge but want to join the gamer-mania sweeping the city this weekend, stop by the Seattle Indies Expo (SIX) instead. The PNW-focused event showcases 25 exciting new games made by our local community of indie developers (I'm particularly intrigued by the adorable Wish Upon A Llama and chaotic CHAIRS). Ask them questions, make new friends, and support the nonprofit’s mission of providing inclusive and accessible spaces for folks pursuing game development as a hobby or career. SL
(Motif Seattle, Pike Pine Retail Core, free)

LIVE MUSIC

Diners, Pitschouse, and 129,600 Past Event Like List
Pasadena-based power pop project Diners' most recent album DOMINO was made for summertime. Released last August, the album evokes the sunny season with popsicle-sweet hooks, beachy guitars, and lyrics about childhood memories. They'll swing through town to support the album alongside dreamy pop outfit Pitschouse and jazzy art pop band 129,600. AV
(Black Lodge, South Lake Union, $15-$18)

LABOR DAY

FILM

Derek Jarman: Do We Continue to Grow Marigolds Even as The Emergency Sirens Blare? Remind Like List
Although his death of AIDS-related illness in '94 cut his life and career criminally short, Derek Jarman's revolutionary directorial style sent shockwaves through the queer cinema canon that still reverberate now. Modern directors using avant-garde aesthetics, poetic sensuality, and experimental storytelling techniques like Andrew Haigh, Xavier Dolan, and Luca Guadagnino have Jarman to thank—I said what I said. Jarman's gutsy, myth-drenched films will make your September more vivid and romantic, with screenings of the homoerotic Roman Empire-set Sebastiane (complete with a Brian Eno score), the writhing, angry AIDS crisis epistle The Garden (featuring Tilda Swinton), and BLUE, Jarman's final work, in which the director "fills the screen with blue—still and unyielding for an hour and nineteen minutes." LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City, $12.50)

MULTI-DAY

EXHIBIT

Stephanie Syjuco: After/Images Past Event Like List
Stephanie Syjuco's artworks were objects of my obsession in art school—the Manila-born conceptual artist often draws from archives, museums, and library collections to craft disruptive responses to colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and war. It'll appeal to you if you're a nerd for research and good politics. In Stephanie Syjuco: After/Images, the artist considers the camera, describing it as a "technology of imperialism that records and creates racialized American histories." The exhibition’s reconstructed archival photographs, videos, and installations center the US occupation of the Philippines, American colonization overseas, and the troubling ideology of Manifest Destiny. LC
(Frye Art Museum, First Hill, free, Friday–Sunday)

FESTIVALS

Evergreen State Fair Past Event Like List
Since its beginnings in the 1800s as the Snohomish County Fair, the Evergreen State Fair (not to be confused with the larger Washington State Fair) has been a home for livestock and agricultural exhibits. It still has those things, but has also added attractions like monster truck and NASCAR races, a rodeo, food stands, carnival games, and other modern fair trappings. Since you’re already there, shell out a little extra to see Martina McBride or Flo Rida perform. SL
(Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe, $13-$70, Friday–Monday)

FILM

AGFA August Past Event Like List
The American Genre Film Archive, aka the "world’s only nonprofit archive and film distributor dedicated to preserving and protecting the greatest genre films of all time," celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, which means it's time for you to plop your butt in a seat for some of the weirdest exploitation filmmaking, found footage feasts, underground trash art, and riot grrrl flicks imaginable. AGFA makes rescuing forgotten features look easy—their archives house over six thousand 35mm film prints. In partnership with Something Weird Video and AGFA, SIFF will screen some solid selections from the collection. Expect everything from The Zodiac Killer, a '71 flick "made to capture the real-life Zodiac Killer, but instead deliver[ing]...outrageous and compelling 'tabloid horror,'" to John Cassavetes films, Sarah Jacobson's punk-inflected DIY films, and the world's first found footage horror. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, $14.50-$15.50)

Blink Twice Remind Like List
Channing Tatum seems like unlikely casting for the role of a suspicious tech billionaire, but Blink Twice—Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut—makes brave choices, I suppose. The flick follows a cocktail waitress who falls for Slater King (played by Tatum) at a gala. When she joins him on a private island, strange occurrences deepen her questions around King and the island itself. If you're into Knives Out or White Lotus, it'll likely appeal. Plus, Kravitz reports that the film is "based on a true story," but perhaps not in the way you'd expect—Blink Twice illustrates the "infinite obstacles women often face in the entertainment industry, particularly in relation to the power dynamics with their male colleagues." LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, $14.50-$19.50, Friday–Monday)

Querelle Screening and Medusa of the Roses Book Release Past Event Like List
New German Cinema master Rainer Werner Fassbinder's rebellious style blends Rococo mystique and masculine burlesque in Querelle, a lush adaptation of Jean Genet's homoerotic melodrama Querelle of Brest. The director's barbed swan song, released posthumously after his sudden death at age 37, tells the tale of a French sailor whose visit to a port brothel leads to murder, corruption, and queer explorations. Genet's showy romanticism has inspired numerous creators over the years, and author Navid Sinaki is now counted among those ranks—his debut novel, Medusa of the Roses, follows queer lovers in modern-day Tehran. Grab a copy of the book at this release, which will include a screening of Querelle. LC
(Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill, $7-$14, Friday–Sunday)

Seven Samurai: 70th Anniversary Restoration Past Event Like List
If you're going to see a movie, see a fucking movie. Like, say, Akira Kurosawa's all-time classic Seven Samurai (1954), one of the finest adventure stories (and dramas, and romances, and comedies, and action flicks...) ever put on film. SIFF Cinema Egyptian's got all three-plus hours of this can't-miss movie on the big screen in a 4K restoration. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR ERIK HENRIKSEN
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, $14.50-$15.50, Sunday–Monday)

Un Bouquet de Breillat Past Event Like List
Catherine Breillat's filmmaking approach is very, well, French—she often seeks to illuminate the taboo in provocative explorations of desire, violence, and women's psychology. Grand Illusion's celebration of the controversy queen spans every decade of her directing career, including screenings of brand-new 4K restorations (A Real Young Girl, 36 Fillette, and Perfect Love) and Janus Films' 35mm print of my favorite Breillat, the abrupt and rattling 2001 film Fat Girl. LC
(Grand Illusion, University District, Friday–Monday)

FOOD & DRINK

Bremerton Blackberry Festival Past Event Like List
The Bremerton Blackberry Festival gives a great excuse to take a gorgeous ferry ride on what may be our last "nice" weekend. Once you get to the berry bash, there'll be live music, local vendors, and everything "blackberry" you can imagine—All food vendors are required to serve at least one blackberry-themed item (and lemonade doesn't count). Must-try items include blackberry wine, blackberry sausage, and of course, a slice of blackberry pie. SL
(Bremerton Boardwalk, free, Saturday–Monday)

Li'l Woody's Seafood Month Past Event Like List
If you couldn't get enough of Li'l Woody's Burger Month, in which the local fast-food chain offers new burger specials created in collaboration with local chefs each week, get ready for their Seafood Month. This version gives the Burger Month format a fishy spin, with exclusive sandwich creations inspired by the bounty of the sea. Don't miss the final chef special, the "LTD Edition Burger" (sake-marinated black cod, cabbage, white miso aioli, and shredded lettuce on a Li'l Woody’s bun) from Keiji Tsukasaki of LTD Edition Sushi. JB
(Li'l Woody's, Friday–Monday)

Rosé Month Past Event Like List
Happy rosé season to those who celebrate! Whatever your thoughts on the ubiquitous blush beverage, it's hard to imagine a drink better suited for summer. Throughout the month, the farm-to-table pop-up-turned-restaurant Three Sacks Full will offer a weekly rotation of rosé specials by the glass, culminating in a special rosé dinner on August 28. (Co-owner Matthew Curtis is a licensed sommelier, so you can expect some well-curated picks.) JB
(Three Sacks Full, Roosevelt, $10-$14, Friday–Saturday)

OUTDOORS

Cedar River Salmon Journey with the Seattle Aquarium Past Event Like List
Thanks to the tireless efforts of countless ecological stewards, Washington’s salmon population is slooooowly rebounding, and you can learn all about how these humble fish support our entire ecosystem at a family-friendly gathering by the Ballard Locks. Salmon may look like slippery little weirdos, but their whole lives are fascinating quests rivaling those of the most intrepid adventurers. And here in Seattle, we’re fortunate to be able to cheer them along on their journey—one that helps keep countless other species from dropping off the face of the Earth. The Salmon Journey gatherings are hosted by trained naturalists on Saturdays from July to September; you’ll learn how to spot a spawning salmon, about their surprisingly epic exploits, and the cruel enemy threatening to wipe them out. (Shocking twist: It’s people!) FORMER STRANGER STAFF WRITER MATT BAUME
(Ballard Locks, Ballard, free, Saturday–Sunday)

VISUAL ART

Andrea Dezsö: Storytelling Past Event Like List
I wasn't previously familiar with artist Andrea Dezsö's work, but I've quickly become a fan: Dezsö's detailed pochoir stenciling techniques, charming birch-carved designs, embroidered musings, and pyrovitreography reveal an artist who fears no medium. Her work also feels distinctly more bouba than kiki. I'm in love with the weird little guys populating her compositions, and I want to know all about their folktale-informed world, which also grapples with "women’s roles, authoritarianism, family, ideological and societal influence on the individual, relationships with nature, and the body." You'll probably dig it, too. LC
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, free, Friday–Saturday; closing)

Lino Tagliapietra: Maestro, Mentore Past Event Like List
Lino Tagliapietra: Maestro, Mentore welcomes the legendary Venetian glassblower, maestro Lino Tagliapietra, to exhibit works alongside his team members, Nancy Callan, Jen Elek, John Kiley, Dante Marioni, and Dave Walters, for an exhibition that "tell[s] a story of artistic mentorship and mutual reverence." The team's sense of pattern and angular forms is dizzying to behold. LC
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, free, Friday–Saturday; closing)

Luminous Being Past Event Like List
Transnational, transdisciplinary artist-educator Zabia Avra Colovos is "a child of Greek and Ethiopian origin" whose work aims to understand the constellation of her lineage and transnational identity. Head to King Street Station for Luminous Being, a myth-inspired journey that spans a decade of the artist's artistic inquiries through multimedia installation, photography, and sculpture. I'm intrigued by the interplay of 2D and 3D works, which will also include film projections and drawings rife with dream symbols, landscapes, and ceremonies. LC
(King Street Station, SoDo, free, Friday–Saturday)

Nikki McClure: Something About the Sky & Other Wonderings Remind Like List
McClure is the kind of person who will, say, wrap up an interview at her home on a breezy July day by suggesting a spontaneous dip in the sea. It was there, in that post-interview moment, that it clicked. We became a frame of her artwork. The water circling out from our bodies, the sunlight dancing across the surface of the sea, the seal coming over to say hello. You can feel the magic yourself this summer at her career-spanning solo exhibit at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. The show, Something About the Sky & Other Wonderings, includes pieces ranging from her very first art show in 1996 to her latest book, Something About the Sky. And, in true McClure style, she’s made a little room for visitors to soak in their own creativity. STRANGER ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR MEGAN SELING
(Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Winslow, free, Friday–Monday)

Smoke Season Past Event Like List
As someone who just spent a few weeks in eastern Oregon, the words "smoke season" elicit an all-too-familiar burn in the throat. Christian French's Untitled (Exodus series), a brutal red-tinged and desolate photograph featured in SOIL's new group exhibition Smoke Season, elicits a similar somatic memory. "The Anthropocene has become the Pyrocene," the show materials assert; I'm intrigued by Tim Marsden's fiery embroidery and janet galore's Smoke Break, a three-minute video looped on a vintage television set installed in the gallery. LC
(SOIL, Pioneer Square, free, Friday–Saturday; closing)

Zachary Schomburg: Cake, Hands, and Light Past Event Like List
Zachary Schomburg, a Portland poet who "combines narrative techniques with surrealism to great effect" (Stranger news editor Rich Smith) is my favorite kind of person, insistent on creating in myriad mediums. And as an illustrator and painter, Schomburg's work still feels informed by his writing practice. Cake, Hands, and Light, the artist's first solo show at Koplin Del Rio, "leans into light and color" with juicy, vivid compositions and great titles. "Pity the Mean," "Sorry Head," and "Pawn Cake" are some of my faves. LC
(Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Georgetown, free, Friday–Saturday)