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FRIDAY

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black History Month Soirée 2023 Past Event Like List
Hop a ferry for Bainbridge Island to enjoy this celebration of the region's Black community, complete with live music, snacks and sips, and a "Black Love Market" pop-up with wares from Black-owned businesses. Make a day of it by stopping by the museum earlier in the day; visitors can still catch Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Rosa Parks Series, an inspiring civil rights print exhibition that closes on February 28.
(Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Winslow, $0-$10)

COMEDY

Gram Worthy Past Event Like List
Many of our social media profiles may be public, but it still sounds pretty perilous to have our online presence picked apart by comics in front of a live audience. Gram Worthy does just that, but this time around, they're focusing on famous influencers—they'll put your faves on the chopping block to razz their music festival duds and brunch pics. For this performance, influencers will head to the stage to explain their "brands" while improv comics riff off their interviews.
(Fremont Abbey Arts Center, Fremont, $15)

FOOD & DRINK

Tea Tasting: The Process of Oolong Past Event Like List
Learn all about the traditional semi-oxidized Chinese tea at this free community session open to the public.
(Fuel Coffee, Miller Park, free)

LIVE MUSIC

Girls Who Indie ft. Liv Victorino, Hannah Duckworth, JUL!ET, and Natalie Hanes Past Event Like List
Kick off the weekend with serene sounds from local artist Liv Victorino, who employs fingerpicking and emotional songwriting inspired by indie-folk legends like Elliott Smith and Phoebe Bridgers. She will be joined by fellow female musicians including upbeat pop gem Hannah Duckworth, dreamy synth-pop project JUL!ET, and singer-songwriter Natalie Hanes.
(Barboza, Capitol Hill, $10-$12)

Gorillaz "Cracker Island" Listening Party Past Event Like List
Celebrate the British alt-rock band Gorillaz's highly anticipated eighth studio album Cracker Island among friends with a feel-good (inc.) listening party featuring that includes drink specials, freebies (with album purchase), and a raffle of a Gorillaz-related mystery item.
(Easy Street Records, Junction, free)

Heavy Gus Past Event Like List
Describing their sound as "desert-dream," the indie-rock trio Heavy Gus (consisting of members of the Lumineers and Blind Pilot) evoke the expansive desolation of the high desert with their breezy riffs and road trip-ready jams reminiscent of cinematic rockers like Acetone, Yo La Tengo, or Gun Outfit. They will support their debut album, Notions, alongside local pop-punk superstar Lisa Prank and like-minded outfit Serafina & the Shakedowns.
(Cafe Racer, Capitol Hill, $15)

NonSeq Curators Concert
Past Event Like List The experimental concert series Nonsequitur will kick off its 2023 programming with performances from community curators including prolific cellist/experimental artist Lori Goldston (best known for appearing with Nirvana during their iconic MTV Unplugged set), ambient composer Paul Kikuchi, multidisciplinary artist Afroditi Psarra, and classically trained guitarist Michaud Savage.
(Chapel Performance Space, Wallingford, $5–$20 donation at the door)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

Cry Now Cry Later Past Event Like List
Birthed by "two Chicano friends looking to have a consistent dark dance night on Capitol Hill," Cry Now Cry Later is your one-stop shop for darkwave, classic goth, industrial, and dark EDM dance cuts from both forgotten and classic artists. Resident DJs Wives, Gold Chisme, and Coffinbirth will leave you with no tears left to cry.
(Kremwerk, Downtown, $11.90)

READINGS & TALKS

Opera Talk: The Creators Behind A Thousand Splendid Suns
Past Event Like List Composer Sheila Silver, librettist Stephen Kitsakos, conductor Viswa Subbaraman, and acclaimed Afghan filmmaker and stage director Roya Sadat will come together for this free conversation about their trailblazing production of A Thousand Splendid Suns, opening at McCaw Hall on February 25. Based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini, the world premiere opera tells the story of two Afghan women brought together under Taliban rule. 
(Opera Center, Uptown, free)

SATURDAY

COMMUNITY

State of Africatown: Celebrating a Decade of Realizing the Vision of Black Seattle
Past Event Like List For a decade, State of Africatown's annual gathering has offered Seattleites an opportunity to reflect on the goals, opportunities, and challenges facing the city's African American and African diasporic communities. This year, they'll return with fresh perspectives on how to help Black communities thrive, with free presentations led by key local stakeholders and organizations.
(Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, Central District, free)

EXPO

Seattle Home & Garden Show 2023 Past Event Like List
This year's Seattle Home & Garden Show will feature the exciting home improvement seminars, tiny house displays, and remodeling inspiration that visitors from prior years have come to expect, plus Yard to Table, a community farm installed on-site to showcase the coolest urban farm updates. 
(Lumen Field Event Center, SoDo, $0-$15)

FILM

James Baldwin Abroad Past Event Like List
Former Stranger editor-in-chief Christopher Frizzelle described James Baldwin's reputation as "grow[ing] with each passing year, especially because he channeled his perceptions of white supremacy into timeless articulations of the evil lurking beneath America’s premises." This program of three newly restored '60s- and '70s-era documentary shorts spotlights the legendary author and civil rights activist, with an emphasis on his influence abroad.
(The Beacon, Columbia City, $12.50)

Saturday Secret Matinees 2023
Past Event Like List If you're a sucker for old-school cinema with an element of surprise, this recurring series is for you. Grand Illusion will continue its longstanding tradition of screening matinee classics alongside a "weekly cliffhanger episode of a movie serial" every Saturday, all in dreamy 16mm. For the next two weekends, the theme will be “Nuts!”—expect screwball '30s comedy classics.
(Grand Illusion, University District, $5-$11)

LIVE MUSIC

Saturday Family Concerts: From Alaska to Amazonas Past Event Like List
Co-created by multimedia artists Nahaan and Adriana Giordano, this multi-dimensional performance will explore two Native cultures—southern Alaska’s Tlingit people and the Indigenous Brazilian people of the Amazon—and their experiences navigating and resisting the challenges of colonization and climate change. Activist and multi-genre artist Nahaan will start the evening with poetry, storytelling, and visuals, followed by a "musical mosaic" from vocalist Adriana Giordano that weaves together live instruments, vocals, and tribal recordings. Audience members are encouraged to dance along, join in with kid-friendly instruments, or just soak in the captivating Saturday morning tunes.
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill, $5)

Sound Off! 2023
Past Event Like List Now in its 22nd year, MoPOP's Sound Off! will give local, under-21 bands a chance to take the center stage at the Sky Church, complete with a light show, sound engineers, and droves of roaring fans. Throughout these three nights, each band will show off the original music that they've been brewing during their year-long mentoring program. 
(MoPOP, Uptown, free)

READINGS & TALKS

African American Writers Alliance Group Reading Past Event Like List
Wordsmiths from the Northwest's African American community will reunite for this group reading organized by the African American Writers' Alliance, which promotes emerging and seasoned writers and publishes anthologies. This year's robust roundup of readers includes Margaret S. Barrie, Melany Bell, Minnie Collins, Gail Haynes, Merri Ann Osbourne, Joseph Gaylloyd Sissón, and many others.
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill, free)

E. Lily Yu discusses On Fragile Waves
Past Event Like List E. Lily Yu, winner of the 2022 Washington State Book Award for Fiction, will drop by the Seattle Public Library for this chat with librarian and Washington State Book Awards judge Jenna Zarzycki. The New York Times Book Review described Yu's novel On Fragile Waves as "devastating and perfect."—snag a copy from bookstore partner Third Place Books during the event.
(Central Library, Downtown, free)

SHOPPING

Fremont Bridge Winter Market Past Event Like List
Duck under the Fremont Bridge for the winter season, where you'll find over 100 booths of handcrafted goods, plus street bites, DJs, and patio heaters to help you stay toasty while you mingle.
(Fremont Sunday Market, Fremont, free)

SPORTS & RECREATION

SAM Body & Mind
Past Event Like List What better way to beat SAD than with SAM? The art museum will present free, first-come, first-serve wellness activities on the fourth Saturday of each month this winter to help you combat the tedious post-holiday doldrums. Head to Olympic Sculpture Park for a 60-minute Vinyasa flow led by Take Care Yoga (BYO mat), followed by a vibrationally chill sound bowl session by Biom and a self-reflective art activity by The Feels Foundation.
(Olympic Sculpture Park, Belltown, free)

SUNDAY

VISUAL ART

Cameraless Film Workshop: Digging Up Surprises with Devon Damonte and Avida Jackson
Past Event Like List If you've never considered drawing on 16mm film and projecting your results, you're not alone; the method renders some surprisingly incredible results. Experimental filmmakers Devon Damonte and Avida Jackson will lead this hands-on virtual filmmaking workshop on the experimental process, and participants' work will be spliced into a collaborative group film available for download.
(Henry Art Gallery, University District, free)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

Seattle Secrets
Past Event Like List Drawing from radically honest projects like PostSecret, Mortified, and Found Magazine, this mysterious—and hilarious—show compiles anonymously submitted secrets from Seattleites and uses the city's dirty laundry to create improvised scenes. Expect a mix of lighthearted laughs, tea-sipping, and catharsis.
(Unexpected Productions' Market Theater, Pike Place Market, $15, Friday-Saturday)

FILM

Close
Past Event Like List Belgian director Lukas Dhont's coming-of-age film Close, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is also an Oscar nominee for Best International Film this year. The "heart-crushing" (The Hollywood Reporter) film follows teen friends whose deep, intimate bond is broken by the assumptions of their classmates.
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, $13-$14, Friday-Sunday)

Cocaine Bear Past Event Like List
Lots of cocaine!!! One bear!!!!!! A movie about a bear who consumed a buttload of cocaine. It's based, if you do not know, on a real bear. But cocaine, which fell from the sky, killed the real bear—a black bear who is spending eternity in a Kentucky mall. The movie bear does not die from an overdose but becomes larger than life and death. He goes on a rampage. He destroys this and that. Humans scream and die. And this is a comedy! How can we miss this movie? It sounds like top-notch trash. I hope it doesn't suffer the fate of Snakes on a Plane. STRANGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER CHARLES MUDEDE
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, $13-$14, Friday-Sunday)

Emily
Past Event Like List Actress Frances O'Connor's directorial debut follows a young Emily Brontë as she struggles with the death of her mother and yearns for artistic freedom. (Why are so many historical biopics about yearning? People yearned a lot back in the day.) Anyway, Brontë channels her yearning into one of the most brilliant English language novels of all time, so we could all stand to take notes. Emma Mackey (Death on the Nile, Sex Education) stars as the legendary writer.
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, $13-$14, Friday-Sunday)

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro
Past Event Like List Studio Ghibli founder and animation mastermind Hayao Miyazaki debuted his first feature film in 1979, and the adventure comedy holds up, following a pair of thieves who infiltrate a counterfeit operation. Ghibli stans and newbies to Miyazaki's work shouldn't miss it; Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro's vibrant, humanist tone set the stage for the director's future works, and the film may have even inspired Spielberg's Indiana Jones films.
(Central Cinema, Central District, $12, Friday-Sunday)

Oscar Shorts 2023: Live Action
Past Event Like List These brief but spellbinding stories have made an impression on the Academy. Predict the winners at separate screenings of the nominated films in live action, animation, and documentary categories. Standouts include Ivalu, a meditative, icy tale based on a graphic novel set in Greenland's tundra, and Le Pupille, an inventive tale co-produced by Alfonso Cuarón and set in a Catholic boarding house during World War I.
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, $11-$14, Friday-Sunday)

FOOD & DRINK

Lil Woody's Burger Month
Past Event Like List The popular local burger joint chain Li'l Woody's has revealed the lineup for its annual Burger Month series, which features burgers dreamed up by local chefs. Remaining specials include the "Paju Jr." (Royal Ranch beef patty, American cheese, kalbi sauce, kimchi cucumber coleslaw, gochujang aioli, and Lil Woody’s bun) from Bill Jeong of Paju (February 21-27); and the “Ear Piggy Piggy” (Royal Ranch grass-fed beef and pork fat patty, crispy fried pig ear, Mama Lil’s peppers, dill pickles, spicy mustard, fry sauce, Lil Woody’s bun) from Evan Leichtling of Off Alley (February 28-March 6).
(Li'l Woody's, Capitol Hill, Friday-Sunday)

Outer Planet Brewing Eighth Anniversary Week Past Event Like List
Outer Planet Brewing will celebrate eight trips around the sun with a new anniversary barleywine release, half off growler fills, a special anniversary flight with a guided tasting, discounted merch, and live music with Windchime Weather.
(Outer Planet Craft Brewing, Capitol Hill, free, Friday-Saturday)

PERFORMANCE

Carmela Full of Wishes Past Event Like List
Based on the New York Times bestseller by Matt de la Peña, this adaptation of Carmela Full of Wishes follows a young girl whose chance encounter with a dandelion on her birthday means she must devise the perfect wish.
(Seattle Children's Theatre, Uptown, $15-$20, Friday-Sunday)

Cornish Dance BFA Concert
Past Event Like List Talented Cornish seniors will share the twirls and spins they've been practicing all school year at this impressive BFA dance concert.
(Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, Uptown, $0-$12, Friday-Saturday)

SHOPPING

Ballard Hullabaloo Past Event Like List
Beloved Ballard stores like Market Street Shoes, Annie's Art and Frame, and Fair Trade Winds will hawk discounted wares under one roof at this two-day sale. The event promises that "most of the merchandise offered is 75% off the original price," and on Friday only, visitors can sip Ballard-brewed beers while they shop.
(Leif Erikson Lodge, Ballard, Friday-Saturday)

VISUAL ART

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.: Rosa Parks Series
Past Event Like List Detroit-based printer, book artist, and papermaker Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is well-known for his pointed social and political critique, which takes on new power when applied to his practice of creating print multiples. Using eco-friendly materials and handset type, Kennedy's works have a vibrant but lo-fi feel; his Rosa Parks series spotlights the civil rights activist's vision with layered quotes and bold compositions.
(Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Winslow, free, Friday-Sunday)

Barry Johnson: for real though
Past Event Like List Barry Johnson is all over the city. Perhaps you have seen his abstract work on the sides of the Midtown Building on 23rd and Union or the statue of Dr. James Washington just around the corner or the "E" in the Black Lives Matter street mural on Capitol Hill. Johnson has been BUSY these last couple of years. That's what makes his Winston Wächter debut show, for real though, all the more impressive in how expressive and urgent it feels. Composed mainly of self-portraits, Johnson's vibrant exhibition at the South Lake Union gallery explores the interiority and intimacy of identity. "A lot of my figurative work is a form of protest," he told Crosscut's Margo Vansynghel. There's an artist reception on Saturday should you want to chat with Johnson himself, but—pro tip—try visiting on a weekday. It's nice to have the gallery to yourself. It gives you more space to think. STRANGER STAFF WRITER JAS KEIMIG
(Winston Wächter Fine Art, South Lake Union, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Bleak Beauty Past Event Like List
We're living through the toughest time of year, weather-wise. The skies are gray, the temperature is cold, and summer seems to be eons away. But Bleak Beauty at Koplin del Rio—which closes on Saturday—finds the beauty in that sense of bleakness, pulling together minimally-colored black and white works of more than a dozen artists. David Bailin's used charcoal and coffee in "Burnt Field" to compose a piece that resembles a faded memory. It's really easy to get lost in the bleakness of Krisna Nidorf's inky black abstraction in "Black Mug, Sleeping States 3" or the spindly trees in Robert Wade's photographs. While sometimes color is the antidote to winter's overwhelming neutralness, the answer is often to lean into that darkness. Bleak Beauty at Koplin del Rio does just that. STRANGER STAFF WRITER JAS KEIMIG
(Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Pioneer Square, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Gallery Artist Group Exhibition
Past Event Like List Traver Gallery's first exhibition of 2023 kicks off the new year with a multimedia selection of works from their material-focused roster of artists, including heavy hitters like Marita Dingus, Preston Singletary, Jane Rosen, William Morris, and others.
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Glen Alps: Creator of the Collagraph Past Event Like List
As a beloved University of Washington printmaking professor (and inventor of the collagraph!), Glen Alps developed a distinctive intersection between printmaking and collage that is still widely practiced today. Emphasizing the texture and layering found in Alps's printmaking work, this exhibition is a testament to his unique vision and luminous abstract approach.
(Davidson Galleries, Pioneer Square, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Have You Eaten? Past Event Like List
Curated by Ballard-based artist Rya Wu, Slip Gallery's latest group exhibition Have You Eaten explores Asian "diasporic identity and otherness" through a series of poignant questions related to home and belonging.
(Slip Gallery, Belltown, free, Friday-Sunday)

Johnny Friedlaender: Harmonious Abstraction Past Event Like List
Twentieth-century visionary Johnny Friedlaender, who described himself as a "painter who engraves," inspired countless printmakers with his moody, pensive compositions and surrealist subject matter. This retrospective of Friedlaender's work emphasizes his expressive vision, which was inspired by everything from musical references to his years of imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp.
(Davidson Galleries, Pioneer Square, free, Friday-Saturday)

Monyee Chau and Tu'er Shen: a Lunar New Year installation
Past Event Like List Located in the windows of Grocery Studios on Beacon Hill, Walk Up Gallery is accessible 24/7, making it a perfect stopping spot on long walks at any time of day. In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Seattle-based artist Monyee Chau transformed WUG's windows in an exhibition dedicated to the story of Tu'er Shen, a Chinese rabbit deity who is the patron and protector of same-sex couples. In one window is a poster of Tu'er Shen depicted as a trans man—with rabbit ears!!!—seated on a peach, surrounded by wisps of smoke and jade rings, and holding white lilies. Behind him is the Chinese word for "double happiness." In the other window, Chau installed a floating mobile of ceramic sculptures and fabric with text explaining the importance of Tu'er Shen. Go check it out! STRANGER STAFF WRITER JAS KEIMIG
(The Grocery Studios, North Beacon Hill, free, Friday-Sunday; closing)

Moon Lee: Finding Home—A Selection of My Observations and Experiences Past Event Like List
Informed by her Korean American identity, Moon Lee's monographs and layered prints explore everything from the impacts of COVID-19 to the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion in contemporary society. In her solo exhibition Finding Home, the artist's works feel like small narratives hinting at complex inner conflicts.
(Davidson Galleries, Pioneer Square, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)