This weekend, your entertainment options range from Mardi Gras parties to a comedy show with the Good Humor Men Past Event Like List to a Symphony Tacoma Past Event Like List concert. We’ve rounded up the biggest and best events you need to know about below. Plus, find even more events this weekend on our complete Tacoma events calendar. 

FRIDAY

COMMUNITY

Black History Celebration
Past Event Like List This second annual community event will feature a mix of African American dance, song, artwork, spoken-word performances, and more.
People's Community Center

Night Tour of the Armory Past Event Like List
Find out if there are any ghosts or other lingering supernatural entities in the Tacoma Armory at this evening event and a guided historical tour. Participants and would-be ghostbusters alike will have a chance to shell out for an EMF detection device, giving them an edge over everyone else relying on the hairs on the back of their necks to tell them something's amiss.
The Tacoma Armory

MUSIC

2000's Dance Flashback Past Event Like List
The top hits of 2000-2009 will be projected on a giant video screen so you can dance to the likes of Justin Timberlake, OutKast, Nelly, Beyonce, The Killers, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, MGMT, Jay Z, Usher, and more.
Spanish Ballroom  

Downtown Past Event Like List
Seattle electro-punk outfit Downtown brings its post-apocalyptic vibe to the Gritty City for a beat-driven show you can dance to. Get there early to see Head Hurt and 2Libras before the main show begins. 
The Valley

Everson Pines Past Event Like List
You'll get some classic rock vibes at this show as the Hasslers, and the Real Girls join Seattle's own Everson Pines for a guitar-heavy show at Tacoma's laid-back venue for live music, beer, and eats. 
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub

The Paperboys Past Event Like List
The much-loved folk-rock band will hit the Gritty City as part of its 25th anniversary. The Juno Award-winning group has released nine albums so far and it doesn't look as though the past quarter-century has seen them slow down a bit.
Alma Mater

Sounds Like Dolores Past Event Like List
This will be the band's first public show of 2020. The Gig Harbor favorites deliver a mix of '80s and '90s hits, along with the occasional country tune, just to shake things up a bit.
O'Neill's Bar & Grill

Voodoo Death Gun Past Event Like List
With names like Voodoo Death Gun, Bleach Black, Pagan County Rebels, and Fifteen Stitches on the docket, it's a good bet you won't be getting a family-friendly event. Come appreciate the darkness, the brutal guitar licks, and the truth in advertising at this live show. 
The Plaid Pig

VISUAL ART

Art Battle Tacoma Past Event Like List
With shows like Great British Bake Off, LEGO Masters, and Making It, everything's become a competition. That sense of competitiveness and creativity has gone local at this live painting tournament. Artists will have 20 minutes to transform blank canvases into wall-worthy pieces of art. Those in attendance will vote to determine the winner, and all artwork will be available for sale at a silent auction.
Alma Mater

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

FILM

Auburn Adventure Film Festival: Destination Inspiration
Past Event Like List Local filmmakers discuss how they were inspired to make movies and the ways in which adversity helped make their projects better. The festival will also feature films like Big World, Wild Toddler Chronicles: Legacy, and The Mighty Finn.
Auburn Avenue Theater

PERFORMANCE

Let There Be Love Past Event Like List
In Mrianlini Kamath's Let There Be Love, a matchmaker and her son must confront their attitudes toward love when Eric takes control of his own personal life.
Knutzen Family Theater

PERFORMANCE

Oleanna Past Event Like List
Perhaps more topical now than when he first wrote it, David Mamet's Oleanna has been hailed by Time Magazine as one of "ten best plays" of all time. The story of gender, privilege, and power dynamics in a professor-student relationship has only become more fascinating as it ages. The Sunday performance comes with a unique special feature, as director Joshua Knudson and actors Sean Neely and Angelica Barksdale will be on hand for a special talk-back session with the audience. 
Theater on the Square

SATURDAY

COMEDY

The Good Humor Men Past Event Like List
Up-and-coming stars of late-night comedy, Pat Hazell, Pat McGann, and Pete Lee (that's two Pats and a Pete), bring their stand-up stylings to this unique performance that showcases each comic's respective talents in a hilarious group setting.
Tacoma Rialto Theater

COMMUNITY

Heritage Skills Workshop - Basketry Past Event Like List
Learn the basics of plaiting, twining, and coiling cedar at this hands-on basketry workshop led by Cowlitz tribe member Judy Bridges. She's been teaching and demonstrating basketry for almost two decades, meaning your chances of going home with something you can be proud of are pretty good.
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

South Sound Wedding Show - Puyallup Past Event Like List
Those planning nuptials in 2020 and beyond can check out this show to find all the resources they need to plan one of the biggest events of their lives. Everything from venue rentals to party decor to flowers and photographers will be on hand to help make planning your wedding (or someone else's) just a little bit easier.
Washington State Fair Events Center

Winter in Tacoma... with Dancers, Artists, & Musicians Past Event Like List
Winter in the Pacific Northwest is a cold and wet battle of endurance, but the days are getting longer and Tacomans who still want to celebrate the season can do so while also celebrating local musicians, visual artists, and dancers. 
Tacoma City Ballet

MARDI GRAS

Mardi Gras: Red White & Blue Edition Past Event Like List
Unbridled patriotism and Mardi Gras find themselves in the same punch bowl at the seventh annual "Red, White, & Blue" celebration that brings Bourbon Street to Tacoma. The festivities will dish out thousands of free beads and Mardi Gras masks (for the first 300 guests), along with a chance to enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail in one of Steel Creek's 24oz souvenir booth cups. 
Steel Creek American Whiskey Co.

MUSIC

Angie Lynn, Maddy Dullum, Nicola Linde Past Event Like List
Celebrate womxn in music as singer-songwriters Angie Lynn, Maddy Dullum, and Nicola Linde take the stage for a night of music with plenty of local flavor.
Doyle's Public House

Clemm Rishad Past Event Like List
The co-writer of Nicki Minaj's hit single "Fly," Clemm Rishad has also worked with Jason Derulo and Iyaz. Now, the Tacoma-born songwriter and musician is set to perform his own music in his hometown.
Alma Mater

Ethan Tucker
Past Event Like List With a blend of acoustic and electric guitars the Olympia, WA-born Ethan Tucker elevates the soulful, blues-inspired vocals that are his characteristic sound. Come see Tucker perform while his shows are still free. 
Airport Tavern

Prom Date Mixtape Past Event Like List
Let '80s new wave and synth-pop tribute group Prom Date Mixtape take you back a few decades for a night of high-energy dance music.
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub

Saint Ophelia Past Event Like List
While often labeled an alt-folk rock band, the songs of Saint Ophelia run a much wider gamut than that moniker might imply. The five-piece ensemble released their debut album back in 2018, and have since gone on to play sold-out shows at venues like Kay White Hall.
Honey at Alma Mater

Symphony Tacoma: Beethoven's Eroica and His Electric Universe
Past Event Like List Seattle musician Michael Nicolella will perform composer Yaron Gottfried’s Electric Guitar Concerto, conducted by Maestra Sarah Ioannides. The non-traditional approach to Beethoven's music, particularly Symphony No. 3 "Eroica," breathes new life into the genre and challenges what it means to perform classical music.
Pantages Theater

READINGS & TALKS

Pretty Gritty Tour's Underground Tacoma Talk Past Event Like List
Explore the photographic history of Tacoma at this presentation that's been updated with new and interesting facts about the Gritty City's fascinating history. 
Tacoma Public Library

SHOPPING

Tacoma Night Market @ The Glass Museum Past Event Like List
Night markets have become in the Tacoma area as of late, and the latest, presented at the Museum of Glass, demonstrates the impact the work of Dale Chihuly has had on artists working in the same medium. The market will feature works by many local artists, as well as live music and drinks, all in celebration of Tacoma's growing arts community.
The Glass Museum

SPORTS & RECREATION

CageSport - MMA Past Event Like List
If you just can't get enough MMA in your life, then the CageSport event will be just the ticket. There's a full fight card as Chris San Jose takes on Timothy Lewis in the Bantamweight Championship. Meanwhile, Julian Erosa dukes it out with A.J. Bryant in the semi-main event. There'll be eight bouts in total, so you can look forward to a full evening of bloodsport.
The Emerald Queen Casino

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Mardi Gras Weekend 2020 at Geaux Brewing Past Event Like List
Fat Tuesday comes a little early this year (you know, the workweek being what it is) so that everyone can enjoy some responsible revelry beginning on Saturday. This family-oriented Marid Gras celebration offers face painting, free beads, and of course, plenty of king cake. There'll even be live performances from Whozyamama Cajun and Zydeco Band.
Geaux Brewing (Auburn)

SUNDAY

COMMUNITY

Day of Remembrance, Day of Action
Past Event Like List On the 78th anniversary of the executive order that imprisoned over a hundred thousand Japanese Americans during WWII, Tsuru for Solidarity and other resistance groups will stand in camaraderie with Mexican immigrants seeking asylum in the US who are currently being detained at Tacoma's Northwest Detention Center.
Northwest Detention Center

MUSIC

The Fabulous Roof Shakers Past Event Like List
A Pacific Northwest musical institution for over 14 years, the blues band has played in and around the Tacoma area, using their trademark sound mixing blues harp, sax, and a rhythm section. 2020 has seen the Shakers release their third full-length album, giving them plenty of new material for all the venues they'll play in the year to come.
The Spar

Nathan Breedlove Past Event Like List
The jazz musician has been heard (and seen) on NPR's Fresh Air, Nightline, Conan, and more. He's marking his return to touring with the release of a new album, Captain of the Light Brigade. 
Spanish Ballroom