Mile-Long Bouncy Castle Obstacle Course Hits Lake Sammamish State Park
The Must List: Your guide to Seattle's hottest events.
By Caroline Craighead July 27, 2017
Must Drink at the Zoo
Tasting Flight
(7/27-7/28) Gather on the North Meadow of Woodland Park Zoo for the wildest wine tasting of the year, featuring 40 wineries and access to animal exhibits. Upgrade to VIP tickets for a buffet, early entry and an exclusive animal encounter. To help with the zoo’s conservation efforts, the event is BYOG—bring your own glass. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Prices vary. Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave N.; zoo.org
Must Get Artsy
Bellevue Arts Festival Weekend
(7/28-7/30) With three art fairs happening this weekend (Bellevue Festival of the Arts, bellevuefest.org; Bellevue Art Museum’s Artsfair, bellevuearts.org; 6th Street Fair, bellevuedowntown.com), Bellevue is the place to be to buy some new crafts or get inspired. Featuring artists of all mediums from across the country, the weekend’s events are expected to draw around 300,000 people. At these family-friendly fairs, kids can create art of their own to bring home. The best part? All three festivals are free. Times and locations vary.
Must Peep the Parade
Seafair Torchlight Parade and Fanfest
(7/29) Nothing says summer like a good parade. Featuring drumlines, elaborate floats, dancers and drill teams from across the Pacific Northwest, the 68th Annual Seafair Torchlight Parade is a summer tradition that never gets old. Kick off the festivities at the Fanfest and to preview the floats, check out the Albert Lee hydroplane and hit exhibit booths and food vendors before the parade. 7:30 p.m. Free admission with reserved seating for purchase. Parade starts 4th Avenue North & Broad Street and ends on South Washington Street. seafair.com
Must Eat Cool
South Lake Union Saturday Market Ice Cream Social Pop-Up
(7/29) Beat the heat and satisfy your sweet tooth with some delicious frozen treats at the South Lake Union Saturday Market. This weekend the market’s bringing in a stable of local ice cream aces including Full Tilt Ice Cream, Bluebird Ice Cream, popsicle studs Seattle Pops and SÜSU Rolled Ice Cream. In between brain freezes, stroll around the rest of the market and pick up some local goodies. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 139 9th Ave. N.; slumarket.com
Must Jump Around
The Great Inflatable Race
(7/29) Who said bouncy houses were just for kids? Get ready to bounce, slide and run through a 1.5-mile inflatable obstacle course to help support Washington’s Special Olympics. Hilarious but pain-free wipeouts are ensured. 9 a.m. $50-$90. Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Rd. Issaquah; thegreatinflatablerace.com
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Seattle’s Big Holiday Arts Guide
A full lineup of seasonal performances across local theaters and venues.
In the words of William Shakespeare, “All’s well that ends well.” Local theater and arts organizations are hoping for exactly that. Holiday productions often account for as much as half of their annual ticket sales. A 2018 Dance/USA survey found that The Nutcracker alone represented 48% of yearly revenue for many companies producing the Tchaikovsky…
Outside The Frame
In their first solo museum exhibition in Seattle, artist Camille Trautman uses photography to reclaim history, narrative, and self-expression.
You have probably seen Camille Trautman’s work without even realizing it. A huge photograph—20 feet wide—is currently hanging across the exterior of the Frye Art Museum, visible to passersby driving along Boren Avenue. The image is of a wooded landscape in black and white. Its edges are vacuous, with trees swallowed by darkness, but the…
Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square
A daily ornament drop turns December into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.
The holidays tend to bring out the kid in all of us. And if opening presents and eating too many treats weren’t enough, there’s also a scavenger hunt in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Pioneer Square’s Holiday Ornament Scavenger Hunt has returned for its third year. Twenty-five handblown glass ornaments—all made at Glasshouse Studio—are hidden across 25…
Chit-Chat Kids
Phone a friend.
Twenty years ago, before everyone walked around with a device in their pocket, kids used to call each other on a landline—often tethered to the kitchen in their home. It was a simpler time, when parents didn’t have to worry (nearly as much) about a potential predator contacting their child. Nowadays, things are different, which…