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Must List: Bumbershoot, Summer Rewind Film Festival, Bremerton Blackberry Festival

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events.

Bumbershoot 2017 at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA on September1st, 2017 (Photo by David Conger / Bumbershoot)
Bumbershoot 2017 at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA on September1st, 2017 (Photo by David Conger / Bumbershoot)

MUST LOVE MUSIC

Bumbershoot
(8/31–9/2) Bumbershoot is supposed to be a festival, but it’s always had a slightly melancholy end-of-summer vibe—and it doesn’t help that it’s named after an umbrella, callously reminding us that eight months of rain are around the corner. Bold-face names in this year’s lineup include Lil Wayne and Fleet Foxes; other offerings include dance, comedy, theater, visual arts and yoga on the lawn. Times and prices vary. Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.; 206.684.7200; bumbershoot.com

Photo via Washington State Fair Facebook page

MUST DO THE PUYALLUP

Washington State Fair
(8/31–9/23) Have you ever witnessed daring horseback acrobatics or rode on an old-fashioned roller coaster? No? Then it’s time to hop in your car and get to Puyallup for the Washington State Fair. Ogle prize-winning produce, taste a fair scone or buttery elephant ear, take in a rodeo and listen to Macklemore (9/21) at the state’s biggest fair. Times and prices vary. Closed Tuesdays and September 5. Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, 110 Ninth Ave. SW; 253.845.1771; thefair.com

MUST GAME

PAX West
(8/31–9/3) This weekend, Seattle’s downtown hub will taken over by the crème de la crème of the gaming industry. The annual Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) showcases the best and on the rise video, arcade and tabletop games during this jam packed four-day festival. Check out panels on the latest games, meet gaming legends and test out the newest games for yourself. PAX sells out every year, so if you’re even remotely interested in checking it out, buy a day pass ASAP. Times and prices vary. Washington State Convention Center, downtown, 705 Pike St.; west.paxsite.com

MUST WATCH FILMS

Summer Rewind Film Festival
(8/31–9/6) Soak up the last bits of summer by seeing the season’s blockbuster hits. Cinerama will be showing the best summer movies starting this weekend. Watch (or rewatch) Ocean’s 8, Deadpool 2, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, A Quiet Place and more. Just don’t forget the chocolate popcorn. Times vary. $15. Cinerama, downtown, 2100 Fourth Ave.; 206.448.6680; cinerama.com

MUST EAT BLACKBERRIES

Bremerton Blackberry Festival
(9/1–9/3) Stuff yourself silly with one of Pacific Northwest’s most iconic berries at this family friendly festival. Now in it’s 29th year, the festival celebrates blackberries by preparing them every which way. Want blackberry ice cream? They got that. Or how about blackberry sausage? Yep, they got that too. Wash the treats down with some blackberry wine or soda. Don’t worry, if you feel overloaded on blackberries, they will have vendors selling non-blackberry food and drink, too. Times vary. Free. Bremerton Boardwalk Waterfront, Bremerton, 100 Washington Beach Ave.; blackberryfestival.org

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Rearview Mirror: Spinasse at Home, a New Spa Experience, and Seattle Mag’s Reader’s Choice Awards 

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

YOUR VOTE MATTERS Everyone has a favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or local boutique. Call me old-school, but I will die on the hill that Caffe Vita has the best coffee in town. Disagree with me? Now’s your moment to speak up. Each year, we survey Seattle magazine readers, asking them to weigh in on everything…

Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

Studio Sessions: Ling Chun

The Seattle-based artist brings playful color to ceramics and neon while exploring memory, transformation, and life between cultures.

For Ling Chun, creating begins with something sensed before it can be named. Working with clay, glass, light, and sometimes synthetic hair, the Hong Kong-born artist gives physical form to things that words cannot always hold. “For me, the magnitude of making goes far beyond the object that is eventually produced,” Chun says. “The object…

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

The Magic of PAX Is Stronger Than Ever

PAX West draws more than 100,000 people to Seattle each year. Co-founder Jerry Holkins reflects on what the gaming convention set out to change, how its community has grown and why gathering face to face still matters.

Access to game news as it was happening was difficult back in the day. Even with the advent of the internet, communication between game publishers and journalists was still a very elite affair.  I used to fake credentials—via fax machine!—to attend the Electronic Entertainment Expo, mostly just known as E3. It was simultaneously as loud…

Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Your Guide to Bumbershoot 2026

Navigate Seattle’s wildest end-of-summer weekend with 20 picks spanning Death Cab for Cutie, Blood Orange, wrestling, skateboarding and—obviously—movies made in 48 hours.

Four years after Bumbershoot returned with its quirkiness revivified, Seattleites broadly acknowledge the two-day multimedia extravaganza as a welcome finale to the summer festival season. Fests like Bumbershoot are designed around a choose-your-own-adventure model, but if you’re the kind of person who looked at this year’s sprawling lineup—featuring multiple bands, artists, and exhibits happening at…