Must List: The Buttcracker, Handel’s Messiah and Holiday Gifts Galore
What to do this weekend in Seattle
By Seattle magazine staff December 18, 2015
Must Cruise
The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
(Through 12/22, times vary) Cruise into Christmas on a sparkling boat, while enjoying choral performances, seasonal cocktails and a special reading of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas by Santa himself. Landlubbers can enjoy the spectacle, warmed by a bonfire, at one of the cruise’s many stops along Puget Sound, where the choir’s 20-minute performances will be broadcast via speaker to the shore.
Must Rock
The Buttcracker Takes Over the Erikson Theatre
(12/18 to 12/20, times vary) “Hair metal” songs ratchet up a bizarre holiday package very loosely based on the classic. Party on, Clara.
Must See
William Kentridge at Greg Kucera Gallery
(Through 12/24, times vary) The famed South African artist, known for his expressive, socially conscious animated films of his sooty drawings and erasures, shows a series of volatile collage etchings, large and small.
Must Shop
Seattle magazine’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide
‘Tis the season for giving. Browse our top local finds for him, for her, for home…for everyone.
Must Listen
Seattle Symphony Performs Handel’s Messiah
(12/18 to 12/20, times vary) A centuries-old December tradition, this venerated masterpiece is performed by the Seattle Symphony.
Must Go
Great Seats Left for Late-Night Showings of Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker
It’s the 10th anniversary for this provocative holiday performance and we’re told there are two 10 p.m. shows next week on December 21 and 22 that still have stellar seats left. Nab tickets here and get thee to the The Triple Door, stat.
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Studio Sessions: Jade Solomon Curtis
With an interest in how bodies retain memory, emotion, and experience, the award-winning choreographer and interdisciplinary artist Jade Solomon Curtis presents an immersive work at Seattle’s historic Union station.
Discover choreographer Jade Solomon Curtis and her immersive dance installation, Keeper of Sadness, at Seattle’s historic Union Station this August.
Northwest Tune-Up Bike and Music Festival Brings Big Air and Loud Sets to Bellingham
The three-day festival celebrates its fifth year with bike competitions and a genre-spanning music lineup—plus one unforgettable band of mummies.
If I were to summarize the sensation of attending Northwest Tune-Up, Bellingham’s three-day bike and music festival, in one image, it would be watching Tomomi Nishikubo—a Japanese street trials biker—doing acrobatic acts of derring-do on his bike while Seattle rockers Thunderpussy shred in the distance. My second lasting impression of the festival would be rounding…
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…