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Must List: Capitol Hill Block Party, Seafair Pow Wow, Sequim Lavender Festival

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events.

Father John Misty
Father John Misty

MUST ROCK OUT

Capitol Hill Block Party & JamFest
(7/19–7/22) Kick off a weekend of tunes Thursday with JamFest, a music showcase held throughout the Chinatown/International District. This year you’ll hear sounds from The Voice’s Siahna, all-girl teen rock trio Bleachbear and more. Party further on over at the annual Capitol Hill Block Party, featuring six stages filled with local and national acts, including Father John Misty, Alvvays, PARISALEXA and many more. Times, prices and locations vary. capitolhillblockparty.com; wingluke.org


Photo via Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center Facebook page

MUST EXPLORE

Seafair Pow Wow
(7/20–7/22) Presented by the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, this annual Seafair event brings the community together with the drumming and dancing of more than 500 performers in traditional regalia, along with Native American cuisine (your must try: frybread) and artisans selling handcrafted jewelry, art and crafts. Times, prices vary. Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Magnolia, Discovery Park, 5011 Bernie Whitebear Way; 206.285.4425; unitedindians.org

MUST LOVE WATER

Waterland Festival
(7/21–7/22) Seafair continues just south of Seattle at the annual Waterland Festival in Des Moines Beach Park. This family-friendly fest features a children’s carnival, a parade and a classic car and wooden boat show. A new element this year, Art in the Park, brings local artists and their work (for sale) into the festivities. Times, prices vary. Des Moines Beach Park, Des Moines, 22307 Dock Ave. S; seattlesouthside.com

MUST INHALE

Sequim Lavender Festival
(7/20–7/22) The 22nd annual festival celebrating this fragrant, purple herb features a pet-friendly street fair that includes more than 150 booths filled with crafts, dried lavender (and crafts made with dried lavender). Music, a food court (with lavender ice cream, of course), self-guided farm tours and more round out the fun. Free. Times vary. Carrie Blake Park, Sequim, 202 N Blake Ave.; lavenderfestival.com


Courtesy of Downtown Seattle Association

MUST LISTEN

Downtown Summer Sounds
(Through 8/31) Formerly known as Out to Lunch, this free lunch hour live music concert series returns for its 40th year. Brown bag it and head over to local parks and plazas for local music from The Black Tones, The Dusty 45s, PARISALEXA, Bleachbear, Prom Queen and many others. Free. Times and locations vary. cdn.downtownseattle.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…