Must List: Cask Beer Festival, Plate of Nations, DiveBar FilmFest

Your weekly guide to Seattle’s hottest events

By Chris VR & Gavin Borchert March 21, 2019

Beer glasses on the bar counter next to the old oak barrel

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MUST BREW

Cask Beer Festival
(3/23) Fremont, Kulshan and Postdoc Brewing are only a handful of 30 breweries from the Seattle area that will be pouring under the same roof for the Cask Beer Festival. The 20^th anniversary of the event features wood barrel-aged and wild ales for the first time in the event’s history. Without the inclusion of CO₂into the cask, each beer will remain true to the spirit of real ale. All attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass. Ticket sales help support local breweries. Times and prices vary. Exhibition Hall, Seattle Center, 301 Mercer St.; washingtonbrewersguild.org

MUST DANCE

Pacific Northwest Ballet: Director’s Choice
(3/15 – 3/24) PNB director Peter Boal is using his annual soapbox to introduce the company’s audiences to new work by rising choreographers. He has commissioned danced from Chicago-based Robyn Mineko Williams (“she lets the quiet spaces between movements color the work,” Dance Magazine observed) and Philadelphia’s Matthew Neenan (“He makes dancers look vulnerable, openhearted, and, above all, marvelously free,” said The New York Times). Third on the program is Justin Peck’s In the Countenance of Kings, set to music by Sufjan Stevens. Times and prices vary. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 321 Mercer St.; 206.441.2424; pnb.org

MUST WATCH

DiveBar FilmFest
(3/27 – 3/28) In the wake of closure of many of Seattle’s most beloved dive bars, the third annual DBFF strives to celebrate that same persistent, wonderful spirit through visceral short films from a myriad of international directors. There will also be a special screening honoring late writer Charles Bukowski, with select shorts and a secret feature-length film. Proudly supported by Jameson Whiskey, an elevated whiskey tasting will be one of the highlights of the extravaganza where guest can experience different variations of this famed Irish spirit. 7 p.m. $15. Locations vary. 206.519.7122. brownpapertickets.com

MUST RUN

Spring into Action Run
(3/23) As the flowers of Magnuson Park spring to life, it’s time for the more active among us to emerge. The March chapter of the Magnuson monthly series includes 5, 10 and 15k runs as well as the popular duathlon: a 2.5 mile run, 10 mile bike ride and a half mile sprint to the finish. A jovial day out at one of Seattle’s most picturesque parks, the Spring into Action Run is a great way to kick off the new season. Times and prices vary. Magnuson Park, Sand Point Way NE and NE 65^th St. magnusonseries.org

MUST TASTE

Plate of Nations
(3/22 – 4/7) At 20 restaurants in southeast Seattle, food lovers will have the opportunity to taste delicious fare from all parts of the world. Mexican-style huaraches, Vietnamese clay pots and Ethiopian combination platters are all on the menu. Created by a Cham Muslim refugee from Vietnam, Plate of Nations was formed with the ideal to shine awareness on independently-owned restaurants in the southeast Seattle community. Times, prices and locations vary; plateofnations.com