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The Must List: Japanese Cultural Festival, Arcade Lights & More

What to do this weekend in Seattle

A glass with a logo on it sitting on a table.
A glass with a logo on it sitting on a table.

Must Taste
Pike Place Market’s Annual Arcade Lights

Friday (4/22, 7 p.m.) Head to Pike Place Market for the annual Arcade Lights Tasting Festival in the North Arcade. Enjoy a night of artisanal foods, beers and Washington wines. Indulge in unlimited snacks and use your five tokens to taste locally crafted drinks.

Must See
Trees in Bloom at the Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival

(4/22 to 4/24, times vary) Japanese cherry blossom trees only flower for a week or two for the entire year, so don’t miss your chance to peek at those pretty pink petals at the Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival. The festival began 40 years ago when 1,000 cherry blossom trees were given to Seattle by Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki. Enjoy live performances, taiko drumming, food and games during the two-day event at Seattle Center.

Must Listen
Seattle Symphony Performs Music from Romeo & Juliet and More

(4/21 to 4/24, times vary) Musical director Ludovic Morlot conducts the Seattle Symphony in an evening of Romantic music. On the bill is Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten’s Nocturne, Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Fantasy-Overture.

Must Hear
Author Teju Cole Reads at Town Hall

Thursday (4/21, 7:30 p.m.) The Nigerian-born author’s epic novel, Open City, draws on his heritage to tell the fictional tale of one man’s experiences in a post-9/11 New York. Cole’s most recent novella, Every Day Is for the Thief, follows a nameless protagonist as he returns to Nigeria, reflecting on his personal relationships and coming to terms with his past. He will discuss how his heritage has influenced his writing and creative process.

Must Watch
Velocity Dance Center Presents Karin Stevens

(4/22 to 4/24, times vary) This big-thinking Seattle choreographer presents (Re)Move: Back Toward Again the (Re)Turn Facing, a piece she describes as “a personal and earth exploration at the interchange of science, philosophy, art and the movements of spirit toward a (re)form of imagination for our time.” With music by Seattle’s Wayne Horvitz, Michael Owcharuk and Nate Omdal.

 

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

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

COOKING WITH ASTER PANTRY A few leaves turn, my inbox fills with fall festival pitches and cozy brunch menus, and suddenly I want to stay home with a glass of wine and cook. I love this nesting season, though I’m not ready to give up summer produce. Earlier this year, I wrote about Seattle chefs…

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

In its second year, the free festival brings 200-plus artists to a 20-block route September 19, with a secret garden and a former 7-Eleven stocked with art.

Most walks through downtown Seattle involve trying to get somewhere. On September 19, the crosswalk itself might be the reason to stop. Heap Troupe will turn a four-way crossing into a performance, one of dozens of encounters planned for this year’s WALKDONTRUN. The free, all-ages art walk stretches across more than 20 blocks. From 11…

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

For nearly 20 years, the Seattle artist and her husband have welcomed artists, writers, and musicians to a historic Montana schoolhouse. Now they’re searching for its next stewards. 

At her solo exhibition last year at The Vestibule, Seattle artist Ruth Marie Tomlinson presented a new series of work inspired by her close readings of British nature writer J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine and Icelandic author Sjón’s The Blue Fox. As if on sheets torn from a sketchbook, her pages included excerpts and outtakes of…

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

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

HOOKED ON KNOCKS Admittedly, I am late to this one. The Seahawks’ first season of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that follows NFL teams through training camp, premiered in August, but until last week, I had never heard of it. To be honest, my football knowledge starts with knowing what a touchdown is and doesn’t…