The Must List: Pierogi Festival, Sonic Evolution & More
What to do this weekend and beyond in Seattle
By Seattle magazine staff May 12, 2016
Must Hear
Get Ready for Sonic Evolution: This is Indie
Friday (5/13, 8 p.m.) Filmmaker Bill Morrison joins forces with Bang on a Can cofounder Michael Gordon for a one-of-a-kind evening. Morrison uses archival Seattle footage as a backdrop for Gordon’s electrified concerto for virtuoso pianist and multimedia artist Tomoko Mukaiyama. Brooklyn-based composer William Brittelle presents a work that blends classical artistry with hip-hop forms while Seattle’s Fly Moon Royalty performs its unique mix of blues, hip-hop and electronica with new orchestral backdrops.
Must Hipp, Hipp, Hurra
Annual Syttende Mai Festival Kicks Off in Ballard
Tuesday (5/17, times vary) Scads of Scandinavians will march down Ballard streets for the annual 17th of May (aka “Syttende Mai”), a festival and parade celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day. Expect drill teams, marching bands, classic cars and plenty of “hipp, hipp, hurra”-ing. Uff Da!
Must Browse
Northwest Art Show at the Tacoma Art Museum
(5/14 to 8/21, times vary) The Tacoma Art Museum presents an exhibition of works from Northwest artists who were invited to submit work that illuminates how they are “actively responding to forces shaping our regional identity during this current wave of explosive growth and rapid rebound from the great recession.”
Must Bravo
Seattle Opera Presents The Flying Dutchman
(Through 5/21, times vary) Richard Wagner’s romantic tale of the cursed sea captain and his eternal search for a wife who might end his suffering concludes the Seattle Opera’s season. The production, by Christopher Alden, was originally created by the Canadian Opera Company.
Must Eat
Stuff Yourself at the Annual Pierogi Fest
Saturday (5/14, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Fill up on these doughy Eastern European delicacies at the annual food-filled fest from the Seattle Polish Foundation and Polish Cultural Center Women’s Club. Expect a mix of sweet and savory pierogis, workshops and Polish entertainment aplenty.
Follow Us
Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…
Studio Sessions: Sangram Majumdar
Working at the confluence of history, culture, and various painting traditions, UW associate professor Sangram Majumdar is one of this year’s Neddy Artist Award winners.
Discover the art of UW professor Sangram Majumdar, a 2026 Neddy Artist Award winner. Learn about his inspiration and upcoming Seattle exhibition at Cornish.
Rearview Mirror: A Georgian Dinner, Sidewalk Sips, and One-of-a-Kind Clothing
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
A new life for old clothes To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one…