Must List: Seattle Cocktail Week, Octave 9 Open House, Penn Cove Musselfest

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MUST IMBIBE

Seattle Cocktail Week
(3/3 – 3/10) This annual full week of cocktail specials and events is any mixed-drink enthusiast’s dream come true. Be sure to check out the highlights, which include a Moscow mule contest, the Bartenders Brunch and the Cocktail District event, which brings the city’s best local spirits and bartenders together for a daylong “carnival of cocktails” with pop-up cocktail bars, tastings and more. Times, prices and venues vary. seattlecocktailweek.com

MUST VISIT GRAND OPENING

Octave 9 Open House
(3/3) A new home for inventive performances, educational programs and community engagement opens its doors for the first time this Sunday. A lavish grand opening ceremony and 45-minute open house are free for those with tickets, allowing visitors the opportunity to marvel at Octave 9, Raisbeck Music Center. The state-of-the-art setting aims to provide supreme conditions for musical performances thanks to its in-the-round seating and responsive video and acoustics. 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Free. Octave 9 Raisbeck Music Center – Benaroya Hall, downtown, 200 University St.; seattlesymphony.org

MUST RACE

Hot Chocolate 15k/5k
(3/3) Around here, we think chocolate makes everything better, including a morning run. Starting and finishing at the Seattle Center, likeminded chocolate lovers will venture on either a 5k or 15k course to Green Lake before returning to downtown. A stuffed goody bag includes a chocolate bar themed medal for 15k finishers as well as ample treats, which will be waiting for participants at the finish line. Times and prices vary. Seattle Center; hotchocolate15k.com

MUST WATCH THE LIGHTS

Nordic Lights Film Festival
(3/1–3/3) Seattle is a city with a rich Nordic heritage, and this film fest, now in its tenth year, gives Seattleites an opportunity to revel in quality films from the European North. The three-day festival will open with the award-winning Woman at War directed by Benedikt Erlingsson, a film depicting the story of Halla, a choirmaster, eco-terrorist and newly adoptive mother. Times and prices vary. SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N; nordicmuseum.org

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MUST EAT

Penn Cove Musselfest
(3/1–3/3) On the scenic shores of Coupeville, Whidbey Island, the Penn Cove Musselfest is a chance for locals and visitors alike to taste fresh, world famous mussels. The three-day festival celebrates the Pacific Northwest’s love of seafood, where mussel dishes are prepared by local chefs. Events include the mussel chowder tasting competition, cooking demonstrations and boat tours of the Penn Cove Mussels Farm. Times, prices and locations vary; thepenncovemusselsfestival.com