Must List: Seattle Wine and Food Experience, Chilly Hilly, Wintergrass Music Festival

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events.

By Seattle Magazine Staff February 22, 2018

MUST INDULGE

Seattle Wine and Food Experience

(2/22-2/24) One of the city’s premier culinary events, Seattle magazine’s three-day festival of food and beverages begins Thursday with Comfort, an expo of artisanal comfort food, such as mac and cheese and fried chicken, complemented by local beer and cider and specialty cocktails. That’s followed by Pop! Bubbles & Seafood on Friday, highlighting national and international sparkling wines and a locally sourced oyster bar. Cap it off with Saturday’s Grand Tasting, featuring wines from around the world, and local, chef-driven small bites, for an unforgettable weekend. Times, prices and locations vary. seattlewineandfoodexperience.com

MUST RIDE

Chilly Hilly

(2/25) Living up to its name, this dead-of-winter bike tour features 2,191 feet of vertical gain on a 33-mile course around Bainbridge Island, followed by a chili feed benefiting local nonprofits. Registration fees help Cascade Bicycle Club advocate for bike safety and infrastructure. Take the ferry from downtown Seattle with the group or queue up on Bainbridge—there are official start lines in both locations. 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Prices and start locations vary. cascade.org

Photo via Cascade Bicylce Club Flickr

MUST CONTEMPLATE

Search for Meaning Festival

(2/24) The eternal human quest for fulfillment and the good life brings together more than 50 authors and artists—including Seattleites Robin DiAngelo, Ph.D., who studies white racial identity, and Christopher T. Bayley, J.D., author of Seattle Justice—to ruminate on topics ranging from social justice to spirituality. A pop-up shop with author signings, art exhibits and a theatrical performance of The Madwoman of Chaillot by Jean Giraudoux round out the event. 8 a.m.–6 p.m. $15. Seattle University, First Hill, 901 12th Ave.; 206.296.5620; seattleu.edu

MUST EXPERIENCE JAZZ

Back to the Block: A Theater and Jazz Experience

(2/24) Local artists take you back to the era of jazz in the Central District in this immersive experience. Listen and engage with performances and monologues based on the MOHAI exhibition Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith. Tickets include a complimentary beverage and hors d’oeuvres. 7 p.m. –8:30 p.m. $15 for MOHAI members, $20 for general public. Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, Central District, 104 17th Ave. S; 206.684.4758; mohai.org/event/back-to-the-block-a-theater-and-jazz-experience

Image via mohai.org

MUST FIDDLE

Wintergrass Music Festival

(2/22-2/25) The annual Wintergrass Music Festival is celebrating 25 years of bringing bluegrass west of the Rockies. Four days of local and national bluegrass bands performing, dancing and impromptu jam sessions, so you better bring your fiddle along. Plus, there will be karaoke and educational workshops on playing bluegrass. Make sure your cowboy boots are ready to dance and play the weekend away. Prices and times vary. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Bellevue, 900 Bellevue Way NE; wintergrass.com