Skip to content

The Must List: Westlake Holiday Market, Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship Festival and More

By Seattle Magazine Staff December 22, 2016

2016 Westlake Holiday Tree Lighting
2016 Westlake Holiday Tree Lighting

Must Shop
Holiday Market at Westlake Park
(Through 12/24, times vary) The perfect last-minute gift awaits you at the Holiday Market at Westlake Park, a festive, seasonal pop up market in the tradition of the Christmas bazaars of Europe. Organized by Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and Urban Craft Uprising, the market features unique works of art and special gift ideas created by 24 local artists and makers offering original photography, stationery, soap, jewelry, ceramics and much more. downtownseattle.com/holidays

Must Hear
Home for the Holidays at the Royal Room
(12/22, 12/26; times vary) Gather at the city’s south end jazz capitol with renowned jazz heads, up-and-coming soloists and exciting ensembles for two nights of this year’s 5th annual festive concert series, Home for the Holidays. Because nothing says Christmas like Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, and you’re guaranteed to hear a swinging version here. theroyalroomseattle.com

Must Cruise
Argosy Cruises Christmas Ship Festival
(12/23, 7 p.m.) On this culminating night of the festival (see website for other dates, times and stops at local parks), lit-up boats (and occasional lit-up boaters) from all over follow the Christmas Ship as it sails from the Kirkland City Dock through the Montlake Cut, Portage Bay and Lake Union, ending in a grand finale at Gas Works Park, where passengers and spectators will enjoy a choral performance. Gas Works performance at 8:45 p.m. argosycruises.com/argosy-cruises/christmas-ship-festival/

Must Listen
Straight No Chaser 20th Anniversary Tour
(12/27, 7:30 p.m.) Take one part male a cappella group, add 10-part harmony, stir in extraordinary music, shake ingredients with a sense of humor, carefully pour over a live audience and you’ve got Straight No Chaser—a live act that still packs a punch after 20 years. stgpresents.org

Must Humbug
A Christmas Carol/Inside a Christmas Carol
(Through 12/28, times vary) With Inside a Christmas Carol, ACT is offering a behind-the-scenes look at its annual theatrical classic with backstage tours of the Allen Theater (Saturdays only, through 12/24). Stay to watch Ebenezer Scrooge’s intervention. acttheatre.org

Follow Us

Spring Arts Preview: Visual Art

Spring Arts Preview: Visual Art

New exhibitions across Seattle offer plenty of reasons to spend an afternoon gallery hopping.

Pioneer Square’s First Thursday crowds may be getting the headlines, but the city’s visual arts scene stretches far beyond one neighborhood. From Belltown to Ballard to Capitol Hill—and even down to Tacoma—galleries and museums are presenting new exhibitions that reward a slow look. Here are the shows we recommend seeing this spring. Indira Allegra: The…

Spring Arts Preview: Theater

Spring Arts Preview: Theater

Stages across the region are hosting everything from intimate productions to beloved Broadway favorites.

This spring’s theater lineup runs the gamut—from a Tony-winning drama at Seattle Rep to a velvet-roped cabaret in Capitol Hill and the return of one of Broadway’s biggest musicals. These productions offer a look at the range of work happening on local stages right now. Hurricane Diane Written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George, Hurricane…

Spring Arts Preview: Dance

Spring Arts Preview: Dance

This season’s dance offerings put storytelling at their forefronts.

With all the recent buzz around Pioneer Square’s post-pandemic awakening, a lot of people are claiming that the arts are back. In our opinion, they never went away. Seattle’s dance community has continued building new work, from longtime local creators to internationally known choreographers. This spring brings returning classics, world premieres, and festivals highlighting artists…

Earthen Art-Rock

Earthen Art-Rock

Seattle trio Mt Fog’s music is, at turns, dreamy and feral.

There’s a concept in psychology called “nominative determinism,” where people may be drawn to pursue a career in a field suggested by their name—a substitute teacher named Mr. Fillin, or a polar explorer named Daniel Snowman, for example. It’s a condition that seems to mostly affect Batman villains (you can’t just name your child E….