Must List: Five Fun Things to Do in Seattle This Week
Bumbershoot, divorce drama, cosmic art
By Seattle Mag August 28, 2025
Hi, this is a big weekend for Seattle.
Summer may be winding down—at least for students and parents—but the city’s still buzzing with PAX West and Bumbershoot, where Aurora and Janelle Monáe headline the stages. If you’re looking for something more low-key, there’s a gorgeous new SAM exhibition by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha, plus here’s a dispatch from Greenland and a look at rising ferry fares.
Tariqa Waters: Venus is Missing
Now-Jan. 4, 2026
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle artist Tariqa Waters transforms SAM into a cosmic mission, piloting her pink rocket ship through themes of vulnerability, resilience, and identity. Expect blown-glass barrettes, bold color, and surreal installations that blur pop culture and survival tools into one vivid, otherworldly environment.
The Play That Goes Wrong
Now-Sept. 28
Bagley Wright Theater, Seattle
$7+
A community theater troupe attempts a murder mystery and everything collapses in spectacular fashion. Set pieces fall apart, lines are flubbed, and chaos reigns in this hit comedy making its Seattle debut.
The Roses
Aug. 28-Sept. 4
SIFF Cinema Uptown, Seattle
$15+
Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman star as a seemingly perfect couple whose marriage spirals into chaos in this reimagining of The War of the Roses.
PAX West
Aug. 29-Sept. 1
Seattle Convention Center
$70+
The massive gaming convention returns to the Seattle Convention Center with four days of panels, tournaments, cosplay, and new releases. It’s part indie showcase, part industry preview—plus the legendary Omegathon finale keeps the stakes high.
Bumbershoot
Aug. 30-31
Seattle Center
$142+
Weezer, Janelle Monáe, Bright Eyes, Tank and the Bangas, Aurora, and Quasi join more than 100 acts at Seattle Center’s end-of-summer festival. Beyond the stages, Bumbershoot also brings comedy, fashion, food, and large-scale visual art installations across the grounds—plus a cat circus for good measure.
Visit our events calendar for more ideas.
Follow Us
Local Businesses Step Up Against Rising Hunger
As food insecurity grows, Seattle organizations respond with coordinated meal distributions and support.
Food bank visits are up 70% since 2019, and even with SNAP benefits reinstated, many families still struggle to keep food on the table. Costs continue to rise, donations have dipped as everyday expenses increase, and the loss of federal support has left a system that was already stretched pushed even further. “Right now, we’re…
Fave Five: Jazzy and Merry
From twinkling lights to Viking bonfires, here’s how to celebrate the season.
For me, it all starts when Lou Rawls sings. One song into Merry Christmas, Baby, and I’m ready to give in to the whirl of it all. Hearing it also means the pace is about to pick up, and sometimes it does feel like too much. But that’s just the holidays—the joy comes tucked inside…
Fave Five: Settling into Fall
Warm light, early sunsets, and the comfort of small adventures.
September and October are my favorite months in Seattle. It’s still lovely outside—plenty of sun—but the air is cooler. I find myself scanning the day for something good to do before dark: a last farmers market tomato, a long walk, or a reason to make soup. It reminds me of childhood, squeezing in one more…
Must List: Five Fun Things to Do in Seattle This Week
Sep 11 - Sep 17
A fall season opener, Taste of the Sound, Downton’s farewell
Fall is just about here, showing itself in the chill of early mornings and the fog that settles over the city. It’s the season when Seattle feels like the center of the art world. We dropped into Pioneer Square to catch fashion at its most fun during First Thursday Art Walk, rounded up this season’s…