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The Must List: Folklife Festival, ‘Motown’ and Memorial Day Travel Spots

What to do this weekend in Seattle

By Seattle magazine staff May 26, 2016

A crowd of people standing in a grassy area near a stage.
A crowd of people standing in a grassy area near a stage.

Must Fest
Northwest Folklife Festival at the Seattle Center

(5/27 to 5/30, times vary) Memorial Day weekend brings Northwest Folklife to Seattle Center for its 45th year. The region’s demographics have changed over the years, and the festival has evolved accordingly, embracing a wider, more diverse spectrum of world music, dance and other performances, making it a more welcoming place for both Seattle newcomers and old-timers to celebrate their changing community.

Must See
Motown Musical Hits the Paramount Stage

(5/31 to 6/12, times vary) The Tony Award–nominated Broadway musical about Motown Records focuses, appropriately, on founder Berry Gordy’s journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson and countless others.

Must Listen
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley Welcomes Arturo Sandoval

(5/26 to 5/29, times vary) The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley welcomes 10-time Grammy-winning jazz trumpet master Arturo Sandoval for four nights and six shows. His band includes Rene Toledo on guitar, Dave Siegel on piano, John Belzaguy on bass, Johnny Friday on drums, and Richardo “Tiki” Pasillas on percussion.

Must Leave Town
8 Perfect Small Town Getaways

Hit the road this Memorial Day weekend and head toward one of these Northwest hamlets, all brimming with character, friendly locals, fantastic food and scenic views. They’re some of our favorite places to get away from it all.

Must Watch
ACT Presents Mystery of Love and Sex

(5/27 to 6/26, times vary) This contemporary coming-of-age story about two childhood friends who develop romantic feelings for one another as they go off to college was written by Bathsheba Doran (Boardwalk Empire, Masters of Sex) and directed by Allison Narver.

 

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