Food & Drink

Must List: National Parks Fee-free Day, Nordic Sól, SAM Remix

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events

By Lauren Alexander, Gavin Borchert & Chris Robinson August 22, 2019

iStock-673180358

Love the Must List? Get it right in your inbox. Subscribe.

MUST GET OUTSIDE

National Parks Fee-free Day
(8/25)
As the National Park Service celebrates its 103rd birthday, more than 400 locations throughout the United States will open their gates free of charge. In Washington state, Mount Rainier, Olympic, Fort Vancouver, and Lewis and Clark national parks will waive their fees for this celebratory date. Times vary. Free. Locations vary. nps.gov

MUST SEE

Nordic Sól
(8/22-8/25)
The National Nordic Museum presents this new summer showcase of Nordic culture with the goal of featuring a different region each year. For the inaugural event, the Arctic is in the spotlight. The weekend’s events include special lectures; an Arctic hip-hop show, featuring eight young indigenous artists creating urban music in their native tongues; and Night at the Nordic, where guests have the opportunity to taste their way through the Arctic region, sampling food and drinks (such as aquavit) and discovering the latest Arctic fashion. Times and prices vary. 2655 NW Market St.; 206.789.5707; nordicmuseum.org/nordicsol

MUST GET ARTSY

Georgetown Design Crawl
(8/22)
Part of the Seattle Design Festival, this neighborhood art crawl is something to keep in mind if you’re looking to indulge your creative side. Local artists are opening their studios to the public, so take a gander at their work then move on to exhibits and interactive art activities at Equinox Studios and Ten Penny Studio. When your tank gets low, fuel up on food and drink before heading to the after-party at the Photon Factory, a function that’ll function ‘til midnight, celebrating artistic expression in a 100-year-old warehouse—standard procedure, of course. 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free. Georgetown, various locations; 206.448.4938; designinpublic.org

MUST MIX IT UP

SAM Remix
(8/23)
When the sun stays up late and the temp stays warm, you want to get outside on a summer evening and take advantage of it. The Seattle Art Museum knows this, and provides live entertainment and dancing in its sculpture park as further incentive. While there, check out the PACCAR Pavilion’s current exhibit: Brazilian artist Regina Silveira’s “Octopus Wrap” installation; she’s laid enormous tire tracks around the pavilion’s walls. Vroom vroom! 8 p.m. Prices vary. Olympic Sculpture Park, downtown, 2901 Western Ave.; 206.654.3100; seattleartmuseum.org

MUST LOVE MUSIC

Thing
(8/24-8/25)
Adam Zacks, founder and programmer of the Sasquatch! music festival, which ended its 17-year run last summer, has put together a lavish lineup for the debut of this more grown-up replacement. On the bill are the Violent Femmes, Jeff Tweedy, John C. Reilly, Lindy West, Natasha Lyonne, Kate Wallich, “Napoleon Dynamite Live!” with Jon Heder and scads more. 1 p.m. Prices vary. Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend, 200 Battery Way; stgpresents.org

MUST TUNE IN

The Head & The Heart Live from Pike Place Market
(8/25)
Amazon Music is presenting a homecoming show for The Head & The Heart atop the historic and, certainly iconic Pike Place Market, making this the first time the band has performed in Seattle since releasing their Living Mirage album. The show will be livestreamed on Amazon Music, as well as the band’s Facebook and Twitter accounts—so if you can’t make it in person, there’s alternatives. Tune into hits like, “Missed Connection” and “All We Ever Knew” as Pike Place and First Avenue close off starting at 5 p.m., keeping auto disturbances off the evening’s agenda. 7 p.m. Free. Pike Place Market, Downtown, 85 Pike St.; Facebook event page

MUST CHEERS FOR SUMMER

West Seattle Beer & Music Fest
(8/23-8/24)
Come celebrate craft brews and local tunes at this perfect end-of-summer event. Featuring more than 40 tasting varieties from 20 different brewers and distillers, this fest’s forecast won’t be dry. Some of our favorite breweries—Deschutes, Fremont and Future Primitive—are making an appearance while musical acts including the soulful Fly Moon Royalty, Marmalade and DJ Indica Jones keep the crowd entertained. After the fest, head over to the #NotDoneYet after-party for more music and beverages. This is a 21 and older event. Times and prices vary. Alki Masonic Hall, West Seattle, 4736 40th Ave.; westseattlebeerfest.com

MUST HAVE-A-LOOK-SEE

Summer Pop-up Deck at Smith Tower 
(Through 9/30) This is something we’ll all have to make it to—at least once—before the warm days come to an end. This pop-up rooftop deck at the Smith Tower isn’t permanent but is exactly what we all need to appropriately wrap up summer and dwell on all the things we wished we had done, but didn’t, over the past few months. There’s a bar up there too, so you can accompany your thoughts with a drink and soak up those clear skied, cityscape views until the sun goes down. This is a 21 and older event. 4 p.m. – dusk. $5. Smith Tower, Pioneer Square, 506 Second Ave.; 206.624.0414; smithtower.com/lookout.php

Follow Us

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Short poems on sustainability will crop up across the city in April

Poetry installations will appear across Seattle starting April 1 as part of the city’s Public Poetry campaign...

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Seattle's art scene is embracing more voices and viewpoints than ever

Seattle has become something of a hot spot for diversity in the arts...

The Power Of Quitting

The Power Of Quitting

Giving something up is never easy, especially because society rarely rewards such behavior

I’m not a quitter... llustration by Arthur Mount

Selling Seattle

Selling Seattle

New effort from Visit Seattle showcases the city’s stunning beauty

Visit Seattle’s new three-and-a-half-minute destination video is worth bragging about...