Made plans for your week in Seattle? Let us help. Our top events picks this week include the city’s brand new music fest, a big day of giving, and a flower festival for Mom.
MONDAY
Level up. Try out virtual reality games and mingle with locals in the industry at Seattle’s first virtual reality arcade. (Ballard)
Meet Seattle’s featured author. The Seattle Public Library picked “The Turner House,” a finalist for the National Book Award, as the book to read for this year’s citywide Seattle Reads program. Author Angela Flournoy will tell you all about it. (Columbia City)
TUESDAY
See podcasts come to life. Radiotopia, the producer of podcasts like 99% Invisible, Criminal, and The Memory Palace, is bringing live stories and music to the Moore Theatre as part of its first West Coast tour. (Downtown Seattle)
Learn why Seattle is a sanctuary city. Joaquin Uy of Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will fill you in. Come curious and ready to participate. (Rainier Valley)
WEDNESDAY
Give Big and learn why. It’s one of Seattle’s biggest fundraising days, when more than 1,600 nonprofits look for support from us locals to do what they do best. Grab lunch outside Town Hall and meet reps from local nonprofits who’ll share their stories. Want to give online? Find your favorite nonprofit to support here. (Town Hall Seattle on First Hill)
Play the Price is Right. A bunch of local breweries are partnering up to recreate the classic show. (Capitol Hill)
THURSDAY
Check out the big new festival in town. The Upstream Music Fest + Summit kicks off Thursday and runs through Saturday on 30 stages with a packed lineup and a ton of hype. (Pioneer Square)
Get pumped to go places. The Vertical World climbing gym is hosting a women’s speaker series, and reader Samantha Larson is talking about the trip she took to Mount Kilimanjaro with her family. (Magnolia)
FRIDAY
Admire recycled art. These Northwest artists took used stuff to make new stuff, and they’re showing it off. (Greenwood)
Turn the dance floor into a movement. Slay is a hip-hop party “for LGBT+, P.O.C. (People of Color) and the open minded people that support them.” (Capitol Hill)
SATURDAY
Get mom some flowers. The 9th Annual Flower Festival at Pike Place Market will have tulips, daffodils, irises, peonies, and more from 40-plus Washington state farmers. (Downtown Seattle)
Feast on Taiwanese deliciousness. The University of Washington’s Night Market features food from Taiwan and other Asian countries laid out between the campus’s Red Square and the Quad. There’ll be music, performances, the works. (The University of Washington)
SUNDAY — MOTHER’S DAY
Take her out. There are Mother’s Day brunches, lunches, and dinners galore all over town. Check OpenTable to see what’s available. (All over the city)
Get coffee, doughnuts, and beer. This party will close out Seattle Beer Week and introduce some new brews. (Ballard)
Watch the incoming Storm. The Seattle Storm play their 2017 home opener against the Indiana Fever. And since it’s Mother’s Day, kids get in free. Thanks to reader and fan Sara Kiesler for the tip. (KeyArena in Queen Anne)
Going to one of these events? We’d love to hear how it goes. Send us your thoughts and maybe a pic to [email protected] and we’ll share it back.