Celebrate Culture and Tradition at Seattle Center's TIBET FEST

The ancient and unique thrives at Seattle Center Festál: Tibet Fest, highlighting Himalayan arts, music and stories that express a cultural pride rooted in kindness, compassion and love, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28, at Seattle Center Armory and Fisher Rooftop.

Lively performances animate the 21st annual festival, sharing traditional forms and modern influences in Tibetan opera and yak, mask and tap dances. A vibrant marketplace offers Tibetan handcrafts, carpets, dresses, jewelry, home decor and other specialty items.

Festival-goers may observe the creation of an intricate sand mandala, explore Tibetan finery through a cultural fashion show, sample Tibetan momo (dumplings with meat, vegetable or cheese filling) and attend a demonstration on making this savory dish at home. Activities for all ages include a class on traditional Tibetan dresses, mandala coloring and screenings of kid-friendly films about Tibet.

As Seattle Center Festál prepares for a milestone in 2017, the 20th anniversary of this illuminating series of ethnic cultural events at Seattle Center, we celebrate the diverse arts, crafts, foods and family activities presented on weekends throughout the year. The 23 Festál events, organized by ethnic/cultural organizations in partnership with Seattle Center, form the bedrock of our free, public offerings, captivating and enlightening festival-goers as they experience the distinct cultures that influence the character and course of our broader community.

Seattle Center Festál is a program of Seattle Center Productions. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200. Learn more about Seattle Center Festál: Tibet Fest at www.washingtontibet.org.

Seattle Center Festál 2016, a collection of 23 cultural events presented on weekends throughout the year, highlights the diverse cultures and common threads of ethnic communities in our region with traditional and contemporary art, music, foods, youth activities, workshops, marketplaces and more. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, RealNetworks, 4Culture and ArtsWA. Additional support is provided by the City of Seattle and Seattle Center Foundation.