Fun, Festive And Free Activities Pack Summer At Seattle Center

Seattle comes together for fun, free and enriching summer experiences at Seattle Center. The season starts with Northwest Folklife Festival, over the Memorial Day weekend, and continues through the warm summer days of September. In between, Center visitors will find a plethora of free outdoor concerts, movies and fitness, along with community-wide festivals and summertime theater, dance and opera.

Visitors will also discover a variety of gardens and walkways offering poetry, plant life and outdoor art. They can listen to music in International Fountain, programmed partially to highlight campus activities, or dip their toes in more modest waterworks along the way. Children can test their climbing skills in Artists at Play or partake in summer classes and camps at Seattle Center resident organizations, while hungry visitors can stop in Seattle Center Armory for freshly prepared foods and virtual global travel at free weekend ethnic cultural celebrations. No two trips are alike.

Here are just some of the events and attractions at Seattle Center this summer:

Through Aug. 1: Poetry Garden Art Series, Jessica Ghyvoronsky, Korean and Army Flowers, presented in collaboration with Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, daily in the Poetry Garden. Seattlecenter.com/art. Free.

May 24-27: Northwest Folklife Festival, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. on Monday, throughout Seattle Center grounds. Nwfolklife.org. Suggested donation of $10.

May 31-June 9: Pacific Northwest Ballet, Themes & Variations. Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Pnb.org.

June 1-2: Seattle Center Festál-Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Armory and Mural Amphitheatre. Festalpagdiriwang.com. Free.

June 5: Ronan Farrow, presented by Unique Lives & Experiences. McCaw Hall. 7:30 p.m. McCawhall.com.

June 6-30: Behold the Dreamers, Book-It Repertory Theatre. Center Theatre. Book-it.org.

June 7-15: Whim W'Him presents This is Not the Little Prince. Cornish Playhouse. Www.whimwhim.org.

June 8: Seattle Center Festál-Indigenous People Festival, Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Armory and Mural Amphitheatre. Sihb.org. Free.

June 9: St. Jude Rock 'N' Roll Seattle (marathon and half marathon). Www.runrocknroll.com/seattle.

June 10: William Shatner presented by Unique Lives & Experiences. 7:30 p.m. McCaw Hall. Mccawhall.com.

June 15-16: Seattle Retro Gaming Expo. 10 a.m.-5 p.M. Fisher Pavilion. Seattleretro.org.

June 15-16: Seattle Center Festál-Festival Sundiata presents Black Arts Fest, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday, Armory, Mural Amphitheatre and Fisher Roof. Festivalsundiata.org. Free.

June 18: Ludovico Einaudi, Italian pianist and composer. 7:30 p.m., McCaw Hall. Mccawhall.com.

June 19-Aug. 21: Outdoor Circuit Training with November Project, 6:29 a.m.-7:15 a.m., location TBD. Free.

June 19-Aug. 21: Summer Fitness-Gentle Yoga, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Exhibition Hall Lawn. Free.

June 19-Aug. 21: Summer Fitness-Zumba Class, 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Tuesdays, Artists at Play Plaza. Free

June 19-Aug. 21: Summer Fitness-Meditation Class, 6 p.m.-7 p.m., Wednesdays except for July 4, Armory Loft 1A. Free. Learn more about Summer Fitness at: Seattlecenter.com/fitness.

June 21: New Event! Soulstice: Summer Kick-off at the Mural. 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Mural Amphitheatre. Free. Seattlecenter.com/soulstice.

June 22: Seattle Center Festál-Iranian Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Armory. Www.iaca-seattle.org. Free.

June 22: David Gray: Gold in A Brass Age Tour. 7:30 p.m., McCaw Hall. McCawhall.com.

June 22-June 23: Urban Craft Uprising, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Exhibition Hall. Urbancraftuprising.com. Free.

June 24-Aug. 11: Drama School and Summer Season at Seattle Children's Theatre, where kids perform and produce plays. Sct.org.

June 26: Enchanting China: An Orchestra Extravaganza. 8 p.m., McCaw Hall. McCawhall.com.

June 29: Seattle Center Festál-Spirit of Africa, 12 noon-8 p.m., Armory. Thespiritofafrica.org. Free.

June 30: Seattle PrideFest 2019, 12 p.m.-8 p.m., on the grounds. Seattlepridefest.org. Free.

July 4: Naturalization Ceremony at Seattle Center, one of the region's largest, 11 a.m., Fisher Pavilion. Free.

July 6: Robomagellan robotics competition. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Mural Amphitheatre. Westernalliedrobotics.com Free.

July 6-7: Seattle Bot Battles 17. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Armory. westernalliedrobotics.com Free.

July 6: The Vera Project presents Search Party, Elysian Brewing. 2 p.m.-10 p.m., Fisher Pavilion and Lawn. Elysianbrewing.com.

July 8-Aug. 23: Discovery Days Summer Camps, daily options, weekly themes at Seattle Children's Museum. Thechildrensmuseum.org/camp/summercamp.

July 8-Aug. 23: Creativity Camps and Teen Artist Workshops, with weekly activity options, at Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). Www.mopop.org//programs-plus-education/education/summer-camp-programs.

July 12-14: Seattle International Beerfest, 12 p.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 12 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday, Fisher Pavilion and Lawn. Seattlebeerfest.com.

July 13: Seattle Center Festál-Polish Festival, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Armory, Fisher Rooftop and Mural Amphitheatre. Polishfestivalseattle.org. Free.

July 19-21: Albert Lee Bite of Seattle, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday, throughout the Center grounds. Biteofseattle.com. Free admission.

July 22-Aug. 4: Seattle League of Arts, Art Show & Sale, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, Armory. Seattle-league-of-arts.homestead.com. Free.

July 27: Alaska Airlines SeaFair Torchlight Parade & Fanfest, 12 noon-6 p.m., grounds. Seafair.com. Free.

July 27- Aug. 24: Seattle Center Movies at the Mural, at dusk (9 p.m.), Saturdays, Mural Amphitheatre. Seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural. Free.

July 28: Shakespeare in the Park presented by Seattle Shakespeare Company's Wooden O, Romeo and Juliet at 2 p.m. and Twelfth Night at 6 p.m., Fisher Pavilion Lawn. Seattleshakespeare.org/woodeno. Free.

Aug. 2-23: KEXP & Seattle Center Present Concerts at the Mural, 5:30 p.m. Fridays at Mural Amphitheatre. Seattlecenter.com/concertsatthemural. Free.

Aug. 2-Nov. 2: Poetry Garden Art Series, Asia Tail, presented in collaboration with Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, daily in the Poetry Garden. Seattlecenter.com/art. Free.

Aug. 3: 4th Annual Seattle Sikh Turban Day, 1 p.m.-6 p.m., International Fountain Pavers. Sikhyouthassociation.org. Free.

Aug. 3-17, Global Playground, presented on Saturdays as part of Our Big Neighborhood in partnership with Northwest Folklife. 2 p.m.-5 p.m., Artists of Play. Www.nwfolklife.org/obn/globalplayground. Free.

Aug. 4: Russian-American Cultural Festival, 12 noon-6 p.m., Mural Amphitheatre. Russiasusa.org/victoryday_en. Free.

Aug. 10-11: Seattle Center Festál-Arab Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday. Armory Seattlearabfestival.org. Free.

Aug. 10-28: Seattle Opera, Rigoletto. Seattleopera.org.

Aug. 16-19: Seattle Tattoo Expo, 12 noon-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 12 noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Fisher Pavilion and Lawn. Seattletattooexpo.com.

Aug. 17: The Cuervo Tradicional Taco Takeover & Cocktail Competition 2019, 12 noon-9 p.m., Fisher Pavilion, Lawn and Rooftop. www.thetacotakeover.com/seattle-taco-takeover.

Aug. 18: Seattle Center Festál-BrasilFest, 12 p.m.-7 p.m., Armory, Mural Amphitheatre and Fisher Roof. Brasilfest.com. Free.

Aug. 24-25: Seattle Center Festál-Tibet Fest, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Armory and Fisher Roof. Washingtontibet.org. Free.

Aug. 30-Sept. 1: BumbershootÒ, opening at 1 p.m. daily, Friday-Sunday, throughout Seattle Center grounds. Bumbershoot.com.

Sept. 6-7: The Butterfly Lovers presented by American Asian Performing Arts Theatre. McCawhall.com.

Sept. 8: Seattle Center Festál-Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Armory, Mural Amphitheatre and Fisher Roof. Seattlelivealohafestival.com. Free.

Sept. 14-15: Seattle Center Festál-Fiestas Patrias, 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday, and 12 p.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, Armory and Fisher Pavilion. Seattlefiestaspatrias.org. Free.

To stay up to date on Seattle Center events and gain valuable information on our activities, people may sign up for Centerflash e-blasts at seattlecenter.com or follow Seattle Center on Facebook. Twitter and Instagram. For more information on the listed events and other summer offerings at Seattle Center, click on seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.

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