The month of August sees expanded in-person activity at Seattle Center, while some outstanding virtual happenings also take place. The outdoor and limited indoor gatherings present live music, cinematic entertainment, operatic drama, interactive experiences and learning opportunities. Here is our list of things to do virtually (V) and in person (IP) at Seattle Center during August.
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Seattle Center Festál Presents Music at the Mural (IP)—This new curated series, highlighting multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-rhythmic world sounds, launches Aug. 15 at Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center. The Sunday noontime concerts will include the groups La Cantina, Eduardo Mendonça & Show Brazil!, Sistas Rock the Arts, Guzo Band, Ghost Horse, Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano and The Djeliyah Band featuring Kouyate Arts through Sept. 12. Learn more at http://www.seattlecenter.com/.
Seattle Center Festál (V)—The series, presented in partnership with local organizations, highlights ethnic and cultural communities in our region, presented virtually in 2021 with music, dance, spoken word, workshops, discussions and opportunities to learn about their traditions and histories. Seattle Arab Festival, Aug. 12-15, BrasilFest, Aug. 22, Tibet Fest, Aug. 28. Information and event links at www.seattlecenter.com/festal.
Seattle Center Movies at the Mural (IP)—The five-week outdoor Friday and Saturday night movie series launches July 31 with The Princess Bride on a 40-foot screen, 9 p.m., Mural Amphitheatre at Seattle Center. View the line-up and to learn more click here.
Summer Fitness (IP)—Seattle Center continues Workout Wednesdays through Sept. 8, with Gentle Yoga at 11:30 a.m., Exhibition Hall Lawn, and Zumba® Class at 6:30 p.m., Fisher Pavilion Roof. All ages and abilities are welcomed. Classes are free of charge. To learn more click here.
AN/T Gallery, a volunteer-driven visual arts cooperative in International Fountain Pavilion, mounts its August Community Show (IP) Aug. 3–27. Opening reception is 6 p.m.–9 p.m., Aug. 7. To learn more at here.
Chihuly Garden and Glass (IP) celebrates our region’s creative energy and inspiration through the artistic lens of glass artist Dale Chihuly. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.– 6 p.m., Sunday–Thursday and 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Friday – Saturday, through Aug. 31. Elevate Clean protocols are in effect. Information and tickets click here.
Classical KING FM (V) continues its 10 a.m. Saturday broadcasts of past Seattle Opera productions in August at 98.1 on the FM dial with: Tosca, Aug. 7; I puritani, Aug. 14; Aida, Aug. 21 and Parsifal, Aug. 28. To learn more click here.
Disco Donnie Presents (IP) team ups with Upper Left in Seattle to present one of the first outdoor live music event at Seattle Center since the since the pandemic began, 2 p.m.–8 p.m., Aug. 15, at Fisher Pavilion. The stellar lineup of music and entertainment includes Diplo, Dom Dolla, Walker & Royce, VNSSA, LP Giobbi and Subset. Tickets for this 21+ event are on sale now! More here.
KEXP presents Refill Live: A Block Party Benefit Concert & Live Stream, 4 p.m.–9 p.m., Aug. 15, an outdoor benefit concert that shuts down a whole block at 9th Ave N and Thomas St. The free and open-to-the-public event features a packed lineup of local Seattle artists. The event also live streams on KEXP’s YouTube channel. Refill launched in 2020 to help the local arts community during the pandemic. This year, it benefits The Vera Project’s Equip The Kids program that helps young artists get access to training and support needed to create their art and join the creative economy. Donations, which began on July 28, continue through the event. To learn more and donate click here.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is open 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Mondays–Fridays; 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Advance ticket purchasing is encouraged. Rise Up!/MELTED RIOT Movement Workshop (V) with Fox Whitney and Gender Tender, 5 p.m.–6 p.m., Aug. 18, celebrates MoPOP’s latest exhibition, Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement. The workshop is offered in partnership with artists Fox Whitney, Gender Tender and additional collaborators, for all levels of movers interested in engaging in the improvisational choreographic processes informed by resting/rioting, whispering/ screaming, the Rise Up exhibition and the nation’s history of protest. To learn more and register click here.
Pacific Science Center continues to spark curiosity and inspire scientific learning for all ages. General public tickets go on sale Aug. 9 for HOCKEY: Faster Than Ever (IP), a highly interactive exhibition exploring the science, history and culture of hockey, making its world-premiere at PacSci this October. Virtual Planetarium Summer Skies (V),2:30 p.m., Aug. 11 (PacSci members only) and 1 p.m., Aug. 17, invites participants to search the summer sky for constellations, planets and more as they discover what’s special about this season and find answers to their star gazing questions. Become a Wildlife Scientist (V), 10 a.m., Aug. 12 (members only) and 10 a.m., Aug. 20, allows participants to increase their wildlife scientist skills by sharpening their observations of wildlife clues on a virtual hike, where they also can practice identifying some of the feathered species common to the Pacific Northwest. To learn more click here.
Registration is now open for in-person classes at Pottery Northwest. Here’s a list of August offerings: Slab & Score – Soft Slab Building Basics (IP), Aug. 12–Sept. 2; Primitive Firing at PNW (IP), Aug. 8–29; Throwing Basics (IP), Aug. 14–Sept. 4; Coil the Bit–Make a Mini-Moon Jar (IP), Aug. 12–Sept. 2 and Glazing 101 at PNW–pre-recorded. To learn more and register click here.
Rainbow City Performing Arts, which envisions a world that promotes healthy attitudes about being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied, invites the community to join in an All Seattle Pep Rally (IP), 6 p.m., Aug. 22, on the Fisher Pavilion Apron, to celebrate the joy of music in a marching band and SpinOUT color guard performance. To learn more click here.
Seattle Children’s Theatre—Summer@SCT (V/IP) offers a broad range of summer camps and classes with SCT partners and its community. Learn more and view the remaining summer schedule of improv, drama, comedy, technical/behind-the-camera options click here.
Join Seattle Opera, 7 p.m., Aug. 28, on Fisher Pavilion Lawn, for an outdoor Welcome Back Concert of Die Walküre (IP). An internationally renowned cast joins a full orchestra of Seattle Symphony musicians, led by conductor Ludovic Morlot, for an abridged version Richard Wagner’s epic opera. Tickets are now on sale, so grab your picnic blanket and get ready to join the ride of the Valkyries! Information and tickets click here.
Seattle Rep (IP) offers a free outdoors gallery, PhotoWalkSeattle, sunrise to sunset through the summer near the Rep’s entrance at Mercer St and 2nd Ave N. The world-class photojournalism, presented in partnership with PhotoWalkSeattle, honors Juneteenth and civil rights activism. For more information click here.
SIFF Cinema continues to offer opportunities to discover extraordinary films from around the world. Viewers can find eclectic programming available virtually on-demand either on the SIFF Channel or distributor VOD. Check out the current lineup and learn more click here.
Space Needle (IP)—Hours are 9 a.m.–11 p.m., July 2–Aug. 31. Elevating Clean protocols remain in place including mask requirements. Information and advance tickets click here.
To learn more about virtual and in-person activities at Seattle Center this month and beyond, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200.
About Seattle Center:
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations that reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract over 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.
