Seattle events from Jan 6-8 that won't cost more than $10.
by Stranger Things To Do Staff
The first full weekend of 2017 is already here. If it caught you by surprise, don't worry—we've compiled all of the events happening in Seattle this weekend that won't cost you more than $10 and require (almost) no advance planning. See them all below, including markets (like the Food Truck Round-Up at the Fremont Sunday Market and the Daybreak Pop Up Market), David Bowie celebrations (at Barboza and Naked City Brewery), a signing of Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal at Fantagraphics, and the Fourth Annual Big Ass Boom Box Festival. For even more options, check out our list of the 20 best movies playing this weekend or our complete Things To Do calendar.
Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile app—available now on the App Store and Google Play.
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FRIDAY
1. Beers for Birds Trivia
Peddler will host a free trivia night and donate a portion of your beer money to the Audubon Society. Drinking: it's for the birds.
(Ballard, free)
2. Black Aviation through World War II
Chris Hopkins and Guy E. Franklin will speak in conjunction with the exhibition of Hopkins's paintings of the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails, Silver Wings. Franklin, a Flint native, Air Force veteran, and expert on black airmen, will be on hand to share his knowledge of this under-known history.
(Everett, $5 suggested donation)
3. Candi Pop
If you own several glitter chokers and routinely take "Which Spice Are You" quizzes, the Candi Pop dance night at Neumos is for you. Free pizza from 9-10pm, and free entry before 10pm, with $10 entry after that. Feel free to embrace all your guilty pleasures and spread that unicorn rainbow boy band girl power magic around town.
(Capitol Hill, Free before 10 pm/$10 after)
4. Cloudburst Brewing Anniversary Party
On the occasion of its first birthday, Cloudburst is excited to offer lots of IPAs and barrel-aged brews, plus "Actual Food!" Enjoy Baywater Shellfish Co. and Brave Horse Tavern bites along with your pint(s). Also, "Loud Music!"
(Belltown, no cover)
5. Cry-Day Night Emo Dance Party
DJ Baby Van Beezly takes on the power genres of emo, screamo, and pop-punk with a DJ night share to get your feelings out. Throw on all those rubber bracelets you've been saving and head on out to Nectar for a loud and proud cry-fest.
(Fremont, $10)
6. Death & Taxes, Half Sister
As part of "Improv Month" in January, expect a silly night of improvisation featuring Death & Taxes alongside Half Sister.
(Greenwood, $10/$14)
7. Dusted with Syra St. James
New recurring drag night Dusted debuts at Kremwerk for the first Friday night of the year (and every first Friday of the month thereafter) with a headlining performance from Syra St. James, and opening numbers from Shay Fox, Shelita Potroast, Cannoli/Salvador, and Mongrel Annie.
(Downtown, $8)
8. Early's House
Nathan Alan Davis, winner of the Lorraine Hansberry Award, has written a new play about an isolated man, Early, and his veteran friend. The play will be staged and shown for free as part of The Other Season, a festival of new works.
(Seattle Center, free)
9. Gary Taubes: The Case Against Sugar
Put down your mocha frappe—Gary Taubes (Why We Get Fat) will speak about his 2016 book The Case Against Sugar, which exposes the sugar industry, the substance's detrimental health effects, and the influential lobbies working to keep it so popular.
(First Hill, $5)
10. The Good Wives, Keaton Collective, Moon Temple
Seattle indie party rockers The Good Wives headline a high energy show in the dark bowels of Barboza, with Keaton Collective and Moon Temple.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
11. Hellbat with Guests
Bass, organ and drum trio Hellcat makes clattering songs centered on randomness and comedic tragedies with a "wink to the absurd and a nod to the macabre."
(University District, $5)
12. Home Sweet Home, General Mojo's, Lowlands
Modern rock 'n' rollers Home Sweet Home combine improvisational instrumentation with up-tempo songwriting for a fiery live show act with bluesy Americana touches. They'll be joined by locally renowned psych-rockers General Mojo's and Lowlands.
(Ballard, $10)
13. Multiplicity
Poets Hailey Higdon, Bryant Mason, Daniel Owen, and Vinnie Sarrocco will read works addressing "the eternal formal concerns of being a poet." Brought to you by Margin Shift.
(Capitol Hill, no cover)
14. Night Fish, Cookin', Turbo Turkey
This performance—part of January's "Improv Month"—will feature comedic improvisation by NightFish, Cookin', and Turbo Turkey.
(Greenwood, $10/$14)
15. Party Against Patriarchy #4: Hardly Boys, Emma Lee Toyoda, Twice Nice
The Itchy B's, an intersectional feminist club out of The Center School, are throwing an all ages show featuring Hardly Boys, Emma Lee Toyoda, and Twice Nice, along with poetry, art, zines, merch and more. The evening's theme is "How To Be An Intersectional Feminist" featuring a guest speaker from Young Women Empowered.
(Seattle Center, $5)
16. Research ft. White Material
Research presents a night of adventurous dance music with a showcase of selectors and producers repping White Material, the "critically acclaimed label pushing the 'working man’s techno' sound." DJs for the evening include DJ Richard, Alvin Aronson, Cleanser, and DØD, and Succubass and Kinda in the Timbre Room.
(Downtown, $10)
17. Spin the Bottle
This is Seattle's longest-running cabaret and has seen just about everything—dance, theater, comedy, paper airplanes, tears, stunts, music, romance—from just about everyone.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
18. Squirrel Butter, The Lucky Shots, Rain City Ramblers, Chris Luquette
Join old-timey blues-folk duo Squirrel Butter at the Sunset with The Lucky Shots, Rain City Ramblers, and Chris Luquette for the album releases of both The Lucky Shots and Rain City Ramblers.
(Ballard, $10)
19. Winter Diversion
Hunt & Gather presents their second annual Winter Diversion, a chance to shake out the mid-winter blues with a veritable forest of sound and light. Featured DJs at the helm will be Michael Manahan, Doza, and Pezzner, with visuals and lighting by Pixelflip, and stage design by Celeste Cooning.
(Downtown, $10)
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
20. Fourth Annual Big Ass Boom Box Festival
Get wild at a free and all ages music fest that's now in its fourth year. This time around at Big Ass Boom Box Festival, enjoy live sets from a giant group of local and touring artists like The Hoot Hoots, Golden Idols, Vibragun, Bleachbear, Wild English, Season of Strangers, Skates!, DangerBird, John Dillon, Sleeping Lessons, Breakthrough in Field Studies, Actionesse, LocoMotive, and Christa Says Yay.
(Belltown, free)
21. New and Newer Festival
Ideal for anyone who longs for an update of the standard musical theater canon, this show delivers local actors singing new songs from new musicals, including "[title of show], Edges, Heathers, Wave, and many more!"
(Greenwood, $10/$14)
22. The Olson Brothers
Olympia's country boys Luke and Isaac Olson will sing about "dancing, partying, nature's beauty, ladies, love, big ass trout, beer, changing the world," and anything else that will make you dance.
(Green Lake, $5)
23. Winter Gymnastics Closing Weekend
Winter Gymnastics is a group show, a survey of works that pick up on the charms of a chill in the air, from Susanna Bluhm's large, thick, confectionary recent paintings of New York in snow to Doug Keyes's 2014 portrait of the artist Roni Horn as though she's seen through a block of ice, and stark-freezing photographs and paintings by Eirik Johnson, Mary Iverson, Robert C. Jones, Mark Thompson, Cable Griffith, Julie Blackmon, and Michael Kenna—plus works of historical photography by Marion Post Wolcott, Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz, and Jacques-Henri Lartigue. This is the gallery's first show after moving from its longtime Pioneer Square location up north to Lower Queen Anne, where it now sits on the same block as the great theater On the Boards. It's always worth it to show up for G. Gibson, whether it is conveniently located for you or not. And this gallery, the also-indispensable literary-contemporary-art venue INCA, and On the Boards are forming a vital little cultural bloc on that corner. JEN GRAVES
(Queen Anne, free)
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
24. La Traviata Previews
Professional singers and accompanists will offer you a sneak peak of Seattle Opera's La Traviata, Giuseppe Verdi's tragic and hugely popular opera about a lovelorn courtesan. The hour-long presentations will teach you opera basics and preview the story and music you'll see in the full production.
(Various locations, free)
25. Puyallup Home & Garden Show
If you own a house and are in the process of remodeling, landscaping, or simply redecorating, this show is for you. Learn about sustainable landscapes, solar energy, and more.
(Puyallup, $8)
26. To: Seattle | Subject: Personal Closing Weekend
There are two kinds of objects at a museum, the ones that are borrowed and the ones the museum has decided to commit to by owning them. That commitment is just about as “personal” a decision as a museum makes, and Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker, on the occasion of her departure as the Frye’s director last month, organized a show called To: Seattle | Subject: Personal, devoted entirely to works of art that have come into the collection of the museum, by purchase and by gift, since Birnie Danzker began in 2009. It’s her last hurrah of support for locally based, and locally born, artists, often working collaboratively, who address the social conditions of contemporary life. JEN GRAVES
(First Hill, free)
SATURDAY
27. 700 Saturdays
A live weekly funk improv party with Seattle stars like Tiffany Wilson, Thaddeus Turner, and others.
(Wallingford, $8)
28. Alex Ashley, Kara Hesse, Beth Whitney
Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alex Ashley will headline an intimate evening of smoky Americana storytelling through music on the Columbia City Theater stage with Kara Hesse and Beth Whitney.
(Columbia City, $8)
29. Arthaus 3.0: Bodacious Beach Party
Version 3.0 of Kremwerk's drag-queen battle royale/dance party is upon us. Teams of hilarious and artsy queens will compete for bragging rights, shade throwing rights, and the right to play puppet master at the following year's Arthaus series. As I predicted, Betty Wetter, Cookie Couture, Miss Americano, and Khloe5X of Halfway Haus won the series last year, and they'll be hosting and picking the themes this year. For this beach party, Haus of Misfit Sex Toys and Haus of Urchin will compete, with Halfway Haus hosting and performance by Cookie Couture, Betty Wetter, Americano, Old Witch, and Mal DeFleur. French Inhale will DJ. Drinks will be had. RICH SMITH
(Downtown, $5/$7)
30. The Bat City New Year's Hangover Bash with FCON, Dreadful Children, Missing Witness, and Grasp Logic
Get over 2016 and maybe 2017 too with this early-in-the-year bash to cure your holiday hangover and definitely give you a new one, with live sets from local punks and shredders like FCON, Dreadful Children, Missing Witness, and Grasp Logic, with smooth grooves from DJ Voodoo and DJ Coldheart in the lounge throughout the evening.
(Eastlake, $10)
31. Benefit For ReWA with Good Person Recordings
Reigning noise-punk live spectacle Health Problems played some of the fiercest and most memorable shows in Seattle from 2012 to 2015. Although not technically active, they still grace us with their freaky live presence when East Coast–dwelling bassist Dan Shaw returns to town; this is a rare chance to see their feral, finessed punk experimentation. Premier “powerviolence shoegaze” local champs Dreamdecay haven’t released anything since their excellent 2013 LP NVNVNV, but they recently previewed a track from their upcoming album on Iron Lung, YÚ, due out in early 2017. “Ian” is a certifiable slow-burner with a punishing, arty noise-rock atmosphere (their label quaintly refers to it as “dirge pop”). Seattle-based Casual Hex play Devo-esque, sass-filled, and dystopian punk songs as eerie as they are catchy. All proceeds from the show benefit ReWA, a local multiethnic, nonprofit organization assisting refugee/immigrant women and their families. BRITTNIE FULLER
(Hillman City, $10)
32. Chuck's CD 3rd Anniversary Party
Central District's popular beer store and dog-friendly hangout will fete its third year of purveying excellent beers from breweries near and far. Featuring special drafts from De Garde Brewing, Epic Brewing, Block 15 Brewing, and, of course, Fremont Brewing's Phantom Chair IPA.
(Central District)
33. Deacon Raleigh St James Band, Honor Hall, Full Life Crisis
Singer-songwriter Deacon Raleigh St. James plays music equally as a storyteller and guitarist. They'll be joined by their backing band, as well as Honor Hall and Full Life Crisis.
(Ballard, $6)
34. DJ Quest
Vancouver dance music scene stalwart DJ Quest will make his Seattle debut at an all-night set at the Cuff to kick off the bar's 2017 programming.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
35. Free Paramount Tour
Start your Saturday with an exploration of the old building, which opened in 1928 and probably houses plenty of histrionic ghosts.
(Downtown, free)
36. The Gateway Show
One: four comics on top of their mental game will do their sets. Two: these four comics get very, very stoned. Three: you watch the poor bastards attempt to tell more jokes while their brains swim around somewhere in the upper mesosphere. It's kind of like that experiment where they gave spiders THC and watched them make some pretty awful webs.
(Capitol Hill, $10 donation)
37. Heels To The Hardwood, Vicious Petals, Windoe
A night of new-boot-scootin Americana, blues, folk, and funk from Heels To The Hardwood, Vicious Petals, and Windoe.
(Ballard, $10)
38. Make Your Own Font Party
In just three hours, create an original font based on your own lettering/handwriting—they'll walk you through the process, and send you home with a Truetype file so you can start using your new font right away. They'll provide art supplies, font grids, and calligraphy and typography books. Bring your favorite pen.
(Ballard, $5-$10 Suggested Donation)
39. Martha Grover with Corinne Manning
Author and zine editor Martha Grover will speak about her book The End of My Career, in which she recounts the true story of her investigation into workers' comp claims. In their words: "Angry and heartbroken, brimming with the outrageous contradictions of the modern world, The End of My Career embodies the comic nightmare of our times."
(Capitol Hill, free)
40. NASTY
NASTY will amuse at this comedic improv showcase, part of January's "Improv Month."
(Greenwood, $10/$14)
41. Nice Thread: A Night of UK Club & Bass Music
Start the year off right with back to back sets of UKG, UK funk, 2-step, and hard bassline tracks from local selectors Canh, DJ Zai, Will Winston, DJ Leukos, Ｈｏｊｏ, and OLD ENGLISH.
(Downtown, $5)
42. Night Crush Two-Year Anniversary
A recurring dance party night for queers and their allies, Night Crush is a safe space for "qpoc, trans people, people of varying abilities, and all bodies." Enjoy jams on jams on jams from resident babe DJ Riff-Raff (with a special rotating DJ guest every month), a crew of dancers, and a whole queerio crowd ready to go buck.
(Downtown, $0-$20 until 11pm, $7 after 11pm)
43. Orphan w/ a Purse, Bonus Room
Watch comedy teams Orphan w/ a Purse and Bonus Room do their thing at this Improv Month event.
(Greenwood, $10/$14)
44. The Poet Is In
Claudia Castro Luna, Seattle's Civic Poet, will lead a workshop on writing about your neighborhood. They say, "No previous poetry writing experience necessary."
(Downtown, free)
45. Poison Idea, The Derelicts, Channel 3, Toe Tag, Millhous
Holy SHIT! Kings of punk Poison Idea are STILL going, and with Jerry goddamn A still fronting the band. The last time I saw them play live was their last Seattle show, when the original, re-formed 1980s lineup played their “last show” sometime in the late 1990s. But making tonight even more nuts, well-loved (by me, anyway!) early-’80s SoCal hardcore band Channel 3 are playing, too! They still got it, and from the pictures I’ve seen, most members still have their natural hair, as well! Rockin’ along on tonight’s sweaty, mossy mosh bill are locals the Derelicts, playing their punk version of rock and roll, Toe Tag with their raw, ’80s-sounding hardcore, and ’90s-style, metal-tinged hardcore from Millhous. MIKE NIPPER
(Eastlake, $10/$12)
46. The Post-Punks with The Smashing Flannels
New wave cover band The Post-Punks really painted themselves into a genre corner with their name so they just play what they know they would want to hear, and hopefully you'll enjoy their choice tracks too.
(University District, $5)
47. Rainier Rollergirls Bout 1: Roller Disco!
See a fierce and funky roller derby pitting Rainier Rollergirls against Misery Loves Company from San Jose. Enjoy a bake sale and beer at half-time.
(White Center, $10)
48. Shi Shi Mai Blessing
The Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple will perform a traditional lion dance blessing for 2017. Watch them chase away the bad spirits in the Wing Luke Museum lobby. This event is free, but admission to the Wing Luke galleries is still $15.
(Chinatown-International District, free)
49. SIN: New Year, New Date
This recurring DJ night at Kremwerk has fetish performances, drink specials, and dancing. SIN on January 7 will feature the talents of DJs Shane and Eyktan, spinning the best of EBM and Industrial, plus gogo-ing by Jade Dynasty Marco Marco.
(Downtown, $5)
50. Squall — Noise Happy Hour
Enjoy your post-work pre-social life cocktails with a backdrop of noise, industrial, and drone music in the sonic dungeons of Timbre Room, with music by Hashtag Tits, rEEK, Twin Sibling, and Squall resident DJ Maire.
(Downtown, $5)
51. Superblack Industrial Club
The Mercury wants to take you back to the days when industrial music was punk as fuck with crunchy D.I.Y. tones fueled by whisky and cigarettes. SVPERBLACK will take you back to these times with a selection of lusty grinders and classic stompers, with a dress code blacker than black.
(Capitol Hill, $5)
52. Tha Flight Boys Album Release Party
Hosted by Ceddy Ced, this album release party for hiphop collective Tha Flight Boys will feature new tracks from their latest effort Taking Off, with supporting sets from Huey P, Killzs, Foon, Mo$, Tre Ross, Web Wavvy, B-Boy Fidget, DJ Crescendo, and Mr. Xquisit.
(Fremont, $10/$12)
53. These People Here, ALKI, Among Authors
Brooding experimental electro-pop quintet These People Here lay the post-rock atmosphere on thick at Substation with ALKI and Among Authors.
(Ballard, $10)
54. Wuvable Oaf: Blood & Metal Signing with Ed Luce
Ed Luce follows up his adorable book Wuvable Oaf with a full-color sequel titled Blood & Metal. Here, you can hear him speak about the series, learn about the local metal and wrestling scenes, and buy signed copies of his works.
(Georgetown, no cover)
SUNDAY
55. 30 Americans Free Community Festival
It's your last chance to see 30 Americans, a showcase of work by African American artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kehinde Wiley, Glenn Ligon, Rashid Johnson, Nick Cave, and others—and before it leaves town, you can tour the exhibition and take part in celebrations for free. Help paint a mural, listen to Basquiat Bebop by the Stephen Griggs Jazz Ensemble, watch and participate in a dance performance, and more.
(Tacoma, free)
56. Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons, Simon Kornelis, Del Rey
Blues and folk duo Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons meet at the banjo/fiddle crossroads to make some very Northwest music together. They'll be joined by Simon Kornelis and Del Rey.
(Ballard, $8)
57. David Bowie Birthday Bash!
Celebrate the birth of our sweet Bowie with tribute sets from local indie dance rockers The West, Tinfoil and Tape, Black Giraffe, and Grey Waves, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit MusiCares.
(Capitol Hill, $8)
58. Daybreak Pop Up Market
Stash Pot Shop, Lagunitas, and Cedar Room are sponsoring a one-day community pop up. The goal is to gather small business owners with "educators, vendors, service providers, artists, and musicians" for post-holiday good cheer.
(Ballard)
59. Food Truck Round-Up #10
The first Fremont food truck gathering of the year! Come back to the neighborhood for scrumptious meals and treats from Beanfish, Tandoozy, A Bao Time, Nosh, Lumpia World, and more. Huddle next to the patio heaters for a cozier outdoor experience.
(Fremont, free entry)
60. Fraktured
Fraktured is a new Kremwerk night on Sundays centered on bringing the best in breakbeats to a Seattle audience, with drink specials like $1 beers and $4 shots. Enjoy sets by BNTY HNTR, James Steele, DJ Joe Matt & Sol, and Dot Diggler.
(Downtown, free)
61. Killer Ghost, Ah God, On Drugs, Horse Movies
Killer Ghost's sunny lo-fi soul-rock and roll will bring some much needed warmth to this winter at the Vera Project, with opening sets from Ah God, On Drugs, and Horse Movies.
(Seattle Center, $6/$8)
62. Loudmouth Cunts
The female-identifying comedians of Loudmouth Cunts will conquer the comedy stage with rude hilarity. This month, Natalie Holt will headline, flanked by Allison Lizotte, Monisa Brown, Lexi Haack, and Dewa Dorje.
(Capitol Hill, free)
63. The Man Who Fell To Earth with A Live DJ Bowie Soundtrack
The classic British sci-fi film The Man Who Fell To Earth, starring David Bowie in his first movie role, with Candy Clark and Rip Torn, will be screened alongside a synchronized DJ set of all Bowie tracks mixed live as the movie plays.
(Greenwood)
64. Mochi Tsuki: Bainbridge Island Japanese American New Years' Eve
To celebrate the new year, watch mochi being prepared the old-fashioned way, with wooden mallets used to pound steamed rice into a paste. Have a taste (by donation) and see a free taiko drum performance by the Seattle group Kokon Taiko. While you're there, check out the "Kodomo No Tameni" exhibit and memorial to Japanese American internees.
(Bainbridge Island, free)
65. Open Space Edition 13
A brief evening interlude of laying on the floor to contemplative music by candlelight, thanks to the dulcet tones of different local musicians each month. BYOCushionsPillows&Blankets, and be sure to silence your phones, shut your mouths, and take off those loud shoes you're always wearing.
(Fremont, free)
66. The Pizza Pulpit: Sir Coyler & His Asthmatic Band and Dynamite Nugget
This edition of The Pizza Pulpit (always free, all ages, and at the Back Bar of the Croc) features live sets from punky blues trio Sir Coyler & His Asthmatic Band, and garage-rocking good-timers Dynamite Nugget.
(Belltown, free)
67. Truth B Told
Onyx Fine Arts' 12th annual juried exhibit, Truth B Told, will reveal the truth about Black artists: their strength and fragility, the variety of their styles, and the uncategorizable nature of a broad, diverse group of artists. A section of the exhibit will focus on the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a labor organization that was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement.
(Pioneer Square, free)
68. Zealandia, Kool Stuff Katie, Guests
Ripping rhythmic group Zealandia make a whole lot of hot fuzz rock. They'll be joined by Portland garage rock duo Kool Stuff Katie and additional guests.
(Fremont, $6/$8) Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile app—available now on the App Store and Google Play.