Your Ultimate PNW Events Guide

It’s been a jam-packed summer in the PNW, but August might take the cake. We’ve got Seafair, Bumbershoot, tons of live music, the Evergreen State Fair and the start of the 125th Washington State Fair.

You can pick a local block party, celebrate cultures or catch a free outdoor movie or concert. (There are so many of those last two items, we’ve got a whole separate guide you can find here.)

Here’s what to look forward to this August:

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Ships)

Experience the power and majesty of naval vessels up close with a tour. Lay on the grass and watch those crazy men in their flying machines. Marvel at the detail of people who love their cars more than you love yours.

Seafair Fleet Week
August 1- 3 / Pier 46, Seattle

Seafair (Air Show, Hydroplanes, Car Show)
August 1-3 / Genesee Park and Lake Washington, Seattle

Arlington SkyFest
August 15-17 / Arlington Airport, Arlington

All Ford Show & Mustang Round Up
August 17 / Accesso ShoWare Center, Kent

Wheels on the Waterfront
August 23 / Boxcar Park, Everett

LeMay Annual Show
August 30 / Marymount Event Center, Tacoma

Community Celebrations

No shortage of summer fun around the Sound, plus the start of the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe and the Washington State Fair in Puyallup.

Magnolia Summerfest
August 1-3 / Magnolia Playfield, Seattle

Lake City Summer Festival
August 2 / Various Locations, Lake City

South Lake Union Block Party
August 8 / South Lake Union Discovery Center, Seattle

Edmonds Block Party
August 8-9 / Civic Center Playfield, Edmonds

The Festival at Mount Si
August 8-10 / Si View Park, North Bend

Beacon Arts Street Fair
August 10 / Various Beacon Hill Locations, Seattle

The Cantanna Festival
August 16 / 5900 Lake Washington Blvd. S., Seattle

Snoqualmie Days
August 22-23 / Various locations, Snoqualmie

Celebrate Shoreline Festival
August 16 / Cromwell Park, Shoreline

Evergreen State Fair
August 21 – September 1 / Evergreen Stare Fairgrounds, Monroe

Snohomish Block Party at the Airfield
August 16 / Harvey Airfield, Snohomish

Olympia Harbor Days
August 29-31 / Olympia Waterfront, Olympia

Oak Harbor Festival
August 29-31 / Downtown Oak Harbor

Washington State Fair
August 29-September 21 / Washington State Fairgrounds, Puyallup

Blackberry Festival
August 30-September 1 / Bremerton Boardwalk, Bremerton

Games People Play

This month, treat yourself to a rodeo just so you can say, “Why yes, this IS my first rodeo!” Or you can enjoy a fun run that offers ice cream or beer at the finish line, among other things.

Seahawks Football Fest
August 2 / Lumen Field, Seattle

Boeing Classic
August 4-10 / The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie

Omak Stampede and Rodeo
August 7-10 / Various locations, Omak

Morton Loggers Jubilee
August 7-10 / 451 Knittles Way, Morton

West Seattle Glass Float Hunt
August 8-15 / Various locations

Sundae Runday
August 10 / Seward Park, Seattle

Dragonflight GameCon
August 22-24 / Bellevue Hilton, Bellevue

Enumclaw Pro Rodeo
August 22-24 / Enumclaw Expo Center, Enumclaw

Run for Beer
August 23 / Ravenna Brewing Co., Seattle

PAX West
August 29-September 1 / Arch Building & Summit Building, Seattle

Ellensburg Rodeo
August 29-September 1 / Kittitas County Fair, Ellensburg

Seattle Indies Expo
August 31 / The Motif, Seattle

Another Time, Another Place

From Renaissance faires to fairy fests and from UFOs to My Little Pony conventions, there is something for everyone. The world’s your oyster!

Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire
August 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 / Sky Meadows, Snohomish

Brigade Encampment
August 9-10 / Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Tacoma

Fairy Fest
August 10 / Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Burien UFO Festival
August 16 / Old Burien, Burien

Seattle Worldcon
August 13-17 / Seattle Convention Center, Seattle

Everfree Northwest (My Little Pony Convention)
August 22-24 / Hyatt Regency, Bellevue

Harvest Festival
August 23-24 / Camlann Medieval Village, Carnation

Music, Film and Theater

Lots of music festivals, Shakespeare in the Park, and the season’s biggie – Bumbershoot.

Watershed Country Music Festival
August 1-3 / The Gorge Amphitheatre, George

GreenStage Shakespeare in the Park
August 1–16 / Various locations

Seattle Shakespeare in the Park
August 1-17 / Various locations

Rainier Music Festival
August 2 / Ashford County Park, Ashford

Thing Festival
August 2, 9, 23 / Remlinger Farms, Carnation

Re/Evolution: Summerjam
August 6-10 / Darrington Music Park, Darrington

Olympic Music Festival
August 9-31 / Fort Worden Wheeler Theater, Port Townsend

North City Jazz Walk
August 12 / 15th Ave NE, Shoreline

Little Big Fest
August 15-17 / Whidbey Island Fairgrounds & Event Center, Langley

Bass Canyon Music Festival
August 15-17 / The Gorge Amphitheatre, George

South Sound Block Party
August 23-24 / Port of Olympia

Oak Harbor Music Festival
August 29-31 / Downtown Oak Harbor

Kitsap Blues Music Festival
August 29-31 / Kitsap Fairgrounds, Bremerton

Confluence Music Festival
August 31 / Confluence Park, Issaquah

Bumbershoot
August 30-31 / Seattle Center

Food n Drink

Eat, drink and be merry! Beer in Tacoma, wine in Bremerton, vegan fare in Seattle and all things garlic at the Washington State Garlic Fest in Centrailia.

Brew Five Three
August 9 / Tacoma Armory, Tacoma

Kitsap Wine Festival
August 9 / Harborside Fountain Park, Bremerton

River’s Edge Brewfest
August 9 / Stocker Fields, Snohomish

Vegan Street Fair
August 10 / Cal Anderson Park, Seattle

Chomp!
August 16 / Marymoor Park, Redmond

Tumwater Artesian Brewfest
August 16 / Tumwater Valley Golf Course, Tumwater

Washington State Garlic Fest
August 22-24 / Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, Centrailia

Poverty Bay Blues & Brews
August 23 / Normandy Park, Des Moines

Getting Crafty

If you’re like us, you’ve never been good at kite-flying. Do yourself and favor and watch the pros to see how it’s done. Need inspiration for your next tattoo? You’ll find it at Seattle Center. And watch artists at work at Everett’s Wet Paint art show.

Anacortes Art Festival
August 1-3 / Anacortes Creative District

Kite Festival
August 2-3 / Chambers Creek Regional Park, Tacoma

Glass Fest Northwest
August 9 / Museum of Glass, Tacoma

Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival
August 9-10 / Coupeville

Seattle Tattoo Expo
August 15-17 / Seattle Center, Seattle

Fresh Paint
August 16-17 / Downtown Everett

Smol Art Mart
August 16-17 / Magnuson Park Hangar, Seattle

Seattle Design Fair Block Party
August 16-21 / Lake Union Park, Seattle

Washington State International Kite Festival
August 18-24 / Long Beach

Arts in the Garden
August 22-24 / Bellevue Botanical Garden

It’s a Small World

This month, learn more about international traditions and maybe your own heritage. Highlights include Chief Seattle Days, the Lynnwood Luau, BrasilFest and the Waba Korea Expo & Festival. Plus, there’s a lot of good food to be found, too.

Bellevue International Festival
August 2 / Crossroads Park, Bellevue

Umoja Fest Africatown Heritage Festival
August 2-3 / Judkins Park, Seattle

From Hiroshima to Hope Lanterns Light
August 6 / Green Lake, Seattle

In the Spirit Northwest Native Festival
August 9 / Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma

Tibet Fest
August 9-10 / Seattle Center

Ananda Mela
August 9-10 / Redmond City Hall, Redmond

Othello Park International Festival
August 10 / Othello Park, Seattle

North Seattle Jewish Festival
August 10 / Victory Heights Park, Seattle

Chief Seattle Days
August 15-17 / Downtown Suquamish

Lynnwood Luau
August 16 / Lynnwood Event Center, Lynnwood

Cajun & Creole Fest
August 16 / Burlington Green Park, Kent

Africatown Soul on the Water
August 16 / Pier 62, Seattle