SPECIAL EVENTS
May 22–25Northwest Folklife Festival[1]In an age of increasingly corporate festivals, there’s something refreshingly anachronistic about Northwest Folklife. Seattle Center comes to life over Memorial Day weekend as this street fair on steroids bustles with the energy of world music, vendors, crafts, buskers, food, and family entertainment. Seattle Center, Free (Donation suggested)
Thru June 7Black Box FestivalBlack Box serves as a small-scale SIFF for the type of art films normally reserved for museum spaces. The free festival features over 70 shorts and features from artists around the world. Take the plunge and discover experimental and cutting-edge cinema that will never show up at a cineplex. Various locations, Free (Register for tickets)[2]
May 22–25Sasquatch! Music FestivalAfter a failed attempt to expand to two weekends in 2014, Sasquatch! Music Festival returns once again as a four-day Memorial Day weekend blowout. Modest Mouse, Kendrick Lamar, and Robert Plant headline the action with plenty of lesser-known gems (Angel Olsen, Will Butler, Courtney Barnett) scattered throughout the loaded lineup of Gorge goodness. Gorge Amphitheatre, George, $350[3]
THEATER
Thru July 3Cabaret[4]The year is 1931, a time when Berlin is transitioning from an avant-garde cultural hub to the beginnings of the Nazi Party. At the seedy and sizzling Kit Kat Klub, Sally Bowles is a promiscuous cabaret performer and utterly lost soul looking for a life of glory and fun. With a score of songs that have become American theater classics, Cabaret is a story about pushing boundaries, following your heart, and leaving your troubles at the door. Village Theatre, Issaquah, $39–$67
May 22–3014/48: Mixtape[5]While the 14/48 theater festival offers a thrilling burst of creation each year when it turns out 14 plays in 48 hours, most never see the stage again; 14/48: Mixtape remedies that, as each of the show’s four days features a different director curating seven of their favorite short plays from festivals past. That means the option exists to take in 28 plays over Mixtape‘s two weekends. Really, each production is more of greatest-hits album rather than a mixtape. 12th Avenue Arts, $20–$25
FILM
Sat, May 23SIFF 2015: Faces of Yesler Terrace[6]Decades after the construction of the Yesler Terrace, Washington state’s first racially integrated housing development, the Seattle International Film Festival presents the documentary Even the Walls and short film Hagereseb as part of its Faces of Yesler Terrace program. Set against the backdrop of the city’s rapid gentrification and changing demography, these works by Seattle filmmakers visit moments in the past and present to tell Yesler’s stories. Harvard Exit Theatre, $13
May 24–28SIFF 2015: VincentVincent is perfect for those moviegoers who feel burnt out on Marvel blockbusters but still love the idea of superpowers. The French film follows the titular Vincent (actor, writer, and director Thomas Salvador), a slim countryside-wandering vagrant who gains superhuman strength and athleticism whenever drenched in water. Essentially, he’s a more literal Aquaman. Soon after landing a construction job, he meets Lucie (Vimala Pons) and falls in love. Everything goes great for the couple until an incident at work sends their lives spinning. Vincent is everything American superhero movies aren’t: quiet, shy, sparse, ground, character driven, and devoid of CGI spectacle. SIFF Cinema Uptown, $13[7]
THE SPORTING LIFE
Sat, May 23Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City[8]The Sounders look to get a three-game home stand off on the right foot when they take on two-time MLS Cup champs Sporting Kansas City. Sounders star Clint Dempsey comes in riding an eight-game streak with either a goal or an assist and could tie the MLS record if he notches a point in each of the upcoming home matchups. CenturyLink Field, $30–$195
COMEDY
May 21–23Nikki GlaserNikki Glaser can turn from effervescent to comically cutting in the blink of an eye, and it’s a delightful thing to see firsthand. Whether as a host of the short-lived MTV talk show Nikki and Sara Live!, popping up on Inside Amy Schumer, or as one of the best @Midnight contestants, Glaser consistently delivers laughs with wonderfully blunt force. Parlor Live Seattle, $20–$30[9]
FOOD & DRINK
Mon, May 25Free Burger Day at Li’l Woody’s[10]Li’l Woody continues its annual tradition of Memorial Day customer appreciation by giving away free burgers from 2 to 5pm at its Ballard and Capitol Hill locations. There’s a one-burger-per-customer limit, and additional toppings cost extra. As always, this Li’l Woody’s event draws a huge crowd, so get there early to avoid long lines. Li’l Woody’s, Free
References
- ^ Northwest Folklife Festival (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Black Box Festival (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Sasquatch! Music Festival (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Cabaret (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ 14/48: Mixtape (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ SIFF 2015: Faces of Yesler Terrace (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ SIFF 2015: Vincent (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Nikki Glaser (www.seattlemet.com)
- ^ Free Burger Day at Li’l Woody’s (www.seattlemet.com)
