Through Sept 24


recommended Washington State Fair

The Washington State Fair will showcase big-name musical performers like the Beach Boys, Hank Williams Jr., Modest Mouse, Earth, Wind and Fire, and others, but that's only a part of the festivities. There are also rides, a rodeo, variety and music shows included in admission, and lots more.

Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, $14-$100



Sept 8–10


5th Annual San Gennaro Festival

Enjoy three days of food, traditional and pop music, crafts, and kids' activities.

1225 S Angelo St, free


IMAGINE: Music and Arts Festival

The mission of this music and arts festival is "to bring a sense of beauty, joy and awe to the world, offered up with a bit of love and kindness."

Doe Bay Resort, Olga, $50-$225


Seattle Philatelic Exhibition (SEAPEX)

Browse the international wares of 25 dealers and philatelic organizations, including the Society of Australian Specialists/Oceania and the China Stamp Society Convention.

Tukwila Community Center, free



Sept 9


Arts-A-Glow

Make your own lantern out of whatever you like, dress up, eat, and prolong the magic of sunset. There will be folk music, trapeze artists, belly dancing, and more in this dreamy melange.

Dottie Harper Park, Burien, 5 pm, free


Nachtoberfest

Snork down brats, sauerkraut, pretzels, and root beer in the buff at this family-friendly nudist party, featuring music by the Bavarian Village Band. The fun will continue afterwards at a bonfire party—don't stand too close—with the 8 Second Ride Trio.

Tiger Mountain Nudist Park, Issaquah, 3 pm


Readerfest

This literature-inspired festival promises readings, talks, signings, books for sale, costumes, face painting, food trucks, a Jim Valley concert, and a Last Leaf Productions children's play.

Magnuson Park Theatre, 11 am



Sept 9–22


recommended Seattle Design Festival

In the words of Charles Mudede, writing in 2015: "By intersecting social justice, urban planning, ecology, and capital, [SDF] transforms design into a moral issue." This year's festival will expand on the theme of "POWER" and investigate how design can shape global progress. 30,000 people attended last year's festival, and the installations, exhibits, and activities are likely to attract equally enthusiastic crowds.

Various locations, free-$25



Sept 10


Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival

Experience what it means to "live aloha" with hula and mele performances, Hawaiian music, ono food, and lei-making workshops with members of the 50,000-person-strong Pacific Northwest Hawaiian Islander community.

Seattle Center, 11 am, free



Sept 16


Rat City Recon 2017

Punk trio Whores will crown this punk, rock, and noise festival, which will also feature Aaron Crows, Brackets, Cages, Dead Asylum, Dry T-Shirt Contest, and more.

Various locations, 4 pm, $20/$30



Sept 16–17


Fiestas Patrias

Enjoy the many cultures and traditions of the wide array of Latin American countries represented at this celebration. Experience live mariachi music, cooking demos, visual arts, a children's soccer demo, a vendor marketplace, and more.

Seattle Center, free



Sept 20–24


Bellevue Fashion Week

Sure, it rains a lot here, and in winter it gets dark at two. All the more motivation for Northwestern fashion to bring a little elegance and color into our lives. If you've got visitors from out of town, bring them to Bellevue Fashion Week to show them we don't only dress in flannel.

Bellevue Collection, $75-$150



Sept 21


Luminata

From the same people who bring you the naked painted bicyclists of Fremont Solstice every year comes a rager against the dying of the light. Luminata is a great gathering of shiny, blinky, glowing things and the people who love them. Expect to see some super cool art projects and costumes from Seattle's most defiantly weird neighborhood.

Green Lake Park, 7 pm, free



Sept 21–23


Cloneapalooza

Camping, comedy, cannabis. Come on Thursday for a "throwback" concert of tribute bands, then spend the weekend hearing acts like Sin Circus and a lineup of stand-up, including the Dope Show.

AYH Ranch, Vashon Island, $40-$100


recommended KremFest

The compound of Kremwerk will be throwing their first ever venue-specific festival, with three days and three rooms of forward-thinking electronic music and technology. The current lineup includes Voiski, Paint (Huxley Anne and Tsuruda), Vektroid, Black Milk, Doctor Jeep, Josey Rebelle, Throwing Snow, Greases, and more.

Kremwerk



Sept 22–24


recommended Fremont Oktoberfest

At Fremont Oktoberfest (hailed as one of the top ten places in the world to celebrate Oktoberfest), you'll have the chance to try more than 80 different microbrews in their sports bar and "Buxom Beer Garden." In keeping with tradition, kids are absolutely invited on Sunday, when they'll have games, music, and more.

Fremont Oktoberfest, Fremont, $25-$50


Kirkland Oktoberfest

Grab a bier and celebrate Oktoberfest with live music and a bevy of games like stein races, keg rolling, beer pong, stein hoisting, cornhole, and human foosball.

Marina Park, Kirkland, $20-$30


The Rendezvous Festival

Breathe some fresh air in a scenic North Cascade valley and enjoy hiking, horseback riding, climbing, and more—when you're not at a rock or folk concert by the likes of Joshua James, Saint Claire, and Old Salt Union.

Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop, $60-$120


St. Demetrios Greek Festival

At this annual Greek festival, try homemade delicacies from calamari to baklava, enjoy live music from Taki and the Mad Greeks, and watch dance performances from a variety of groups.

St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church



Sept 23–24


Festa Italiana

Celebrate the spirit of the Italian people with food everywhere, live music, a grape stomp, kids' activities, puppetry, Italian films, and a bocce ball tournament.

Seattle Center, free



Sept 29


New Orleans Food & Funk Festival

Celebrate the food and music of New Orleans at this festival featuring "Big Easy" bites from a variety of local restaurants (like Restaurant Roux and Toulouse Petit) as well as musical performances curated by Upstream.

WaMu Theater



Sept 29-30


13th Annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival

There will be more than 80 pumpkin beers (including about 20 from "Elysian’s pumpkin-crazed brewers and their collaborators"), food trucks, pumpkin carving, the Chaotic Noise Marching Corps, DJs, and other seasonal festivities at this annual celebration of the fall-flavored beverage. Plus, like every year, there will be a several-hundred-pound pumpkin that's filled with Elysian pumpkin beer and tapped.

Seattle Center, $5/$28



Sept 29-Oct 1


Everett Sausage Fest

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Sausage. Fest. No. Wrong. Not funny. This is a Bavarian-style food fest for the whole family. So please behave yourself and enjoy live music, a wine garden, a carnival, food (besides sausages), a raffle, and more.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Everett, free



Sept 30


Life:Forms Art Gem and Music Festival

Whether you love them for mystical or nerdy scientific reasons, crystals and minerals beautify your life. Buy some from 45 rock and mineral vendors and enjoy live musical acts, live artists, and an adjoining marketplace of leather goods, jewelry, clothing, and more.

Albert Davis Park, 10 am, free



Sept 30–Oct 1


recommended GeekGirlCon

This convention aims to provide a safe space for women to celebrate their self-proclaimed geek status and to facilitate an unapologetic pursuit of their various passions. Attendees are encouraged to geek out over organized activities ranging from panels and workshops to a market, a DIY science zone, photobooths, and cosplay.

Washington State Convention & Trade Center, $30-$55


recommended Northwest Tea Festival

Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, $15



Oct 1


CroatiaFest

Experience the wonder that is Eastern Europe at this celebration of the people, traditions, and culture of Croatia, with food, dance, music, and a crafts marketplace.

Seattle Center, free



Oct 6–8


Oktoberfest NW

Oktoberfest NW is Western Washington's largest Munich-style "festhalle biergarten," complete with German food, dancing, and entertainment.

Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup, $0-$12



Oct 6–15


Seattle Made Week

Drink beer, learn about the future of urban manufacturing, attend demos, and party the night away at this week of events celebrating all of the wonderful things that are Made in Seattle.

Seattle Center



Oct 7


Seattle Fresh Hops Festival

Being a beer lover in the Pacific Northwest can sometimes feel like death by a thousand IPAs. At some point, the bitter, hoppy onslaught is too much for my taste buds, and I revert to the gentler, more understated domain of pilsners and pale ales. But then fresh hop season rolls around and I remember that, contrary to what all the one-dimensional hop monsters out there might lead you to believe, hops are our friends. Fresh hop IPA is made with whole fresh hops, as opposed to compressed hop pellets. The difference might seem insignificant, given that it's all the same hops with the same terpenes at the end of the day, but an Amarillo flower pulled straight off the vine and tossed into the boil does something very different from an Amarillo pellet. Fresh hop IPAs are lush and vegetal, offering you the richest expression of the hop possible. There is no purer way to experience the hop and its terroir, and no more potent reminder of why we love IPAs so goddamn much. Fremont has a line of fresh hop IPAs celebrating individual hops, as well as a single farm brew. You should get them, and you should also keep your eye out for two of my other favorite fresh hop makers' releases—Schooner Exact and Two Beers. TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE

Hale's Palladium, $25



Oct 8


Seattle Children's Festival

Children of many cultures will gather to celebrate folk diversity "from traditional Chinese dance to beat boxing." There'll be dance shows, workshops, crafts, and music for and by little ones.

Seattle Center, $10 suggested donation



Oct 13-15


COWABUNGA

Cowabunga USA, a beef-filled bacchanalia brought to you by Seattle Met and Amazon, is three days full of 9,481 pounds of red meat. There will also be over 50 chefs preparing said beef.

Various locations, $25-$150


Olympic Peninsula Apple & Cider Festival

It's a fact that cider is one of those things essentially Northwest—it defines our region, and it's always seemed to especially define the fall. Take advantage of apple season this year with the first annual Olympic Peninsula Apple & Cider Festival, an ambitious, three-day celebration of cider and the fruit it comes from.

Various locations, $40-$150



Oct 14–15


Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair

Thousands of antique books, manuscripts, photographs, posters, and other ephemera will be on display at this event, featuring the better part of 100 dealers from the US, Canada, England, and beyond.

Exhibition Hall, 10 am


TurkFest

Enjoy a vision of the Eastern/Western contemporary influences and cultural touchstones that make up modern-day Turkey, in the forms of live music, dancing, food, visual arts, and an authentic Turkish tea house.

Seattle Center, free



Oct 17–18


Seattle Interactive Conference

SIC brings technology, creativity, and current trends to one place for tech lovers to explore and discover. Attendees will be able to network and mingle while enjoying disruptive technology, social media apps, new games, advertising, and more hands-on entertainment.

Washington State Convention & Trade Center, $399



Oct 21–28


Fall Foliage Festival

Celebrate the changing environment at this festival presented by Pacific Bonsai Museum and the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden—they promise tours, demonstrations, and guest speakers.

Pacific Bonsai Museum, Federal Way



Oct 27


FreakNight Festival

Annual high-key wild-out throwdown FreakNight raises the bar for their 20th anniversary celebration, with a two-day set of live music, dancing, and a darkly neon environment of circus surprises, bizarre sideshow wonders, and carnival rides.

WaMu Theater, $90



Oct 27–29


Steamposium 2017

It's a three-day celebration of all things steampunk. Spectate future-past style parades at the Tea and Fashion Show, snoop out the villain at the Murder Mystery, and hear concerts by Abney Park and Unwoman.

Pier 66, $50-$110



Nov 2–4


recommended The International Comic Arts Forum

This academic conference is a chance for scholars to share their studies in comic art, graphic novels, cartooning, etc. This year, they've invited Peruvian author/illustrator Jésus Cossio, artist/author Emil Ferris, manga artist Moto Hagio, comics writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, and artist Jim Woodring to speak, along with many others. The keynote speaker will be Professor Ramzi Fawaz from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Husky Union Building, $75-$115



Nov 4


recommended Short Run Comix & Arts Festival

An overwhelming yet essential Seattle indie experience, Short Run gathers underground artists, self-published zine writers, and comics creators for a sprawling sale followed by music and a dance party. Look for some of the most beloved names in the comics/printing scenes, like Fantagraphics and Cold Cube Press, but don't neglect the up-and-comers or the solitary DIYers either.

Seattle Center, 11 am, free



Nov 4–5


Jet City Comic Show

This convention aims to provide a less expensive and "Hollywood driven" alternative to Comic-Con, with a special focus on Northwest artists.

Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, $10-$20



Nov 18–19


Yulefest

Celebrate the holidays the Nordic way with traditional Scandinavian dance, music, and crafts.

Nordic Heritage Museum, $5