Things To Do In Arlington

Everybody loves a parade (especially when the grand marshal is George Takei), but it’s not the only way to show your pride this weekend. Below, we’ve highlighted some other ways to celebrate, from family-friendly fests to clothing-optional dance parties. Friday, June 27 Pride Shabbat | 6:15 p.m. Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St. Open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer guests, as well as their friends and families, this service will feature klezmer music and guest speakers. Afterward, everyone is welcome to attend a free Shabbat dinner. While there, check out the exhibit of same-sex marriage ketubahs, or traditional illustrated marriage contracts. Trans* Pride Seattle March | 6 p.m. Kick-off at Broadway and East Howell Street This march to the Trans* Pride Seattle Celebration will travel south down Broadway to Pike Street and then east on 11th Avenue, ending at the rally at Cal Anderson Park. Starting at 7 p.m., the rally will feature several trans* speakers and a performance by The Nasty Habits, a local transgender cover band, who will play a mix of '80s and '90s glam rock and pop. Theatre22's The Lisbon Traviata | 8 p.m. 1634 11th Ave. The play is the first production in what is slated to become an annual Pride series. Theatre22 offers up its take on Terrence McNally’s play about the relationship between an aging gay man, his longtime boyfriend, and his flamboyant, opera-singing bestie. ($22; additional performances Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.) Midnight Pole Cabaret: Pride Edition | 11:59 p.m. Can Can Burlesque, 94 Pike St. Billed as a “vertical cabaret,” this show features a combination of classic and modern burlesque and pole-dancing techniques. The Pride edition will feature guest star Suwasit, winner of several national medals in pole-dancing competitions and the first male pole dancer to be featured on the Vegas Strip. ($25) Saturday, June 28 Family Pride Day | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Museum of History and Industry, 860 Terry Ave. N This all-day, all-ages celebration will feature games, crafts, performances by Seattle Pride Idol winners, family portraits, bingo with Lunch Lady Mama, and more. Also worth a visit: temporary exhibit Revealing Queer, which features photographs, artifacts, and documents chronicling the LGBT community’s journey from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the passage of a marriage-equality law in Washington in 2012. (Family Pride Day is free with museum admission) Capitol Hill Pride Festival | 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Broadway and Harrison Street This family-friendly prelude to Sunday’s Seattle Center festival is in its sixth year and bigger than ever. Besides food vendors and live musical acts, this year’s fest will feature a mochi-making demo, pony rides, and a performance of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Need more incentive? Three words: doggy drag show. Interfaith Pride Service | 1 p.m. All Pilgrims Christian Church, 500 Broadway E In addition to its special Pride Week service, All Pilgrims will also host a Rainbow Health Fair from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Traditional and holistic healthcare providers will be on hand to offer free screenings and other services tailored to the needs of the LGBT community. Prom Dress Rugby | 2 p.m.–4 p.m. Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave. The men of the Seattle Quake take on the OPSB Breakers women's rugby team for a good-spirited game in formal dress. Spectators can buy points to help their team or vote for prom king and queen; proceeds benefit The Northwest Network. Anything But Clothing Art Show | 7 p.m. Highline Bar, 210 Broadway Ave. E Feeling bold? Ditch your clothes and dress up in body paint courtesy of artist Brandon McGill, who will be painting models before Highline Bar’s clothing-optional dance party. ($10) Sunday, June 29 KEXP Pride Party | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tilikum Place Park, 2701 5th Ave. This free post-parade party is conveniently located at the end of the parade route. KEXP DJs will spin tunes all day, and a beer garden, cash bar, and pig roast help fuel revelers throughout the event.

Seattle’s Free First Thursday is an excellent local institution: most museums in the area offer free admission and extended hours on the first Thursday of the month. That is, however, a relatively small window of opportunity. Fortunately, it’s not the only one. There are many more days and ways to access free art, culture and history throughout the month. Visit the local library Already a source for free books, movies, music and information, several local library systems are also helping patrons access museums for free. The Seattle Public Library allows cardholders to reserve free passes to museums like the Seattle Art Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Wing Luke Museum and more. The program even includes some Seattle venues – like the Experience Music Project and Seattle Aquarium – that do not participate in Free First Thursday, making the library pass one of the few ways to access them for free. Passes are issued for a single specific day and can be reserved up to 30 days in advance. The King County Library System offers free passes to the Bellevue Arts Museum, KidsQuest Children’s Museum and Washington State History Museum. Passes are good for up to two adults and four children and can be used any time within a week of being issued. For those in the south end, the Pierce County Library System provides free passes to the Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum and Washington State History Museum. Unlike the prior two programs, which can provide passes online, cardholders will need to visit a specific local branch to participate in this free program. The details can be found on the library system’s website. Visit on other days Many museums offer additional free days, or special days for specific populations. In addition to Free First Thursday, the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific Experience offers free third Saturdays and the Northwest African American Museum adds the second Thursday as a free day. The Seattle Asian Art Museum opens for free again on the second Thursday from 5-9pm. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is also free for families on the first Saturday, and for seniors on the first Friday. Seniors can spend their first Friday free at the Seattle Art Museum, too. Always free A couple local museums are always free. One can take a stroll through the Olympic Sculpture Park for free 365 days a year. On many weekends, there are even free guided tours. The exhibitions of the Frye Museum on Capitol Hill are always free, as are many – if not most – of its lectures, film screenings and tours. Want more ways to explore the city? Check out our deals for things to do in Seattle.

This week: eat big at the Seattle Street Food Festival on Saturday to fuel up for Bicycle Sunday. Then, enjoy paella and sangria at Terra Plata, party '90s-style with Counting Crows and Toad the Wet Sprocket, and wrap up the week with Shakespeare in the park. Have fun and, as always, check out Groupon for more things to do in Seattle. Seattle Street Food Festival Capitol Hill | Saturday, August 9, noon to 10 p.m. What started three years ago as the Mobile Food Rodeo has expanded to a full festival of street food. This year’s food trucks include Off the Rez, How Pickle Got Out of a Jam, Lumpia World, Ezell’s Chicken, and Full Tilt Ice Cream. Vendors will all have a $5 menu item to encourage sampling from lots of stops. Also featured: a pop-up picnic, beer garden, and Urban Craft Uprising marketplace. (Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave.; free admission, $5+ individual dishes, $30 VIF pass, $75+ picnic pop-up; buy tickets here) Bicycle Sunday Lake Washington | Sunday, August 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Lake Washington Boulevard is closed to motorized vehicles Sunday, allowing families to take their bikes for a beautiful ride by the shore without any worry about cars or traffic. Consider packing a picnic to enjoy at Mount Baker Beach at the north end of the ride or Seward Park at the south. (Lake Washington Boulevard from Mount Baker Beach to Seward Park; free) Paella Night at Terra Plata Capitol Hill | Monday, August 11, 5 p.m. Terra Plata can be relied on for excellent food every night of the week, but Mondays are especially delicious with special paella selections, pintxos and tapas, sangria, and flights of Spanish wine. For the designated driver in the group, check out the housemade sodas in flavors like jalapeño and mint or black currant and fennel seed. Weather permitting, grab a seat on the rooftop patio. (1501 Melrose Ave.; $15 per person for paella) Counting Crows at Marymoor Park Redmond | Tuesday, August 12, 6 p.m. Smiling in the bright lights and coming through in stereo, Adam Duritz (who turned 50 this month!) and the rest of Counting Crows will take the stage for an outdoor concert at Marymoor Park, where they’ll be joined by openers and fellow '90s hit-makers Toad the Wet Sprocket. (6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. NE, Redmond; $45–$75; buy tickets here) Love’s Labour’s Lost Beacon Hill | Friday, August 15, 7 p.m. Shakespeare in the park is a summer tradition that GreenStage has kept alive through 26 seasons, but this summer is the organization’s first performing at Jefferson Park. This early Shakespeare comedy delivers romantic hijinks galore when the King of Navarre and his pals attempt to swear off women for three years, just as a lovely princess swings into town. (3801 Beacon Ave. S; free; see additional performances here) Love's Labor's Lost photos courtesy of GreenStage and Ken Holmes