We hope you’re settling into October and all that comes with it! Pumpkin patches are always a hit on the weekends, and area farms are really doing it up this year to make things special. Parents and big kids can look forward to the return of live theater at the Paramount this weekend with the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar. Also on our radar: an Oktoberfest celebration, a spooky tour at an animal sanctuary and a concert played on 2x4s.
photo: Christian M. via yelp
Seattle
SAM Performs: Timber
If you’re up for a different kind of outdoor concert with the kids, this SAM concert at Olympic Sculpture Park is one to try. Math rock meets sound bath in this performance of Timber, a 65-minute tour-de-force scored for six virtuosic percussionists on tuned 2x4s. Listen to this world-famous composition as you enjoy the art in the park on a fall day. Sat. Event details.
Oktoberfest NW
At this annual event, now in its 16th year, expect to find all things German (think: beer, brats, authentic entertainment), plus wiener dog races on Sunday, fab family entertainment like the Chicken Dance and May Pole dance, a Family Fest Zone & Kinderfest with arts and crafts, a root beer garden, pumpkin decorating, dance lessons, games, face painting and much more! Fri.-Sun. Event details.
Water Lantern Festival
Launch lanterns on Green Lake at this event focused on hope, love, happiness, healing and peace. Families and friends will gather together to enjoy live music, food and making their lanterns together. Then they’ll launch them between 7 and 8 p.m. on the water. Tickets required. Sat. Event details.
Eastside
I Never Saw Another Butterfly
Older kids and adults alike will be touched by this theater production. The backstory: Over 15,000 Jewish children passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp during WWII; less than 100 survived. They teens left behind suitcases filled with poetry and artwork. The play: Created out of the contents of those suitcases, I Never Saw Another Butterfly is a fictionalized account of a very real place, filled with very real children and spoken for the most part, in their own words. Best for kids ages 9 & up. Tickets required. Fridays through Sundays, Oct. 8-17. Event details.
Pasado’s Pumpkin Spooktacular
See this beautiful 85-acre property, nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, in a different light this October. Pasado’s popular animal sanctuary tours are getting a spooky twist to celebrate the season. The cows have been asking to trick-or-treat, so please bring your own pumpkins and pumpkin carving scraps to feed to them. Costumes are encouraged by guests, and kids will get their very own goodie bag of vegan treats to take home. Please no strollers due to the terrain and animal safety; we recommend baby carriers to tote those tots around. Sat. Event details.
Maple Valley Days
A special fall Maple Valley Days will be held this fall. Come to enjoy live entertainment, vendors, KidLand activities for kids and food trucks in Lake Wilderness Park. Sat. & Sun. Event details.
—Allison Sutcliffe
Looking for more things to do? Check out our full events calendar and Guide to Seattle’s Fall Festivals for more ideas.