Aug 16 Sunday
The Downtown Tacoma Blues Festival is coming to Broadway!! Don't miss this three-day extravaganza of world-class blues!!
**Friday, August 14th - 5pm to 9pm inside of the TACOMA CENTRE with hosts Ebony & Ivory Coffee - PRE-FUNK FRIDAY - FREE TO THE PUBLIC - Beer & Wine available for purchase. Suggested donation $20.
Scheduled to Perform: Mark DuFresne & David Kosins; Terry Hanck & Kid Andersen; The Joel Astley Band; Alvon Johnson with Ben Rice & Derrick D’Mar Martin~Join us for the afterparty at The Hotel Murano with the T-Town Aces!
**Saturday, August 15th - BLUES ON BROADWAY - Featuring TWO stages with headliners VANESSA COLLIER, RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS and TOMMY CASTRO & THE PAINKILLERS! Festival opens at 11am - Music from 12pm to 7pmAlso scheduled to perform: United By Music with Ben Rice & Curley Taylor; Alabama Mike & The Greaseland All-Stars; Eden Brent~Join us for the afterparty at Hotel Murano with Mark Hurwitz & Gin Creek feat. Tanya Hodel
**Sunday, August 16th - SOUL SUNDAY at Hotel MuranoScheduled to Perform: Darelle Holden; James Lee Murray Band; Marcel Smith & Lisa Andersen with Kid Andersen~All-Star Invitational Jam
Festival is FREE to the public & VIP packages are available.
Love hiking? Looking for a way to make a difference? 👀 Join Hike-a-Thon, Washington Trails Association’s community fundraiser!
Hike-a-Thon is for you if you want to …♥️ Give back to trails and public lands (and inspire others to do the same)🌲 Spend more time outdoors this summer, solo or with a team✨ Earn awesome prizes, including the official 2026 T-shirt once you raise your first $40
Everyone is welcome, no matter how or where you enjoy spending time outdoors. Register today to make the most of your Hike-a-Thon!
Drop into Easy Street Records for an afternoon of crate digging. While you're there drop off your damaged or unplayable vinyl records to help support vinyl recycling efforts! Collection bins will be out through the end of September.
Event website: https://www.wmg.com/news/independent-record-stores-and-warner-music-group-launch-nationwide-pilot-to-explore-recovery-pathways-for-vinyl-records
In summer 2026, MOHAI will be one of only eight venues nationwide to host the Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation—a landmark exhibit from the National Archives created in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Inspired by the Freedom Train, which carried historic documents across the country during the Bicentennial, the Freedom Plane National Tour shares original founding-era records from the National Archives with a limited number of cultural institutions nationwide.
Selected as one of only eight venues nationwide, and the final stop on the national tour, MOHAI will host the Freedom Plane National Tour from July 30–August 16, 2026, offering a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Pacific Northwest to experience these original records before they return to the National Archives vaults.
In alignment with MOHAI’s mission and the significance of America’s 250th anniversary, the Freedom Plane National Tour exhibit will be presented free and open to the public during its run at MOHAI. Additional visitor information will be shared closer to the exhibit opening.
MOHAI will showcase original founding-era documents on loan from the National Archives, central to the creation of the United States.
These fragile, irreplaceable documents are traveling together for the first time as part of the Freedom Plane National Tour. After appearing at a limited number of cultural institutions nationwide, the tour will conclude at MOHAI before the documents return to the National Archives.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Washington State Historical Society invites you to explore the history of building the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.
Discover the bold ideas and architectural ingenuity that shaped the museum’s distinctive look. From early sketches to final blueprints, see how the building’s design reflects both innovation and reverence for Washington’s past. Go behind the scenes of the museum’s construction. Through photographs and artifacts from the building process, witness how a dream took shape—brick by brick, beam by beam.
Staff Picks: 30 Objects for 30 Years
In a special feature area, museum staff share their favorite objects from the collection—each one a personal reflection on the power of history to inspire, surprise, and connect us.
Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.
Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.
This is a permanent exhibition. Since time immemorial, Tribal nations have existed in this place we call Washington. This Is Native Land invites visitors to understand Washington State through the lived experiences and voices of its Native people.
Tribal nations are sovereign nations. Today, Native history, culture, and community thrive in our state. Through everyday acts of sovereignty – big and small – Indigenous peoples demonstrate they are still here, they have persevered, and they will always be here.
This Is Native Land is guided by three teachings:We are of the land and watersWith knowledge comes responsibilitySovereignty protects people, lands, and waters
These teachings are shared through multimedia, artwork, and interactive objects designed for guest engagement. They represent a contemporary continuation of Tribal stories and traditions.
Over 100 Native contributors from more than 60 Tribes shaped the exhibition’s stories and content. We thank the Native Advisory Committee and all community participants for their contributions.
LeMay – America’s Car Museum proudly presents The Birth of the American Supercar, a groundbreaking exhibition guest curated by renowned automotive innovator Steve Saleen. This one-of-a-kind display invites guests on an exhilarating journey through the evolution of American supercars. From early speed pioneers to cutting-edge modern marvels, visitors will experience a stunning lineup of vehicles that have redefined engineering, speed, and style, built by a wide range of American automotive manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Saleen himself, and even some more obscure ones like Vector, Cunningham, and Hennessey. From roaring V8s to sleek carbon-fiber bodies, discover how American automakers pushed boundaries, challenged European rivals, and redefined what a supercar could be. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the most thrilling and historically significant American-made performance vehicles ever built—all under one roof.
Dive into the whimsical world of Moominvalley and the life of its creator, Tove Jansson, with "Moomins’ Sea Adventures" and "Tove and the Sea".
"Moomins’ Sea Adventures" brings Moominvalley to life with illustrations and life-sized characters from the stories. In the center of the exhibit is an interactive island complete with a lighthouse and rowboats that invites visitors to imagine adventures of their own.
"Tove and the Sea" offers a more intimate counterpoint, tracing Tove Jansson’s lifelong relationship with the Finnish archipelago through large-scale photographs and reflective texts.
Each year, Hilltop Artists students and alums work together with the MOG artists to create the centerpiece sculptures for our annual fundraising luncheon.
Visit the artists at the Museum of Glass where they will work together August 12th through August 16th. We highly recommend you make some time to visit on Sunday, August 16th when Executive Director Kimberly Keith will give a talk about the creative process and share Hilltop Artists updates.
