Community Calendar

February is Black History Month—a time to learn about, and reflect on the history and accomplishments of the Black and African American leaders and innovators who have helped shape our world. On our website, you’ll find some regional events and activities celebrating Black History Month.

Sponsored by KNKX. Voices of Mississippi is an immersive multimedia experience and concert that celebrates the people and art of the southern blues, gospel, and storytelling traditions. Based on and inspired by the acclaimed 2019 double Grammy winning four-disc box set of the same name, Voices of Mississippi, the program features musical performances by notable Mississippi artists: Bobby Rush, Shardé Thomas, Luther Dickinson, and Cody Dickinson, plus archival film and images. The show includes fascinating personal narratives and accounts from Dr. William Ferris, founding director of The University of Mississippi Center for The Study of Southern Culture and former Chairman of The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tickets go on sale February 3 at 10 a.m. An unprecedented, transcontinental collaboration, Shakti united eastern and western musicians, and in the process forged the template for what is now called "world music." From the West came virtuoso British guitarist John McLaughlin, who re-wired jazz via his work with Miles Davis and the Tony Williams Lifetime. From the East came visionary tabla player Zakir Hussain, who had accompanied legendary Hindustani musicians from adolescence. A music shop owner in New York City's Greenwich Village connected the two in 1969, sowing the seeds of what was to become Shakti. "There wasn't a first meeting," Hussain recalls today. "It felt like a reunion of long-lost brothers..."

In 1973, McLaughlin stunned the music industry by walking away from the Olympian popularity and acclaim of his pioneering jazz/rock ensemble, the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Something else was calling out to him -- a music that reflected his evolving spiritual practice while feeding his insatiable hunger to converse, communicate, and explore.

With Hussain, violinist Shankar, and ghatam player T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, McLaughlin founded Shakti. "For me," McLaughlin reflects, "it was an imperative that Shakti become my permanent group after the Mahavishnu Orchestra." Together they honed an ecstatic new fusion, blazing uncharted pathways and demonstrating the potential of such global composites to generations of musicians around the world.

Now McLaughlin and Hussain are preparing to resume their journey -- joined by percussionist V. Selvaganesh (T.H. Vinayakram's son), vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, and violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan -- for an album of new compositions and a world tour marking Shakti's 50th anniversary. Today's Shakti honors the legacy of the original band by acknowledging their tradition while continuing to push beyond existing boundaries into new musical landscapes. "It's really a thrill," McLaughlin says of Shakti's 50th anniversary plans. "I'm delighted to be part of this marvelous tradition of the Shakti group."

Pre-sale February 2 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Password is AQUARIUS.

Step into a world of fantasy and fairytale at the 2023 Children’s Film Festival Seattle! Expect fantastical films, wondrous workshops, and spectacular special events. Since 2005, CFFS has provided a joyous and dynamic setting to celebrate the best and brightest in international film programs for children and families! Virtual February 3-12, in-person at Northwest Film Forum February 3-5 and February 10-12. Explore the program here.

Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit. Vendor booths line the streets, dance performances and music throughout the main stage at Hing Hay Park, families walk along S. King St., you can truly feel the atmosphere of this cultural intersection. We look forward to celebrating with you soon!

Enjoy live entertainment, lion & dragon dances, cultural performances, food walk, street vendors and retail shops across the district.

Our Food Walk will feature delicious menu items from Chinatown-ID businesses on Saturday, February 4, 2023 (11:00am-4:00pm). Visit at least 5 locations on our food walk tour and collect 5 stamps to enter-to-win a CID gift basket filled with neighborhood goodies! Menus can be found at our information booth throughout the event duration.

Porsche is celebrating their 75th anniversary in 2023, and in honor of that milestone, this exhibit will present an overview and perspective of Porsche's first 75 years as an automobile manufacturer. Enjoy a look at more than seven decades of engineering excellence with examples of many of the most important Porsche models.

Enjoy light breakfast bites, mimosas, and Bloody Mary cocktails brought to you by Café Pacific Catering as you walk the exhibit space and be one of the first to see these extravagant vehicles on display!

Members of LeMay – America's Car Museum receive complimentary admission to this event! Avants Members receive a discounted rate to attend this event, check your email for a special code to receive your discounted admission.

General admission tickets are available at $20 per ticket. General admission tickets are available to be prepurchased in advance or at the door on the day of the event.

Jazz Impresario Cory Weeds brings together the best of Vancouver‘s jazz talent with renowned artists from across Canada and internationally. Last year, despite COVID restrictions limiting the venues to half-capacity, the Shadbolt was filled with joyous and celebratory energy. This year, with full-capacity audiences and an even stronger lineup, the event is sure to be better than ever.

This year's programming features a varied and extraordinarily talented roster. We‘ve teamed up with Tim Reinert of Infidels Jazz to present a handful of emerging artists over the two days.

Saturday, February 4th is headlined by alto saxophonist Jesse Davis with The Spike Wilner Trio, Lezlie Harrison & her group, and tenor saxophone phenom Seamus Blake with the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra.

Sunday, February 5th features performances by pianist Miki Yamanaka with Mark Turner and The Generations Quartet featuring the daughter/father combo of clarinetist Virginia MacDonald and tenor saxophonist Kirk MacDonald.

Other highlights include Sienna Dahlen/Bill Coon, the James Danderfer Sextet, Indo-Jazz Fusion project Raagaverse led by Shruti Ramani, André Lachance‘s Quator, and many more!

SEATTLE REPERTORY JAZZ ORCHESTRA PERFORMING CHARLES MINGUS IN RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF THE JAZZ COMPOSER, BASSIST, AND BAND LEADER.

Presented by KNKX. The Highway 99 All Stars came into existence with the opening in Seattle of the award-winning Highway 99 Blues Club in 2004. Since then the All-Stars have played numerous shows in and around Seattle at its namesake club, fairs, festivals and special events. The line-up for their shows features players from Seattle and the greater Northwest. While some of the players have done multiple shows over the years, the line-up is a roving cast of “all-stars” bringing solid rhythm and blues and deeply rooted blues music to the stage. For the upcoming Jazz Alley shows, the band will feature six musicians from Seattle, Portland and Phoenix. With three different singers; harmonica, guitars, bass, keys and drums, the show will feature solo spots, duo turns and the full band.

Sponsored by KNKX. After incarceration, how do you reenter a society that doesn’t offer open arms? Reginald Dwayne Betts is an award-winning author, poet, lawyer, and outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform, whose work interrogates and challenges our notions of justice.

Betts has adapted his celebrated poetry collection, Felon, into a one-man performance piece, which he will perform for this SAL Presents event.

Sponsored by KNKX. Noir City returns to SIFF and celebrates its 15th anniversary with 18 films from the heart of Hollywood's noir movement, 1948. Each film in this year's lineup will be celebrating its 75th anniversary, playing at SIFF Cinema Egyptian February 10–16. Opening night films are Key Largo (with Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall) and The Lady From Shanghai (directed by and starring Orson Welles with Rita Hayworth and Everett Sloane).

Join Eddie Muller—Film Noir Foundation founder, Turner Classic Movies host, and "Czar of Noir''—as host February 10–12 and local noir authors and experts Vince and Rosemarie Keenan February 13–16.

Sponsored by KNKX. Join award-winning NPR journalist Ari Shapiro for an evening of conversation about his memoir and tales from his storied broadcast career.

The beloved host of All Things Considered is known for his adventurous spirit and insatiable curiosity, which has served him well whether he’s traveling on Air Force One with President Obama, navigating war-torn countries, or following community leaders fighting for social justice. His new memoir, The Best Strangers In the World, details all of this and more in captivating essays and is a true love letter to journalism.

Shapiro will be joined by Dan Savage as he shares insights from his life spent listening.

There is also a livestream option for this event.