Dec 12 Saturday
KNKX's 10th Anniversary event celebration culminates on Saturday, December 12 when we present a lively evening of words and music in the Great Hall at Town Hall Seattle. We'll kick things off with our special guest, award-winning journalist and a host of NPR All Things Considered, Ailsa Chang in conversation with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick. You'll hear about Ailsa's trajectory from litigator at a San Francisco law firm, to an internship in her 30's at member station KQED, to her full-fledged journalism career. Ailsa will also peel back the curtain on a day in the life of All Things Considered, including how the show is structured, maintaining authenticity and what it means to find your voice on the air, some of Ailsa's favorite interviews, and the role KNKX plays in bringing nuanced coverage to the Pacific Northwest. There will also be a short audience Q&A.
Next - our good friend, Northwest music luminary, jazz trumpeter, composer, and producer Thomas Marriott will bring his Special Quintet to the stage, featuring pianist and new Artistic Director for Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Orrin Evans. The group also includes bassist Trevor Ford, tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, and drummer George Fludas. Thomas is a force for jazz on the West coast with 15 albums that have reached number one on the jazz radio airplay charts. He's won multiple awards, including being named a "Jazz Hero" by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2024, and one of Seattle's "Most Influential People" by Seattle Magazine in 2026.
VIP tickets ($100) include a catered pre-event reception, a meet and greet with Ailsa Chang, Thomas Marriott, Orrin Evans, and Kirsten Kendrick, and preferred seating for the main event. GA tickets are $39 and youth (18 and younger) are $15.
Proceeds benefit KNKX.
Mar 04 Thursday
The Biamp Portland Jazz Festival is a ten-day, multi-venue celebration of jazz presented in Portland, Oregon at over 50 performances across 10 days featuring jazz, Americana, Latin roots, blues, soul, and new experimental sounds.
The 2027 lineup:The festival lineup features prominent artists including Emmylou Harris, Lila Downs, Stanley Clarke + Hiromi (featuring PUBLIQuartet), Larry Carlton, Daniel Lanois, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Additional headliners and performers featured are St. Vincent, Mavis Staples, Madeleine Peyroux, Bill Frisell, Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, Bobby Rush, along with numerous other contemporary acts and local artists such as MonoNeon, Mohini Dey, Tigran Hamasyan, Lady Blackbird, and Shirley Nanette.
Oct 25 Sunday
Sponsored by KNKX. Now in its 38th year, the Earshot Jazz Festival returns in October with performances, premieres, and workshops at more than a dozen venues across the city, showcasing esteemed Pacific Northwest resident artists alongside internationally renowned masters in a celebration of Seattle’s vibrant jazz scene.
In honor of the centennial of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, this year’s festival reflects on their enduring legacies while spotlighting the artists shaping jazz today and into the future.
This year’s lineup includes Dianne Reeves and Branford Marsalis, Gary Bartz and NTU Troop, Jun Ida, Jessica Lurie, Zaccai Curtis, Julian Lage, Kiefer, Christian Sands, Warren Wolf, Sasha Berliner, Fonville x Fribush and much more!
Sponsored by KNKX. October is Tacoma Arts Month, featuring a wide variety of arts and culture events, programs, and exhibits for all ages all around Tacoma, some of which are free. There is something for everyone to enjoy: music, dance, and theater performances; hands-on experiences; cultural events; visual art exhibits; literary readings; workshops; and film screenings.
All you have to do is choose what you want to enjoy. Take this opportunity to experience something new as we celebrate Tacoma’s cultural community!
Sponsored by KNKX. This festival is more than just a concert series. It is a dynamic, living conversation where sound, story, and visual art intersect. During the Festival, BIMA's Frank Buxton Auditorium transforms into a creative studio, a place where jazz musicians, storytellers, and visual artists come together to explore and celebrate the many facets of jazz. At every show, each artist brings their own unique voice, honoring jazz’s deep roots and its ever-evolving future.
Whether you attend a single event or immerse yourself in the full month-long experience, you’ll discover a vibrant tapestry of music, culture, and storytelling that showcases jazz’s timeless appeal and its power to inspire across generations and communities.
The 2026 line up:🎶Camila Ferrari| Oct 2🎶METTA Quintet | Oct 8🎶Afrocop| Oct 9🎶Jun Iida | Oct 16🎶Greta Matassa Group | Oct 17🎶Jazz with Jim: Great Musicians We All Need to Know | Oct 22🎶Pearl Django | Oct 24Family Day: Jazz Edition | Oct 25
Learn more: https://www.biartmuseum.org/events/within-earshot-jazz-festival/
About Earshot JazzEarshot Jazz dedicates itself year-round to cultivating a vibrant, diverse jazz community—championing artistic innovation, honoring the rich history and integrity of the genre, and fostering meaningful connections between musicians and audiences through the annual Earshot Jazz Festival.
It's Halloween fun for the whole family! Across the Museum galleries, you’ll find Halloween-themed games and activities to spark imagination, innovation, and get you into the Halloween spirit. This year’s frightful extravaganza will feature live music from the 8-Bit Brass Band, arts-and-crafts and face-painting, a photo booth, giant coloring sheets, the Seattle Universal Math Museum, Bats Northwest, a Planetarium show, and a mad science show. Costumes are encouraged! All activities are FREE with Museum membership and included with general admission.
Special Offer: FREE admission for visitors 17 and under in costume.
Oct 28 Wednesday
Sponsored by KNKX. Michael Lewis—master chronicler of American institutions under strain—joins us to discuss his new book Blockers, and the bigger question it raises: what happens to a country when its most dedicated public servants are treated as the enemy? An inside look at the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, as told by the public servants it targeted and one of America’s best storytellers.
Oct 29 Thursday
Supported by KNKX. After thirty-five years of being at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary decided to bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally. He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen (his acclaimed all-star big band) in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his most beloved songs– and some new favorites– and rolled tape.
The result is The Bywater Sessions, a musical tour-de-force that showcases the grit, funk and joy that’s packed concert halls from New Orleans to Tokyo and beyond. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal), it’s a stunning collection of performances that affirms Cleary’s place in the New Orleans musical vanguard.
As for the musicians, it’s the best of the best. Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).
Oct 31 Saturday
Celebrate Day of the Dead and honor departed loved ones at Día de Muertos Festival Seattle on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 at the Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall. The free, family-friendly event offers an opportunity for the community to come together under this year’s theme “Reencounter: Past and Present,” which connects the traditions of past generations with the ways families celebrate today.
Guests can explore a Mexican cemetery replica and community altars, then join the closing procession. Performances by CeAtl Tonalli, Joyas Mestizas, Correo Aéreo, Pacific Lutheran University /Federal Way High School Mariachi, Grupo Cultural Oaxaqueño with Banda Gozona, Huehca Omeyocan, Amaya Sanz, Los Diablos Raza Unida de Seattle, Comparza de Morelos Chinelos, Danza Monarcas, and Bailadores de Bronce fill both days, alongside sugar skull decorating, grabado printmaking, face painting, and local vendors. Grief resources will also be available on site.
Día de Muertos Festival Seattle is part of Seattle Center Festál, a year-round series of 25 free cultural festivals. Learn more about Festál (seattlecenter.com/festal).
Nov 03 Tuesday
Supported by KNKX. With his illustrious career that includes hallmark stints with Miles Davis, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as well as a heralded career as a solo artist that began more than 30 years ago, Kenny Garrett is easily recognized as one of modern jazz's brightest and most influential living masters. And with the marvelous Sounds From The Ancestors, the GRAMMY Award-winning Garrett shows no signs of resting on his laurels.
Kenny Garrett's latest release, Sounds From The Ancestors, is a multi-faceted album. The music, however, doesn't lodge inside the tight confines of the jazz idiom, which is not surprising considering the alto saxophonist and composer acknowledges the likes of Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye as significant touchstones. Similar to how Miles Davis' seminal LP, On the Corner, subverted its main guiding lights – James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone – then crafted its own unique, polyrhythmic, groove-laden, improv-heavy universe, Sounds From The Ancestors occupies its own space with intellectual clarity, sonic ingenuity and emotional heft.
Nov 15 Sunday
Presented by NWAA, KNKX and The Stranger. Critics often compare David Sedaris with Mark Twain because he’s the only living writer who captures the profane ridiculousness of modern life with the same stunning wit and surprising sentences that Twain pioneered. But if you only know Sedaris from his books, you’re missing out on the liveliest literary roadshow of our time.
On Sunday, November 15, Sedaris returns to his favorite American venue, Benaroya Hall’s Taper Auditorium, to celebrate his latest book of essays The Land and Its People. At his readings, Sedaris is a hilarious, freewheeling master of ceremonies. He shares new work, offers spirited book recommendations, autographs and personalizes every book in the building, and conducts a rambunctious live Q&A session with the audience. Don’t miss your chance to meet the world’s funniest, most entertaining writer at the height of his powers.
Over the course of crafting a 29-album catalog and architecting 41 Billboard No.1 singles as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, Brian Culbertson has charted his own unique course in music. Label him jazz and he makes a funk record. Call him an R&B artist and he drops an acoustic jazz trio collection. Brand him pop and he creates a 32-minute New Age opus. And you'd be hard pressed to name another instrumentalist of his ilk who can mount an elaborately designed concert production that will keep him on the road for months at a time.
Culbertson burst onto the scene in 1994 with a chart-topping album that he recorded in his college apartment featuring keyboard-led contemporary jazz tracks. Long Night Out landed him a lengthy record deal and signaled that a star was born.
Flash forward to 2026, Culbertson returns to his jazz fusion roots with Day Trip, a collection of adventurous tracks featuring a who's who in the fusion world including Marcus Miller, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, Eric Marienthal, Sheila E., Kirk Whalum, Nathan East, and many more.
Possessing style, panache and a savvy business mind capable of moving the needle in music and beyond, Culbertson co-founded with his wife Michelle the annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway (and their spin-offs in Chicago, New Orleans, and Hawaii), which have attracted guests from all over the globe to experience these premier events.
Styled by the Streets: Black Women in Hip-Hop Fashion explores how Black women transform Hip-Hop fashion into a cultural and political force, transcending the boundaries of music to influence global style, self-expression, and identity. From streetwear to couture, hair to jewelry, and iconic photography, the exhibition showcases style as a powerful expression of Black womanhood across 30 unique artifacts. Layered in late 1990s and early 2000s denim, holographic finishes, and Y2K palettes, the gallery highlights the artists and cultural creators who bring these iconic looks to life—centering the women visionaries whose creativity reshapes Black and Hip-Hop communities through storytelling, authorship, and legacy.
Maritime Blue is excited to announce the second annual One Ocean Week Seattle 2026, taking place October 19–25, 2026! This week-long gathering brings together industry leaders, marine researchers, coastal communities, policymakers, organizations, and ocean advocates from across the globe to highlight our shared connection to the water and inspire action for a healthy marine future. This is not just another conference – it features technology pilots and demonstration projects, equity-focused workforce development programming, opportunities to connect directly with investors and decision-makers, and events designed to build lasting, cross-sector alliances.
Local Olympia area artists display their work. Paintings, collage, fabric art. Join us for Arts Walk October 2-3!
Seattle Coffee Festival returns for its second year October 24–25 at Magnuson Park Hangar 30. Meet specialty roasters and coffee shops, taste coffees included with admission, and enjoy live entertainment. Food is available to purchase separately.
Sessions on both days: general admission 10am–1pm or 1:30–4:30pm; morning early admission begins at 9am. Tickets are sold by session, with a service break between sessions. Check the event website for current ticket options and availability.
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.
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.
Celebrate fall with a bounty of family-friendly thrills and spooky treats at Boo Bash, Oct. 24–31. Enjoy Halloween-inspired delights without the fright! Activities vary depending on the day of the week. Explore our Glow Zone, wander the straw bale maze, watch exciting science demos, and more!
Celebrating 25 years of Halo, MOPOP’s Halo: The Great Journey artifact spotlight features rare objects from across the franchise history. Explore iconic armor and gear, original artwork, collectibles, and gaming hardware—including Master Chief John-117, Atriox, Covenant and UNSC weaponry, and limited-edition XBOX consoles. Take a closer look at the characters, designs, and fan culture that have made Halo one of gaming’s most legendary worlds. On view beginning October 14, 2026.
This exhibit explores the American flag as a complex and evolving symbol that has inspired unity, protest, sacrifice, and debate. Visitors are encouraged to reflect ways the flag is used as an expression of competing visions of America. For Which It Stands invites visitors to explore the many meanings and contradictions embodied in the flag. Through historical flags and imagery from MOHAI Collections, alongside contributions from community partners, and interactive artwork, this exhibit traces how the flag appears in moments of unity, protest, conflict, and change.
