Festival

Timber! Outdoor Music Fest

July 13–15 What makes this Carnation, Washington, fest different than, say, Sasquatch? One hundred percent more kayaking. At Timber! Outdoor Music Festival, the wilderness part is as important as the music. Where Snoqualmie and Tolt Rivers converge, a state park becomes a fertile crescent full of adventures in tree climbing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. Folk duo Shovels and Rope and soul veterans Saundra and Starr perform this year, along with a Violent Femmes campfire sing-along led by guitar journeyman and KEXP DJ Troy Nelson. It’s essentially summer camp, without the overenthusiastic counselors. Tolt-MacDonald Park, timbermusicfest.com

Theater

Persuasion

July 12–Aug 19 Persuasion, Jane Austen’s posthumously published final novel, deals heavily in what her characters feel but don’t express. Taproot’s new musical adaptation takes the inner monologue of these characters and translates it to song, giving them the space to project those emotions on stage in a way a film adaptation cannot. Expect the pomp of a period chamber orchestra with the power of Broadway-style music, all steeped in the concentrated pain over the One Who Got Away. Taproot Theatre, taproottheatre.org 

Comedy

Nate Bargatze

“Facebook is just too much....You’re either getting married or your house is on fire. No one’s like, ‘Today’s normal. Nothing happened. I have no strong opinions about anything.’ ” 

July 13–15 With a Netflix special forthcoming, the Tennessee native arrives in Tacoma for three nights of irreverent observations on domestic doldrums. Tacoma Comedy Club, tacomacomedyclub.com

Visual Art

Cut Up/Cut Out

June 30–Oct 22 Take scissors to a piece of folded paper and, like magic, it unfolds into a snowflake. The new exhibition at Bellevue Arts Museum starts with the simple technique behind this elementary schoolcraft, which actually dates back to sixth-century China, and elevates it. Cut Up/Cut Out features 51 international artists who cut (or slice, or pierce) not just paper but plastic, metal, even rubber, and paint with negative space to breathtaking effect. Bellevue Arts Museum, bellevuearts.org

Concert

Portugal. The Man.

July 20 With the June arrival of Woodstock, Portugal. The Man’s eighth album, the band proves that confusing punctuation does not always stymie success. Hints of prog rock–influenced alt stylings fill the Alaska natives’ discography, complete with the anthemy 2011 breakout track “So American,” to the synth-pop of later work. In all of this, Portugal. The Man manages to capture midaughts Mumford and Sons earnestness with a more contemporary need to dance. Paramount Theatre, stgpresents.org 

Film

Campout Cinema: The Hunger

July 15 MoPop brings outdoor cinema inside to the air-conditioned environs of the Sky Church, this time with Tony Scott’s star-studded feature debut: the 1983 erotic horror flick, The Hunger, starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon in a vampiristic love triangle. No matter. Come for David Bowie: Starman, stay for the cult flick; movie tickets include admission to a mixed-media exhibit about the beloved and dearly missed pop cultural icon. MoPop, mopop.org

Special Events

Dragon Fest

July 15–16 Celebrate the cultures behind one of Seattle’s most diverse neighborhoods at this year’s Dragon Fest. Take in some dynamic open-air entertainment, from Dragon dances and martial arts demonstrations to Korean drumming and Bollywood-esque Bhangra performances, all while sampling the wares of over 40 vendors serving $3 bites. In a city full of food festivals and outdoor events, this is the one that’s unmissable. Chinatown–International District, cidbia.org