VISUAL ART

July 13
Record Release Party + The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl
Traveling exhibit The Record (on loan from the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University) opens at the Henry with live music by Slashed Tires and the Hive Dwellers, and a reading by Mark Baumgarten, author of Love Rock Revolution: K Records and the Rise of Independent Music. Don’t forget to actually check out the exhibit, which celebrates records as both inspiration and medium over a half century of modern art. Nearly 100 works by 41 artists, emerging and established, are on display—from Laurie Anderson’s hybrid violin-record player Viophonograph to Christian Marclay’s Recycled Records series. (On display July 14–Oct 7.) Henry Art Gallery, $10.

July 14
Inscape Open House
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services building has been reborn as a massive hub for artists and their studios; this official "grand open house" is a big art show and party with food and music. Inscape, free.

THEATER

July 13–29
Yellow Face
How dare Miss Saigon cast a white man in an Asian role! After Chinglish author David Henry Hwang chastised the Broadway production for its “yellow face” failure, he penned this race-based satire, winning an Obie Award in 2008. ReAct Theatre brings back the comedy after a sold-out local premiere at Hugo House last year. Center House Theatre, $6–$15.

July 14 & 15
Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival
Soak up sun and Shakespeare as seven local theater companies take their plays alfresco, including Wooden O’s Twelfth Night and The Winter’s Tale, GreenStage’s Henry VIII and The Taming of the Shrew, Theater Schmeater’s Hansel and Gretel pantomime, and Balagan Theatre’s family-friendly Sally and Thor Save the World. Volunteer Park, free.

CONCERTS

July 13
The Beach Boys
A half century later, there’s still no one better than The Beach Boys at high harmonies and good vibrations; the golden boys play Chateau Ste. Michelle. Sold out.

CLASSICAL & MORE

July 12–14
The Planets: An HD Odyssey
Leave it to the Houston Symphony to curate high-definition NASA images and set the slideshow to Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Seattle Symphony conductor Ludovic Morlot leads our own orchestra in this otherworldly concert. Benaroya Hall, call for availability, 206-215-4747.

EAT & DRINK

July 14 & 15
Ballard SeafoodFest
There’s something fishy about this annual Ballard shindig, and that’s just the way it should be. Every food booth is required to sell at least one seafood item, be it grilled salmon, crab, or lutefisk. Breath mints not included. Downtown Ballard, free.

SPECIAL EVENTS

July 12
SAM’s Picnic in the Park
Food trucks and a Brazilian band roll into Olympic Sculpture Park for the summer’s first Picnic in the Park. Samba as the sun sets over Elliott Bay. Olympic Sculpture Park, free.

July 14
Bastille Day Fetes
Celebrate France’s Independence Day (and the storming of ze gates) with champagne, stinky cheeses, and parties from Bastille to RN74. Visit the Sauced blog for a roundup of Seattle-area Bastille Day celebrations.

July 14 & 15
Chinatown–International District Dragon Fest
The downtown district touts the largest pan-Asian street festival in the region, complete with lion and dragon dances, taiko drumming, traditional art, martial arts demonstrations, and an anime costume contest. This year’s event also boasts a Food Walk, with 20 of the International District’s restaurants offering a $2 tasting menu so you can nibble your way through the neighborhood. Hing Hay Park, free.