SPECIAL EVENTS

May 24–27
Sasquatch Music Festival
The Gorge’s ever-growing Memorial Day music fest gets an added dose of Northwest flavor this year with two Seattle headliners: indie-pop duo the Postal Service on its big reunion tour and now-international hip-hop stars Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. They join Mumford and Sons, Elvis Costello, and the Lumineers atop the four-day bill. Gorge Amphitheatre, sold out.

May 24–27
Northwest Folklife Festival
Don’t be thrown by the f-word: Northwest Folklife doesn’t deal solely in traditional folk tunes. Ballard’s Fin Records joins the indie-rock showcase, enriching a diverse weekend of Bollywood, Balkan, Brazilian, and busking sounds. (And that’s just the letter B.) Seattle Center, free (donation suggested).

FILM

May 23 & 25
SIFF 2013: Touchy Feely
Lynn Shelton's latest debuted this year at Sundance and stars Rosemarie DeWitt as a massage therapist who suddenly can't stand bodily contact. Reviews have pegged Touchy Feely as heavier than Shelton's past work, but then again, isn't everything heavier than a comedy about two buddies making an amateur porn? Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center (Renton Opening Night), $25; Egyptian Theater, $12.

May 25 & 26
SIFF 2013: The Way, Way Back
Not only is this comedy penned by two of the stud screenwriters of The Descendants, but the ensemble cast is ridiculous: Steve Carell as...well, a jerk; Sam Rockwell as a water park instructor; Allison Janney, Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry... all surrounding a teenage boy (Liam James) who's coming-of-age summer gets much better when he starts working for Rockwell. SIFF Cinema Uptown (Screening & Party), $25; Egyptian Theater, $12.

CONCERTS

May 26
Yahoo! On The Road with Gossip
To promote its newest apps, Yahoo! is hosting a summer concert series across the country. Post-punk dance rock group Gossip headlines the tour's Seattle stop, and Yahoo! will be giving out free ticket vouchers for the show around town.  Moore Theatre, free (visit music.yahoo.com/on-the-road for details).

BOOKS & TALKS

May 23
Steve Keen
Australian economics professor Steve Keen accurately predicted the recent global economic crisis. So when the author of Debunking Economics says the U.S. stock market is the next bubble waiting to burst, we might want to listen. Town Hall, $5.

May 23 & 24
zoe | juniper: No one to witness or adjust #4
Part what makes zoe | juniper‘s art dance projects so mesmerising is their exploratory nature. Over Memorial Day weekend, the duo has slotted out two days featuring nine-hour blocks of open performance and research at Velocity. For this iteration, audience members are asked to lie on the floor of the performance space and watch in 30 minute block. The performance is free, but requires attendees to sign-up in advance on the Velocity website. Velocity Dance, free.

EAT & DRINK

May 23
FareStart’s Guest Chef Spectacular
Join FareStart as they kick off a new annual celebration of the talented chefs and restaurants that support FareStart’s training programs throughout the year. FareStart’s first annual Guest Chef Spectacular will feature tastes from more than 40 of the area’s top restaurants, wineries, breweries and distilleries! This fantastic event will also feature live music, a wine store, a raffle featuring a prize package of $100 gift cards from participating restaurants, and more. Showbox SoDo, $80.