SPECIAL EVENT

Sat, July 4
Seafair Summer Fourth
If there’s one thing the whole family can agree on (family dog excluded), it’s that fireworks rule. Get to Gas Works or South Lake Union Park early to snag a prime spot—there’s plenty of food and live music to pass the time—to celebrate our national holiday in style. Gas Works Park and South Lake Union Park, Free

July 3–5
Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival
While many this weekend will focus on our national history, the Center for Wooden Boats celebrates Seattle's maritime history with the 39th edition of the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. With free boat rides, live music, toy boat building, pirate storytime, nautical trivia, and loads of other activities, there's plenty of fun for all. South Lake Union Park, Free

Sat, July 4
Cal Anderson Park Independence Day Picnic 2015
The annual Cal Anderson Park Independence Day Picnic offers the freedom of fun for all-ages. It's a veritable melting pot of fun activities: patriotic portraits, face painting, yoga, ice cream licking, balloon artistry, hot dog munching, hula hoop lessons, live music from Tangerine and the Not-Its!, and more. Cal Anderson Park, Free

FILM

Sun, July 5
Singles at the Singles House
Nostalgia trips don’t get much more real than this. Artist and Sub Pop receptionist Derek Erdman has hatched a crazy plan to watch the quintessential Seattle ’90s movie—Singles—in the courtyard of the house where it was filmed... on a TV with a built in VHS player. It may end up being a logistical nightmare (over 1,500 people have RSVP’d on Facebook), but it should make for quite the Sunday scene. Expect plenty of grunge garb. 1820 E Thomas St, Free

CONCERTS

Thur, July 2
Anne Freeny
Meet Anne Freeny: a self described “union maid, hell raiser, and labor singer.” She’s seen it all. Freeny was arrested at the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami to protest the nomination of Richard Nixon, established rape victim services at the University of Pittsburgh, and has toured the world performing her hilarious and pointed folk music that rails against worker exploitation. With songs like “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” and “We’re Nursing As Fast As We Can,” you can take in a heavy dose of the plight of the proletariat over a cider. Capitol Cider, Free

Fri, July 3
Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman is no longer the hard living "Ramblin' Man" that he was during the Allman Brothers Band's '70s southern rock hayday, but the soul of those songs still resonates. Head to Chateau Ste. Michelle for a warm evening of summery blues rock. Cheateau Ste. Michelle, $40–$60

Sat, July 4
Ballard Locks Concerts: Seattle Civic Band
Bring your miniature versions of Old Glory and wave them to the beat as the Seattle Civic Band busts out the many canonical American classics in its repertoire for a free Fourth of July concert. Ballard Locks, Free

Sun, July 5
Van Halen
For better or worse, Eddie Van Halen became the rock equivalent of an overbearing dad coaching his son’s little league team when he booted bassist Michael Anthony in favor of his son Wolfgang (boooo!). Despite this, the band still provides an electric live show, thanks to Eddie’s undeniable guitar wizardry and the ever-spry David Lee Roth out front. White River Amphitheatre, $42–$157

COMEDY

Fri, July 3
Blood Squad: Amber Waves of Brain
Join Blood Squad for a an Independence Day Eve celebration as its four-person ensemble improvises in the style of the most classically American of movie genres, zombie horror. It should be a bloody good time. (Though not literally. As the group’s website states: "No blood, no props, no costumes, no mercy. Viewer discretion advised.") Annex Theatre, $10

VISUAL ART

Thru Aug 29
Gregory Blackstock
There’s something categorically regimented about Gregory Blackstock’s repetitive drawings. With graphite, colored pencils, and permanent markers, he creates single-sheet diagrams juxtaposing the minor differences between similar creatures and objects, be it a page of candy canes or a chart of leghorn roosters. There’s an expert—borderline obsessive compulsive—attention to detail that showcases childlike wonder and simplicity. Greg Kucera Gallery, Free