52 Best Places to Throw a Party

Heightened holiday party ideas, elevated team outings, celebrations that soar above the rest, and kids parties that won't deflate adults. Also in this issue: Our annual fall arts preview and the story of how one man clawed his way back from his deepest depths.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Autumn Preview

30 Seattle Events to Catch This Fall

From a monthlong festival at Town Hall to Bon Iver to fresh takes on Jane Austen and Dracula, this season is packed.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

The Directors

What Do New Directors Mean for Seattle's Artistic Future?

Seattle Art Museum, Symphony, and Opera all get new leaders this season.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Lit Life

Meet Hugo House's New Poet-in-Residence

Laura Da' talks writing in Seattle.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Journeys

Strange Negotiations Delves into David Bazan's Crisis of Faith

A new documentary charts the travels, and travails, of the local singer-songwriter.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

If I Was in LA

Seattle Musicians Are Migrating to California

Last year a number of longtime Seattle artists departed south—why?

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Big Names

The Top Things to Do in Seattle This Autumn

Ta-Nehisi Coates turns to fiction, Sleater-Kinney stages an apocalyptic return, and PNB gets epic.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

AUTUMN HAPPENINGS

A Guide to Seattle’s Arts Scene This Fall

From a trio of new directors to a self-reflexive musical’s take on Jane Austen, autumn is for the arts.

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Eat & Drink

Treat Tour

A Sweet Capitol Hill Dessert Crawl

A bar crawl on the Hill? Please. Forgo the hangover and opt instead for a sugar rush.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Tipsy Tour

The Perfect Belltown Bar Crawl

The historic neighborhood lays claim to a bevy of new watering holes.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Review

Samara Forges Elegance in Fire

A handsome Sunset Hill dining room lays claim to flame.

08/20/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Side Bar

Life on Mars Spins '70s Vibes with Pike/Pine Chic

The vegan cocktail bar, run by music industry locals, lets you pick the soundtrack (sometimes).

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Explainer

Seattle Spends More Money on Takeout Than Any Other U.S. City

As far as food movements go, we’ve nailed farm-to-table and we’re leading the way in app-to-table dining, too.

08/20/2019 By Sam Jones

Here to Satay

Dahlia Lounge and Wild Ginger Both Turn 30 This Year

How two Seattle dining institutions have evolved—and what made them ahead of their time.

08/20/2019 By Jessica Voelker

CRITIC’S PICKS

What We’re Eating Now September 2019

This month's favorites: crazy fun Japanese drinking snacks, clandestine deep-dish, and bistro staples, remixed.

08/20/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

News Feed

Seattle Restaurant News September 2019

This month: North Broadway shakeups, sustainable sushi, and a meaty Cowabunga returns.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Editor's Note

Behind the Scenes

How to Get “P” Off the Ceiling

It took a lot of work (and balloons) to make a clown take flight for our cover photo.

08/20/2019 By Jane Sherman

Editor’s Note

Life of the Party

Sometimes you need to declare your own cause for celebration. And maybe rent a crane.

08/20/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Home & Real Estate

Habitat

A Cookbook Author Reinvents Her Queen Anne Kitchen

Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille has a new light-filled headquarters for recipe testing.

08/20/2019 By Karin Vandraiss

News & City Life

Out of Office

How to Throw a Team Outing That's Legitimately Fun

Because poorly planned work outings are worse than pointless conference calls.

08/20/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

In Memoriam

How to Throw a Celebration of Life

A party for the dearly departed.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Singles Night

How to Throw a Bachelor/ette Sans Questionable Accessories

Step away from the novelty items shaped like genitalia. And toward a night you can actually remember.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Art of the Dodge

Flaking on Plans Is Seattle's Real Cultural Export

Follow these tips on nights when you just need to be a hermit.

08/20/2019 By Darren Davis

Party Animals

How to Throw a Birthday Party...for Your Dog

Yeah, you're that kind of dog owner. It's cool. Here's where to fete your pet.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

So Much Confetti

How to Throw a Birthday Party for Yourself

After all, who knows you better than you?

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Cake & Chaos

Kids Parties That Don’t Make Parents Gag

We get it—if you have to sit through one more germ-filled, candy-powered party at a Chuck E. Cheese, you’ll riot.

08/20/2019 By Sam Jones

Party Practitioners

Steve Cox Sculpts a Career in Party Ice

The national champion with a chainsaw specializes in cocktail ice, daring sculptures, and lots of luges.

08/20/2019 By Philip Kiefer

Sleep While You Can

How to Throw a Baby Shower That's Not Lame

No one will miss the chocolate-in-a-diaper game, trust us.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Drinks! Snacks! Action!

6 Group Activities to Liven Up Your Next Party

Seattle party spots that offer something beyond appetizers and a buzz.

08/20/2019 By Lily Hansen

Retro Rager

40 Years Ago, Boeing Threw a Party for the Record Books

Will the first person back in Seattle pick up 2,000 pounds of glitter?

08/20/2019 By Stefan Milne

Beyond Canapes

Consider the Caterers: When Party Food Goes Pro

Outsourcing the food is a no-brainer, but where to order the platter is not.

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams

Party Practitioners

Caterer Extraordinaire Lisa Dupar Can Make That Happen

Elaborate themes? Far-flung family recipes? It takes more than that to faze the region’s longtime catering pro.

08/20/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Good-Time Titans

Seattle's Crazy Party Central Is...Canlis?

How the fine dining restaurant puts together such epic parties.

08/20/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Book It

Seattle's Best Private Rooms for Primo Parties

Bypass the beige banquet hall and get down in one of these private spaces.

08/20/2019 By Jaime Archer and Allecia Vermillion

Party Practitioners

Sizzle the Clown Makes Joy Take Shape

These balloon creations give “twisted fantasies” a wholesome new meaning.

08/20/2019 By Philip Kiefer

Shade Index

7 Very Seattle Reasons I Can’t Come to Your Party

Let's get this no-show on the road.

08/20/2019 By Mac Hubbard

Snap Judgment

Would You Actually Ride an E-Scooter?

E-bikes are already here—you’ve likely sidestepped a few by now. This fall, the city will also accept permit applications for electric scooter companies.

08/20/2019 By Courtney Cummings

Space Jam

Jeff Bezos Dreams of Space Travel and Life on the Moon

Fifty years after the U.S. first landed on the moon, can the Amazon founder get us back there—for good?

08/20/2019 By Lily Hansen

Newsmakers

Perfect Party September 2019

Here’s who we’d invite if we could entertain this month’s most interesting visitors, locals, and newsmakers.

08/20/2019 By Seattle Met Staff

Politicks

A Trump Countdown Clock Ticks in Leschi

The presidential race for 2020 is already in full swing. But a few Seattleites have been marking the days until Trump’s potential exit since day one.

08/20/2019 By Lindsay Cohen

Parcel Plot

Welcome to Interbay, a Land in Limbo

The industrial neighborhood has so much potential in the midst of a will they, won’t they development debate.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Quote Unquote

Seattle Public Schools Nutrition Director Aaron Smith Is Rewriting the Menu

“To walk into that cafeteria and be greeted with a smile…that could make a world of a difference.”

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams

Your Best Shot

Reader's Lens September 2019

Each month we choose a photo from Seattle’s Instagram community to highlight in our print issue and online. (Tag #seattlemet in your posts for a chance to be featured!)

08/20/2019

Feature

In the Straits: An Inmate Turned Millionaire Turned Lone Survivor

He was a convicted felon who found a niche in Seattle’s construction boom. As the region’s fortunes rose and fell—and rose again—so did his. Then a fatal boating accident came for Michael Powers’s fairy-tale ending.

08/19/2019 By James Ross Gardner

Style & Shopping

Elements of Style

Kate Fleming’s Diary of a Skin Care Nerd

One tech worker bested her acne through research—and a book and a beauty product were born.

08/20/2019 By Rosin Saez

Travel & Outdoors

Magical Mystery Tour

Would You Let Strangers Send You Anywhere in the World?

Local travel company Explorer X will build a custom mystery trip—one designed to transform your life.

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams