The annual tulip fest is an event so massive it practically defines the whole spring season in the Skagit Valley.  As always, the festival runs throughout the entire month, but bloom status is best tracked online to strategize for peak petal. Four gardens have tulip fields and displays this year, ranging from massive artistic show gardens to unbuttoned U-pick affairs. 

The fairgrounds host a slightly smaller and calmer event than the fall blockbuster over two April weekends. Agriculture displays join animal events (think pig races and pygmy goats), and the usual fair food and rides are in full swing. For entertainment, live bands, monster trucks, and a car-crushing demo derby steal the show.

Sun-soaked Bainbridge Island Museum of Art showcases emerging artist in a show of craft makers: glass artists, wood workers, ceramicists, and the like. On April 11, the museum brings representatives from local craft orgs to ponder what it means to be an "emerging artist." After the panel discussion, two floors of craft-related exhibitions await. 

If the tulip frenzy up north feels a little much, things stay a bit calmer at the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens. The signature flower here is known for both its beauty and its scent, and this is the only time to purchase plants all year—with perfect timing ahead of Mother's Day. Work in a visit the National Historic Site's farmhouse and museum after strolling the fields.

There's nothing more classic than the kind of annual event with a royalty court and a pancake breakfast. The rest of Wenatchee's 107-year-old festival includes a grand parade and a bake-off, plus an arts and crafts fair and more than two dozen rides at the downtown carnival.

Downtown Olympia transforms into an artistic haven for two weekends each year with exhibits, installations, and hands-on activities spilling from host businesses onto miles of downtown streets. From ceramics and graphic novels to live music and nature photography, the creative juices are flowing.

Under the watchful eye of Mount Si, North Bend's downtown venues dedicate one night to all things jazz. A music-festival-like ticket scores access to almost 20 venues across town in the highly anticipated annual tradition. 

Films helmed by women take Bellingham by storm during the annual film fest, one where filmmakers from around the world lend their shorts and features for a deep roster of compelling stories. Four days of screenings, panel discussions, and script readings inside the cute Pickford Film Center culminate in a connection-inspiring wrap party.