Mid-October in the Seattle area promises a busy and diverse lineup. The city will host Latin American and South Asian film festivals, Refract—a major celebration of glass—Earshot Jazz Festival, and dozens of theater productions and concerts. Fans of the fall season can enjoy Halloween shows, haunted houses, themed train rides, pumpkin farms, and ghost-story walks. The program also includes family festivals, fairs, food tours, sporting events, dance nights, free museum days, and unusual happenings—from a water lantern festival to a party among glass exhibits. Details about events and schedules are available in the Seattle Events 12 calendar.
Seattle-Area Events: October 14–21, 2026
| Date | Location | Description | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 14–17 | Bellevue, Renton, Seattle, Shoreline | Seattle Latino Film Festival: Screenings of films about music, literature, dance, and painting. | Website and program, passes |
| Oct. 14–18 | Seattle, multiple venues | Tasveer South Asian Film Festival: Film screenings, galas, discussions, and gatherings focused on South Asian cinema. | Festival website, schedule |
| Oct. 14–31 | Waterfront, Seattle | A two-hour sailing trip aboard the schooner Bay Lady, offering views of Elliott Bay; daytime and sunset departures. | Map, video |
| Oct. 14–31 | Several cities in the region | Haunted-house and haunted-forest season: Fright Factory, Haunted Woods, Georgetown Morgue, Frighthouse Station, and other horror attractions. | Seattle video, Tacoma video |
| Oct. 14–Nov. 15 | Greenwood, Seattle, Green Lake, Issaquah, Seattle Center, and other venues | Theater productions: Conscience, Eureka Day, Neha & Neel, Ragtime, Smoke on the Mountain, Escaped Alone, Noises Off, References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot, and Leonardo. | — |
| Oct. 14–Dec. 26 | Seattle | Walking food tours with tastings: Pike Place Market, downtown chocolate, Capitol Hill coffee, and wine with cheese and chocolate. | — |
| Oct. 14, 2026–Dec. 31, 2027 | Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and surrounding areas | Free events and places to visit: Bellevue Botanical Garden, classical-music concerts, the Frye and Gold Rush museums, Henry Art Gallery, Kubota Garden, Olympic Sculpture Park, and walking routes. | — |
| Oct. 15 | Downtown, Seattle | Happy Hour & Hellos for young professionals, with drinks, snacks, and networking at Tutta Bella. | Website, tickets |
| Oct. 15 | Seattle Center, Seattle | Gather at Chihuly Garden and Glass: cocktails, snacks, live music, glassblowing demonstrations, and a tour of the Refract exhibition. | Website |
| Oct. 15 | Multiple venues | Free Seattle Art Walks; on October 15, the event takes place in Edmonds from 5 to 8 p.m. | More information |
| Oct. 15 | Bellevue and Seattle | A chamber-music festival featuring Latin American and Spanish composers, performed by the Ballard Civic Orchestra. | Website |
| Oct. 15 | Tacoma | Free evening at Tacoma museums: Foss Waterway Seaport, Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, and Washington State History Museum. | — |
| Oct. 15–18 | Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and the Eastside | Refract—The Seattle Glass Experience: About 150 events, exhibitions, films, parties, demonstrations, and studio tours. | Website, schedule |
| Oct. 15–18 | Tacoma | Tacoma Holiday Festival: Hundreds of booths featuring handmade goods and food, workshops, photo opportunities, and Santa Claus. | Website, floor plan |
| Oct. 15–25 | Seattle | Earshot Jazz Festival: Dozens of concerts by local and international jazz performers. | Website, schedule |
| Oct. 15–30 | Seattle and Woodinville | A series of candlelight chamber concerts featuring classical music, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Bach to Beatles, Hans Zimmer, Coldplay, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and Halloween music. | Website, video |
| Oct. 15–31 | Downtown, Seattle | This is Halloween—a Can Can show featuring orchestral music, cabaret, burlesque, and video projections inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas. | Website |
| Oct. 15–31 | Downtown, Seattle | Haunted Pub Crawl: A ghost-story walk through four bars; for guests 21 and older. | Tickets and information |
| Oct. 15–31 | Capitol Hill, Seattle | Haunted Soiree—an immersive performance in a stylized Bavarian beer hall with live music, theatrical scenes, and actors portraying supernatural creatures. | Tickets |
| Oct. 16 | Downtown, Seattle | Fashion at the Fairmont, with a champagne reception, hors d’oeuvres, and the option to attend the after-party. | Website and tickets |
| Oct. 16 | South Lake Union, Seattle | Rhapsodic Musings, a string-music concert featuring musicians from Seattle and Olympia. | Website, Olympia concert |
| Oct. 16–17 | Leavenworth | Leavenworth Oktoberfest: Live music and dancing, German cuisine, contests, beer gardens, and a parade. | Website, shuttle |
| Oct. 16–18 | Downtown, Seattle | Seattle Latin Dance Festival: Daytime dance workshops, evening shows, and social dancing. | Website, schedule, tickets |
| Oct. 16–18 | Sand Point, Seattle | Snowvana: Winter-sports gear expo, ski swap, films, music, food, and drinks. | Website, tickets |
| Oct. 16–25 | Georgetown, Seattle | A Circus of Steam and Shadows—a production featuring shadow puppetry, live animation, and acrobatics inside a former steam power plant. | Website, tickets |
| Oct. 16–30 | Eatonville | Hoot ’N’ Owl at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park: Candy, games, nocturnal animals, keeper talks, and themed decorations. | Website |
| Oct. 16–31 | Downtown, Seattle | Poe Unexpected—improvised comedy inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe; performances on Fridays and Saturdays. | Tickets |
| Oct. 16–31 | Multiple venues | Fall farm activities: pumpkin patches, wagon rides, and corn mazes around Puget Sound. | — |
| Oct. 16–Nov. 1 | Federal Way | Wild Waves Fright Fest: The daytime Booville program for children and evening attractions with monsters, dark roller coasters, and haunted houses. | Website and tickets |
| Oct. 17 | Capitol Hill, Seattle | Diwali Family Festival: Stories, music, fashion, cultural performances, and creative activities celebrating the Festival of Lights. | Website |
| Oct. 17 | Ballard, Seattle | Ballard Wine Walk, a tasting walk through Ballard shops; the event is sold out. | Event page |
| Oct. 17 | Columbia City, Seattle | Free Columbia City Night Market with food trucks, handmade-goods vendors, live music, and a beer garden. | Website |
| Oct. 17 | Puyallup | Puyallup Flat Track—motorcycle and ATV racing on an indoor track. | Event page, schedule |
| Oct. 17 | Lakewood | Free family Lakewood Truck & Tractor Day with large trucks and tractors, hayrides, and children’s activities. | Website |
| Oct. 17–18 | Seward Park, Seattle | Water Lantern Festival: Music, food, games, lantern-making, and launching lanterns onto the lake. | Website |
| Oct. 17–18 | Tacoma | Zoo Boo at Point Defiance Zoo: Costumes, treats, games, a parade, and a dance party. | Website |
| Oct. 17 | Concrete | Concrete Ghost Walk—a historical walk featuring stories about miners, loggers, and cement-plant workers. | Website, tickets |
| Oct. 17–31 | Belltown, Seattle | Hot Stove Society cooking classes with a professional chef: Vietnamese crêpes, Italian ragù, Japanese ramen, and sushi. | Schedule and tickets |
| Oct. 17–31 | Capitol Hill, Seattle | Historical ghost tour of Capitol Hill; performances on Saturdays. | More information |
| Oct. 17–31 | Seattle Center, Seattle | Salome—Richard Strauss’s dark opera in German with English subtitles. | Opera website |
| Oct. 17–31 | Seattle area | Architectural walking tours: Queen Anne, historic Ballard, and South Lake Union. | Foundation website, video |
| Oct. 17–31 | Fremont, Seattle | Cat-o-lantern Pumpkin Carving with Cats—carve pumpkins surrounded by cats; the ticket includes a pumpkin and tools. | Website |
| Oct. 17–31 | Snoqualmie | Halloween Train: Apple cider, seasonal games, and rides on a decorated historic train on weekends. | Website |
| Oct. 17–31 | Skykomish | Free miniature-train rides on Saturdays; Kitsap Live Steamers sessions are also available in Port Orchard. | Great Northern & Cascade Railway, Kitsap Live Steamers |
| Oct. 17 | Pioneer Square, Seattle | Seattle Sounders vs. CF Montréal soccer match at Lumen Field. | Schedule, tickets |
| Oct. 18 | West Seattle | Free Fauntleroy Fall Festival with food, music, a carnival, pumpkin painting, and children’s activities. | Website |
| Oct. 18 | Downtown, Seattle | Free Benaroya Hall Open House with music, storytelling, family activities, and performances. | Website |
| Oct. 18 | Seattle Center, Seattle | Northwest Record Show: Vinyl records, CDs, and other music collectibles. | Website |
| Oct. 18 | Ballard, Seattle | Fall Mead Festival: Tasting of nine varieties of mead with snacks; for guests 21 and older. | Tickets |
| Oct. 18–25 | Everett and Shoreline | Mushroom shows: Identification of collected mushrooms, lectures, and vendor booths. | Everett map, Shoreline map |
| Oct. 18–31 | Seattle and the Eastside | Seattle Restaurant Week: Special offers at 220 restaurants from Seattle to Issaquah and Edmonds to Rainier Beach. | Website |
| Oct. 20 | Downtown, Seattle | An evening with Bill Nye about curiosity, science, and innovation at The 5th Avenue Theatre. | Website, tickets |
| Oct. 20 | Downtown, Seattle | Winemakers’ dinner at Fairmont Olympic Hotel; the event is sold out. | Information, menu |
| Oct. 20 | Seattle Center, Seattle | Seattle Kraken vs. Detroit Red Wings hockey game at Climate Pledge Arena. | Schedule, tickets |
| Oct. 21 | Lynnwood | Rat City Roller Derby bout at Seaview Hall at Edmonds College. | Website |
| Oct. 21 | Seattle Center, Seattle | Scarecrowber—screenings of classic horror films selected by the Scarecrow Video team. | Website |