This is our 5th month of publishing a collection of diverse Tacoma community events and opportunities; I think I could get used to this! The only trouble is deciding what to attend because there’s so much going on we’d need to choose between the rest of our lives and showing up if we went to it all. Deep breaths, no need for speed.
Actually, the point is to take time. Take a little time, a few hours, an afternoon, an evening, and maybe even just pick one. One is more than nothing and can go a long way toward supporting and building community. So take a look. There’s bound to be something calling your name in our list of over 16 events below: a farm tour, fun run, literary themed crawl, ghost tour, film festival, studio tours, harvest fests, Greek fest, or yoga flow. And that’s not even the whole story.
1. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel the Exhibition at the Tacoma Armory
Now - October 14th, Wednesday - Sunday, times vary
Presented by the Broadway Center
Years ago I travelled to Rome, and more specifically Vatican City, to see the Sistine Chapel. I won’t forget it! The ceiling paintings created by Michelangelo are recreated in full size (but up closer than we can get in the chapel) so that people around the world, unable to visit the original, may still view this magnificent work. It’s here in Tacoma, come see!
$24 general admission, $15 for Military, Groups of 10+, and Broadway Center Members, $12 for Students - find your tickets here, and call 253.591.5894 for these listed discounts
Tacoma Armory 1001 S Yakima Ave, Tacoma
Buy tickets to reserve specified 1.5 hour viewing slots
Not so sure about this crazy idea? Learn more about the exhibit at chapelsistine.com
2. 4th Annual Creative Colloquy Crawl
Tuesday, October 2nd, 6 - 9 pm
Hosted by Creative Colloquy
A crawl, a procession, a search, a story within the stories you’ll hear. For 3 hours writers will speak, read, and storytell aloud all over the Stadium District. Get literary, get curious, open your ears!
Free - some venues 21+, others all ages, check out the details here
6 venues in the Stadium District host readers from 6-9 pm. There’s so much story - stories told in 4 or 5 locations at the same time, all at once - that you can’t hear it all!
Venues: Kings Books, Doyle’s Public House, Harmon Taproom, The Mix, Stink, and Anthem Coffee
Join the after party at Matriarch at 9 pm (21+)
3. Grit City Ghost Tour in Tacoma’s Downtown
Fridays & Saturdays, 9 or 11 pm depending on the date
Hosted by Pretty Gritty Tours
After darkness falls, tour downtown Tacoma while your guide tells sinister (gory, haunting) stories of the city’s past.
$15.99 - stories may be disturbing or scary for kiddos
1.5 hour tour covers 4-5 blocks
Available dates, times, and tickets here
4. Libraries Transform Tacoma
Hosted by Tacoma Public Library
Come share your hopes for your community, your worries, or your dreams, listen to others, join the conversation - the library wants to know how we can strengthen the community together
Wednesday, October 3rd, 6 - 7:30 pm
Swasey Branch, 7001 6th Ave, Tacoma
Thursday, October 8th, 12 - 1:30 pm
Tacoma Community House, 1314 S L St, Tacoma
Saturday, October 27th, 10:30 am - 1 pm
Tacoma Community College, Building 9, 6501 S. 19th St, Tacoma
Free and open to everyone
Appetizers served
5. 13th Annual Tacoma Film Festival
Thursday, October 4th - Thursday, October 11th
Hosted by The Grand Cinema
A week of more than 100 new, independent films. See one, see some everyday, come back again and again all week!
General Admission $10.50, Matinee $8, Seniors (62 and over)/students/military/ children (ages 0-12) $8.00
At The Grand Cinema, 606 S Fawcett Ave, Tacoma
VIP Pass $150 - entry to all the films for the whole festival, plus parties & events, and complimentary refreshments in the VIP/Filmmaker Lounge
6. 57th Tacoma Greek Festival
Friday & Saturday, October 5th-6th, 11 am - 9 pm
Sunday, October 7th, 11 am - 6 pm
Hosted by St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
This festival is going strong! Year after year it brings Greek food, dance, culture, gifts, books, and food (worth mentioning twice!).
Free and open to all
At St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1523 S Yakima Ave
Coffee, taverna, and food carts offer food and drink for purchase
See dancers, take a tour of the Greek Orthodox Church, browse the festival, meet friends!
7. Candlelight Tour at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Friday & Saturday, October 5-6th, 6 - 9 pm
Hosted by Fort Nisqually Living History Museum/MetroParks Tacoma
Candlelight, firelight, story and dance, even a wedding celebration, and it’s 1857, so step inside, step back, let over 100 historical interpreters weave the magic around you.
General admission $15, Youth $10, 3 and under free
at Fort Nisqually Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, 5400 N Pearl St, Tacoma in Point Defiance Park
Must purchase your tickets ahead!
8. Key Peninsula Farm Tour
Saturday, October 6th, 10 am - 4 pm
So, this isn’t a Tacoma event, but the Key Peninsula is our neighboring community, and it’s where I grew up, so it makes the cut. 100 years of farming on the KP celebrated in a day of so many festivities we can’t list them all. There’s food, music, oyster shucking, fiber arts galore, animals to pet, herding dog demonstrations, jack-o-lantern carving, and farm touring of course. The festival stretches from the North to South Key Peninsula. If you’ve never been there, what better way to be introduced?
Free and open to all ages (service animals only, please)
Key Peninsula (about 35 minutes out from Tacoma)
Over 2 dozen farms, plus events at The Longbranch Improvement Club (LIC) Fiber Arts Show, Key Pen Gateway Park, and the Key Pen Fire Department Firehouse Pancake Breakfast
Keep your eyes out for scarecrows - word is there’s been a scarecrow invasion!
Don’t miss the Farm Tour Art Show up at Blend in Key Center all month
9. Harvest Fest at L’Arche Farm
Saturday, October 6th, 10 am - 4 pm
Hosted by L’Arche Tahoma Hope Farm & Gardens
Do you know L’Arche Tahoma Hope yet? Go get to know the farm and community who live there; you won’t be sorry. Harvest Fest is the perfect chance to visit the farm, meet some people, buy perennials at 50% off, and do some fall themed crafts as well.
Free and perfect for all ages
At L’Arche Farm & Gardens, 11814 Vickery Ave E, Tacoma
Buy plants and produce, do paper crafts and squash painting!
Bring 4 cans of food for the Food Connection and you get to take home a free 1 gallon perennial!
10. Harvest Fest & Haunted Hall at the Center at Norpoint
Friday Only, October 12th, 5:30 - 7 pm, Harvest Fest
Friday - Saturday, October 12th & 13th, 6 - 8 pm, Haunted Hall
Hosted by the Center at Norpoint/MetroParks of Tacoma
Harvest Fest - Free, Haunted Hall - $5 at the door or $4 if you buy tickets ahead
at the Center at Norpoint, 4818 Nassau Ave NE, Tacoma
Family fun starts with costume contest, bounce house, trunk or treat, face painting, crafts, and snacks, then get spooky at the Haunted Hall
Looking for a Harvest Fest in a community center nearer to you? Check out the events at the People’s Center and STAR Center on Friday, October 26th!
11. Green Tacoma Day at Parks Around the City!
Saturday, October 13th, 10 am - 1 pm
With the Green Tacoma Partnership
Parks and green spaces keep us healthy, and we can thank them by pitching in to keep them healthy in return. For 3 hours you can step in to pull invasive weeds, pick up litter, plant trees, and take care of existing trees and shrubs.
Free volunteer opportunity
Locations in parks and green spaces all over Tacoma - view the list of locations and links to register here
12. Tacoma Arts Month - Tacoma Studio Tour
Saturday & Sunday, October 13th & 14th, 11 am - 5 pm
80 artists, 47 studios, 2 days. Create your own self-guided tour, meet our local artists, experience demonstrations, buy local art directly from the makers, and create art with your own 2 hands.
Free
View the studio tour map plot your custom course through the city
Get your Tacoma Studio Passport (also available at the studios) and make sure to stamp it at each stop for the chance to win a prize!
Make sure to explore the Tacoma Arts Month site for other opportunities throughout October
13. Sustainability Summit for South Sound Women in Business
Saturday, October 20th, 9 am - 4 pm
Presented by Allison Bishins Consulting
Come on in local businesswomen! Get together, and further develop your sustainability goals. Talk about things like equity, a green supply chain, communicating your values, advocating for change through social media, and small group networking. Don’t miss this!
Tickets on a sliding scale - choose the highest your business can afford:
$25 new/microbusiness/recent graduate
$50 small business
$75 full price ticket
$125 full price + partial sponsorship of another attendeeAt Court House Square, 1102 A St, Tacoma
Includes vegan, gluten free breakfast, lunch, coffee and more!
For ages 16+
14. Sunday Slow Flow
Sunday, October 21st, 5 - 6:15 pm (live music continues from 6:15 - 7 pm!)
Presented by Yoga Wild
Yoga, live music from Big Sky Mind, community, slow down time. This is a monthly event, so you can start adding it to your calendar and return again and again.
$10, $5, or Good Vibes - please register online ahead
At West of the Waterway, 1901 Dock St
Beginners are welcome, active lifestyle recommended
75 minutes of yoga finishes up around 6:15 pm, but the evening lives on with snacks, drinks, and more live music!
15. Primo Grill’s Annual Art Auction & Dinner
Wednesday, October 24th, 6:30 pm
Presented by Primo Grill
If you’ve stepped inside Primo Grill, you must have noticed the brilliant mural above the bar! Did you know it was donated by the Tacoma Community College Fine Arts Department? Primo Grill is holding a live auction to continue their support of local arts through the Primo Arts Scholarship. Over the years they’ve donated $150,000 for TCC art students. Along with the live auction, enjoy dinner and wine!
$80 - includes 4 courses, 3 wines, tax, and service charge
Live art auction
Call 253-383-7000 to reserve your place
16. Black Cat Fun Run at Point Defiance Park
Saturday, October 27th, 7 - 9 pm (registration begins at 4:30 pm)
Hosted by MetroParks Tacoma
Choose your distance! Plan for darkness, that means you can bring a flashlight, headlight, glow stick, and do light up your stroller or dog if you bring them. Wear a costume! Walkers welcome!
Prices depend on distance and sign-up date and vary from $10 to $30 (sign up by October 21st for the lowest cost)
At Point Defiance Park 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma
Choose the 5 mile, 2.5 mile, or Kids’ Race (a shorter race around the zoo, supervised so you can take off on your own route)
Begins and ends in the zoo parking lot with lots of lights and a DJ!
Don’t Forget - Wednesday, October 31st is Halloween!
If you’re around, turn on a friendly porch lamp, light a jack-o-lantern, and listen for knocks at your door. Help the kids have a good time trick-or-treating! Last year we had all kinds of visitors disguised at ghosts, butterflies, Little Red Riding Hood, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and who- knows-what stop by in our neighborhood. Make their day!
Want to keep in touch about Tacoma community events and Tacoma living?