Good news! March is here, and this is the month when winter turns to spring. Find 20 ways to weather the remaining days of winter, to welcome the new season, to get out, get about, and get to know Tacoma. Take yourself on a date. Go dancing. Make flowers. Hear stories. Meet makers. Change your mind.
If you’re getting stuck, wondering where you can help, or you just want to know where the party is, come back to this list. We’d love to be your guides throughout the month! This is our 10th month in a row of creating a list of Tacoma events representing just a glimpse into the array of happenings all over our city. We hope this list helps citizens of the city - those brand-new here, as well as you who’ve been settled here for eons - connect with the efforts and causes and creations of the people around you.
Image from Tacoma Sustainability
1. 12th Annual South Sound Sustainability Expo with Tacoma Sustainability
Saturday, March 2nd
10 am - 3 pm
Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Commerce St, Tacoma
Free admission!
Over 100 local businesses and organizations dedicated to an environmentally healthy and sustainable South Sound
New - our wonderful local Fix-It Fair is setting up shop during the expo, so bring your electronics, clothes, appliances, and other items in need of repair - woohoo!
Workshops, kids activities area, screen-printing station, Tacoma green infrastructure tour, sustainable business panel, and more
See the full list of activities, vendors, and more information at southsoundsustainabilityexpo.org
Image from Tacoma Arts Live
2. Ailey II: The Next Generation of Dance with Tacoma Arts Live
Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 3rd at 3 pm
Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma
Admission $19, $40, $55, $69 - order tickets here
The country’s best dancers brought together with the work of emerging visionary choreographers
Founded in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, now under the direction of Troy Powell
Ailey II is a modern dance company any dance lover will truly want to see!
Image from City of Tacoma Government
3. Tacoma's State of the City Address with Mayor Woodards
Wednesday, March 6th
6:30 - 8 pm
University of Puget Sound Schneebeck Concert Hall, 1500 N Warner St, Tacoma
Free Admission - Join the waitlist!
This event, hosted by the City of Tacoma Government is full but we still wanted to share it!
If you wanted to go, but can’t due to this great event being filled up, we encourage you to add your name to the waitlist! This will help our city know how interested we are. It’s a good thing!
Image from PLU Wang Center
4. Excerpts from Witness Uganda at Pacific Lutheran University
Wednesday, March 6th
6:30 - 8 pm
Anderson University Center Building - Chris Knutzen Hall, 12180 Park Ave S, Tacoma
Free admission - please register here
Witness Uganda: A Docu-Musical on the Complexities of Caring presented in a concert version
Written and composed by former Peace Corps volunteer, Matt Gould, and actor and co-founder of the UgandaProject, Griffin Matthews
Image from Washington Trafficking Prevention
5. Elizabeth Smart: Where There’s Hope with Washington Trafficking Prevention
Friday, March 8th
7 - 8 pm
Rialto Theater, 310 S 9th St, Tacoma
Admission $29, $40, $59, $87 - order tickets here ($87 tickets include access to a VIP reception with Elizabeth Smart at the Hotel Murano at 5:30 pm)
Hear Elizabeth Smart talk about her story of being trafficked and how she found hope
Elizabeth was abducted in 2002 and remained captive for 9 months, she’s now a powerful advocate for the AMBER Alert and child protection and safety
Image from Tacoma Defiance
6. Tacoma Defiance Opening Night at Cheney Stadium
Friday, March 8th
7 pm
Cheney Stadium, 2502 S Tyler St, Tacoma
Admission $7 - $27, get tickets here
It’s Tacoma Defiance’s first match of the season - celebrate our soccer team and their fabulous new name!
Playing Rio Grande Valley FC
Image from Gig Harbor Night Market
7. Gig Harbor Night Market at 7 Seas Brewing Co.
Saturday, March 9th
4 - 10 pm
3006 Judson St, Ste 110, Gig Harbor
Free admission - all ages friendly
It’s opening an hour earlier than usual, so come at 4 pm if you want!
Local artists and vendors galore staged in the brewery and taproom of the beautiful 7 Seas original Gig Harbor location
Music, food, drink, and local brews!
Think of this as the sister event to the outstandingly popular Tacoma Night Market
Image from Paper Luxe
8. Paper Flowers Workshop - Irises at Paper Luxe
Sunday, March 10th
2 - 4 pm
Paper Luxe, 2053 Mildred St W, Fircrest
Admission $55 - get tickets here
Support a small local business, a local artist, and get new skills all at the same time!
All necessary supplies provided, demonstration, and one-on-one assistance
Instruction by Sarah Yakawonis, paper artist-extraordinaire and recent transplant from Maine to Tacoma!
Follow Sarah on Instagram @yakawonis to see more of her beautiful paper blooms
Image from Allison Bishins Consulting
9. Slow Down to Catch Up a Workshop for Women in Business with Allison Bishins Consulting
Sunday, March 10th
6 - 8 pm
Tacoma Arts Community Center, 1102 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Tacoma
$25 before March 3rd, $30 after March 3rd, get tickets here
Ages 18+ or 14+ with an adult - for self-identifying women
Led by women for women - (business owners, entrepreneurs, moms)!
Guided mediation by Casey Hubbell of Yoga Wild
Values alignment exercise and discussion by Allison of Allison Bishins Consulting + Handmade PNW
Yoga by Ashley of Unique Holistic Happiness
Vegan snacks and tea included, but bring your own yoga mat and writing notebook/journal if you can
Image from Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity
10. Habitat Film Series Presents: If You Build It at The Grand Cinema
Monday, March 11th
6:30 pm
The Grand Cinema, 606 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma
Free admission, $10 donation suggested - tickets available ahead or at the door
6 pm - doors open, 6:3 pm - film begins, 8:15 pm - panel discussion
Presented by Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity
If You Build It follows designer-activists as they work with students in North Carolina’s poorest county on a project that goes beyond teaching construction and design skills to re-invent what these 10 high schoolers believe is possible!
In the panel discussion following the screening we’ll get the chance to hear how local organizations are working with youth toward a better future
Image from Pacific Lutheran University
11. Mother of Exiles - Refugees in American Myth & History at Pacific Lutheran University
Monday, March 11th
7 - 9 pm
Scandinavian Cultural Center, PLU, Park Ave, (between S 122nd & S 123rd), Tacoma
Free and open to the public
45th Annual Walter C. Schnackenberg Lecture
Speaker Mae Ngai is Lung Family Professor of Asian American Studies and Professor of History at Columbia University and she’ll examine the idea of America as a land of hope and refuge, going beyond the familiar narrative to think about relationships between asylum and nation-building, and how the current opposition to asylum seekers from Central American fits into our immigration history.
Images from UW Tacoma Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
12. Life Finds a Way: Evolution in Cities with UW Tacoma’s Grit City Think & Drink
Tuesday, March 12th
6:30 - 8 pm
The Swiss Restaurant & Pub, 1904 S Jefferson Ave, Tacoma
Free admission - open to all ages
Think and drink starts with a lecture by an expert on the subject of the day, then moves into a time of moderated discussion with the audience (that’s you!)
Dr. Chris Schell, Assistant Professor in the Science and Mathematics Division at UWT, asks the question, “How are wildlife adapting to life in cities.” Dr. Schell’s work focuses on personality differences in raccoons, coyotes, and foxes and in this talk will discuss the emerging field of urban evolutionary biology.
This is a monthly event, comping up every 2nd Tuesday, so keep an eye out for further Grit City Think & Drink events!
Image from Yoga Wild
13. Seasonal Workshop: Spring Edition by Yoga Wild
Friday, March 15th
6:30 - 8:30 pm
Court House Square, 1102 A St, Tacoma
$20 - find tickets here
2 hour workshop guiding participants toward finding balance in the shift from season to season
First hour dives into the impact of season change on our feelings and daily life, and offers ideas for daily rituals to bring balance
Second hour is a yoga practice to prepare for the dynamic spring season
Bring a mat, water, journal, pen - beginners welcome
Image from Amara
14. Volunteer Information Meeting at Tacoma’s Amara
Saturday, March 16th - 10 am
Tuesday, March 19th - 6 pm
2550 S G St, Tacoma
Free volunteer education opportunity - register here
Amara is a local nonprofit working towards the love and support of a committed family for every child in foster care.
Volunteering can include playing at a park, making pancakes, or reading to kids at Amara’s Emergency Sanctuary
Come on Saturday or Tuesday to learn more and think about whether you’d like to get involved
Learn more about Amara and volunteering here
Image from Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
15. Heritage Skills Workshop: Bee Independent at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Saturday, March 16th
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Point Defiance Park, 5400 N Pearl St, Tacoma
$30 - pre-registration required, ages 16+ - reserve your spot here
Learn to make reusable food wraps, and lip balm and moisturizers to suit your particular needs while supporting local pollinators
Recipes created by Tacoma students who will be present to help and guide the process
Lead by science teacher Lauren Anderson of Bee 253 - a local, student-run apiary
Image from Tacoma Tool Library
16. 3rd Anniversary Celebration for Tacoma Tool Library at 7 Seas
Saturday, March 16th
5 - 7 pm
7 Seas Brewing Co., 2101 Jefferson Ave, Tacoma
Free admission - all ages friendly
Celebrate, share stories, eat and drink, hear what’s coming up for Tacoma Tool Library, get in on activities for kids, and join the raffle to win prizes!
Celebrating 3 years of the Tacoma Tool Library: 835 members, 10 THOUSAND tool loans, hundreds of home projects, education workshops, equity and inclusive community
Image from Tacoma Night Market
17. Tacoma Night Market at Alma Mater
Saturday, March 16th
5 - 10 pm
1322 Fawcett Ave
Free
Art, vendors, community, live music, and DJ
Food and drink available from special vendors as well as from Honey and Matriarch on site
This is a monthly event, and it’s fun every month, and it’s a little different every month so even if you’ve been, in a way, you haven't been, so go. Either way, go.
First Day of Spring - Wednesday, March 20th
We made it! Now it’s time to celebrate blossoms and buds, brighter mornings, lengthening days, continued rains, breezing clouds, and bursts of sun. Did you hear that, sun? We’re looking for bursts.
Image from Allison Bishins Consulting
18. Badass Ladies Party: Celebrating Amazing Local Women with Allison Bishins Consulting
Wednesday, March 20th
6 -9 pm
AlignCatalyst, 1901 S Jefferson Ave, Suite 105, Tacoma
$20 admission until March 13th - get tickets here (tickets go up to $25 after 3/13) - ages 18+
Part party, part get-to-know-you women’s connection event, this party is the culmination of a women’s connection series with tickets available to any self-identifying women who want to celebrate other women
Snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, low-key chatting, “get to know you” prompts available for us shy people to ease the pain of meeting someone new
Image from Alma Mater
19. SOLID: An Art Walk After Party at Alma Mater
Thursday, March 21st
9 pm - 1 am
Fawcett Hall, 1322 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma
Free admission - 21+
Dance Party!
Every 3rd Thursday following Art Walk
Dance to music from Al Green, Chet Faker, Trippie Redd, Phony PPL, Key!, Tuxedo, Pretty Ricky, James Brown, A Tribe Called Quest, Kaytranada and more!
Image from 90-Second Newberry Film Festival
20. 90-Second Newberry Film Festival Tacoma Screening at the Blue Mouse Theatre
Saturday, March 23rd
11 am - 12:30 pm
Blue Mouse Theatre, 2611 N Proctor St, Tacoma
Free admission - reserve your spot here
Annual film contest for kid filmmakers
These films tell the story of Newberry Award-winning books in 90 seconds
See movies by Tacoma kids and movies by some of the best in the US
Learn more about the contest, the festival, and how you can enter next year here!
Image from University of Puget Sound
21. Field House Flea Market at University of Puget Sound
Saturday, March 23rd
8 - 10 am, Early Entry
10 am - 4 pm, General Entry
UPS Memorial Field House, N 11th St & Union Ave, Tacoma
Last year I came home with beauties from L’Arche Farm & Gardens, Girl Loves Cake Desserts, and Yoshiko Yamamoto/Arts & Crafts Press
$5 general admission (children 2 and under are free during general entry), $15 early entry for the first pick of all the goods
Proceeds from admission sales go to student scholarships!
Hosted by the Puget Sound Women’s League with over 70 other vendors
See the list of 2019 vendors here
Going strong since 1968 this is a big, fun, full flea market of vintage, handmade, and local goods, with treats, a raffle, plants, and so much treasure-hunting fun
Follow @fieldhouseflea on Instagram for vendor highlights and event updates
Image from Pacific Grill
22. Woodward Canyon Wine Dinner at Pacific Grill
Wednesday, March 27th
6 - 9 pm
Pacific Grill, 1502 Pacific Ave, Tacoma
$125 per person (includes tax & service charge), for ages 21+, purchase your tickets here
6 course dinner prepared by Pacific Grill chefs paired with Woodward Canyon’s wines
Woodward Canyon Owners, Rick & Sager Smalls will be in attendance to represent their winery, the 2nd to be established in Walla Walla!
We hope you found an event or two to spark your interest, awaken your curiosity, or draw you out into the Tacoma community.
Maybe we’ll see you out there in March! And we’ll be back in April with another guide to getting involved in Tacoma. See you in springtime! (A happy thought, indeed.)
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