There’s change in the air across Tacoma, the return of things once lost, the reopening of places once closed, the transformation of one restaurant into another, the creation of brand new places to gather, shop, eat, and drink. We’ve been experiencing this change across the city and wanted to pull some of it together in one place. What follows is a list of 17 new, renewed, and returned businesses along with 3 coming soon. See if you can enjoy and support something new this month; if you do, we’d love to hear about it!
We’ve rounded-up and narrowed-down 15 ways to get out into community this October. Don your most intellectual scarf and hat combination for a literary night, dance and eat with the Greeks, step into a candlelit tour our 1855, get psyched up about cycling (and bicycle fashion), try forest bathing, don your most eccentric scarf and hat combination for the film festival, write letters for fun, tour art studios, hear from Latinas who experience being The Firsts in so many ways, take a local art walk, and celebrate Día de los Muertos. We’ve got some ways to volunteer in here too—lend a hand with Habitat for Humanity, pick up litter, or pull weeds and plant seeds at a favorite park to keep Tacoma green.
Once in a while, we all need to get out of town. This month we’re sharing about Port Townsend and Vashon Island, two places we go again and again when a change of scene is calling. They’re places where the beach is always near, where parking is easy, where woods and trails beckon us away from the sidewalks. Places where small, local bakeries, coffee roasters, independent bookstores, and one of a kind shops outnumber chains by far. We’ll share some of the ways we pass the time and how we fill our stomachs (never a problem). Don’t worry too much about planning; these destinations are so close to Tacoma, you can show up again and try what you missed. Wake up one morning and just decide to go!
Tacoma High 5 is our way to nudge you (and us!) toward what we love about Tacoma. It’s a short list with a commitment to the local—it embraces the season, invites delight, encourages a spirit of exploration and some generosity as well. This month’s list includes Tacoma Pride, an all ages neighborhood music festival, a game that gets you supporting small businesses (and winning prizes), Swedish-style baked goods, and the chance to help out Habitat for Humanity or spend Friday afternoons watering trees to keep Tacoma (and its future) healthy and shaded.
Community Event
Sweet Treat
Exploration & Adventure
Local Love
Volunteering & Sharing
Want to go out and really be out—out in the open air, beneath a colorful umbrella, on a shaded patio, beside a bustling sidewalk, seated on a deck overlooking the water, pulled up to a bar counter by the street? We’ve gathered over 60 of Tacoma’s outdoor dining spots by neighborhood to get you started. Take a look at our list of restaurants, cafes, and bars with outdoor seating, then get yourself away from the screen, out the door, and into the life of Tacoma’s summer. See you out there!
Tacoma, Tuesdays, Trivia, Tacos, Talent. It’s the truth, there’s stuff to do. We have 19 of those things listed right here (twenty would have sounded so good) and not all of them start with “t.” There’s ballet and book club, wine and film, story time and bingo. So dust off your dancing shoes, clean your spectacles, strap the baby in a stroller, study up on random facts, warm up your vocal chords, and work up an appetite; it’s Tuesday in Tacoma!
If you’re looking for ways to get outside in and around Tacoma this summer, take a look at our list of local beaches (plus some favorites a bit farther afield), our Tacoma neighborhood guide to patio dining, and a few opportunities for volunteering in the great outdoors. Even if you don’t get away for a vacation, you can find some ease and fun nearby in these treasured weeks of summer near the Salish Sea.
This is just a tiny glimpse at all the things happening around Tacoma this month. We’ve included a few events, some new spots that opened up recently, and small businesses to keep an eye on so you’re ready to support them when their doors fully open—food festivals, Tacoma Pride, new coffee roasters, a way to lend a hand, delicious deliveries, and fix-it fairs too. Follow the links for details and see if you can find something—even someone—new out there!
This month we have 10 ways (actually 14, we threw is some special extras) to connect to Tacoma community! It’s a truly Tacoma mix of events and gatherings from storytelling to free community meals, from workshops to develop your recording artist skills to domestic violence and racism education and advocacy, from classes in watercolor to classes on how to use tools, from women in business to women and the vote (by the way: vote!).
Summer is waning, but we’ve gathered 10 things to do in Tacoma this September to get you through. This list is all about connecting to community. You’ll find a vintage yard sale, community meals, opportunities to give your time to people and to the environment, a public art tour, new pizza places, a cooking class, and more. We hope you find something for you, something that gives you hope, or a way you can give hope to someone else. Take a look.
Take a look at our list of 15 ways to connect to Tacoma community this August. Events have shifted from up close and personal gatherings, to remote or distanced gatherings, but connection is still the goal. You’ll find opportunities to serve the community, drive-in movies, a live music festival, social and racial justice conversations, and free community meals. Dig in and take care!
9 events, 5 organizations, and 1 new business equals 15 ways to connect to Tacoma this July. We’re 2 years in with these monthly events lists, and we’re changing it up as the times change. While there’s less opportunity for in-person gathering right now, the need for real conversation, connection, empathy, and advocacy are stronger than ever. It’s Tacoma Pride this month! You’ll also find free acupuncture care, an anti-racist book club, a home cocktail class celebrating iconic women, bike rides, a free business tax class, volunteer opportunities, and more.
Here we are in June, continuing the balance of staying together while keeping apart. This month we’ve created another list of 15 things to do in Tacoma. You’ll find ways to give to the community, resources for anti-racism work, farmers’ markets, art projects, a scavenger hunt, bike rides, story times, nostalgic Tacoma music to stream, and an opportunity to write or record your story for the library’s Northwest Room archives.
Staying together while keeping apart; that’s life these days. This month we’ve created a list of 15 things to do in Tacoma including online cooking classes and story times, virtual open mics, farmers’ markets, home yoga, opportunities to give and share, window decorating, scavenger hunts, and getting creative at home (with paper! Geez!).
March is a month full of events! Tacoma continues rolling out community gatherings, open houses, Ladies Nights, fundraisers, dance parties, exhibitions, learning opportunities, markets, and tours no matter which calendar page is open. Speaking of Ladies’ Nights, March is Women’s History Month, so make the extra effort to learn about ordinary/extraordinary inspiring women; they’re all around you. Take a look at our list of 16 Tacoma events!
February in Tacoma is a month when the gray skies can hang pretty low, but it’s also the month of the Destiny City Film Festival, the month we celebrate lunar new year in the Lincoln District, when we focus on Black History, when we make homemade cards for gals/pals/and partners, when we go outside despite the rain (stalwart Pacific Northwesterners that we are). Take a look at 16 ways to get into the Tacoma community this month!
These monthly Tacoma events posts are becoming a tradition with us. We’re a year and a half-in and we’re on a roll. If you’re feeling more like taking a slow roll after all the holiday festivities we understand! Here’s our advice: Choose one thing from this list of 16. Choose one market, one history night, one celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one open mic, one craft for kids, one community gathering. Then take a pause; that’s good too!
Whether you’re all about Santa Claus coming to town, holiday markets, hot cocoa, and getting down with festive crafts, or you just want to play your bingo, drink beer, and count some birds, Tacoma has you covered this December. We’re ready again (even if you’re not) with a list of 25 Tacoma events. There’s something for everyone in this last month with its darkest day and celebrations of light.
It’s November. We’re not kidding. Get out of the house, out of your head, and into the Tacoma community. I mean, mix some cozy, book-reading, hot-buttered rum sipping, curled-up on the couch times in there too, but then go out and get literary, or party like it’s 1999, celebrate Día de los Muertos, submit your vote, take a cooking class, meet Indigenous artists, support a small business, or gather some friends for a local crafts market. We’ll show you the way.
Are you ready? There’s a chill in the air, October has come, and life goes on. Here’s a list of 25 ways life keeps on going here in Tacoma, a list of gatherings, happenings, fests, events, tours, a list of community opportunities, a list of ways to while away the hours, a list inviting you to join it. And if you’re into the arts, you’re in for a treat because October is Tacoma Arts Month!
We’ve rustled up 25 events around Tacoma throughout September. There are gatherings to wake us up and guide us toward equity. There are events to call for action, calls to deepen our understanding of diversity, to demand solutions for our beautiful Salish Sea, to hear and acknowledge Native voices, to celebrate our immigrant community. And there are events that invite you to dance all night to ‘90s jams or to eat Norwegian pancakes until you can eat no more. They’re all mixed up together in this list, because that’s what life is like. At least, that’s what it’s like here in Tacoma.
It’s August and summer is still singing its song. Join the chorus, hum a harmony, bang a gong, it’s up to you. We’re here with 25 Tacoma events to inspire you to get out and into the world while the sun is still strong. Street fairs, arts fests, homeowner education, history pubs, kid markets, literary shenanigans, volunteering and camping in the great outdoors - you can’t go wrong if you just go.
July is all about celebration in Tacoma! We celebrate Tacoma Pride (yes, it’s finally time for the Tacoma Pride Festival!), We celebrate cultural diversity, food, music, art, history, and a brand new park; we celebrate summer. So here you go, over 21 ways to celebrate the Tacoma community this month.
It’s Tacoma events round-up time again and we’ve gathered 21 June events for your consideration. You can dance your heart out to ‘90s jams, walk for the Humane Society, sit-in on storytelling, salute the sun on Summer Solstice, join the Summer Reading Club, and shop so many fresh, local, outdoor markets! Take a look, Tacoma.
We’ve compiled another list of 20 Tacoma community events that we absolutely hope will inspire you to reach out into the city we share. You’ll find an abundance of markets, chances to taste wine and beer, cooking classes, kids crafts, outdoor excursions, Japanese American Remembrance events, a food forest, a fix-it fair, and more!
