Here is this week’s list of family-friendly free or frugal events for around the Northwest, as well as some events going on around the country. Don’t forget to check out Goldstar for Discount Tickets on many local activities and events, if you are looking for a specific event and want to save some money!
Be sure to check out Thrifty NW Moms Summer Fun Page for park reviews and other frugal summer fun ideas, as well as our roundup of Summer Reading Programs in the Pacific NW and our around the Pacific NW too! We’ve got a big list of summer festivals and fair in the Northwest as well.
We have just published our Fall Consignment Sale round up here. Be sure to stop by and check that big list of sales out too!
If you see a fun, frugal event that’s not listed, feel free to leave a comment so we can add that event to our list.
PUGET SOUND AREA::
Friday September 7th:
*The Puyallup Fair – Puyallup; 9/7– 9/23; Schedules vary each day, see website for details; This fair is full of all of the standard fair fun, rodeos, concerts, carnival rides and games, animals and much more. Kids free Sept. 8-9 with coupon. Kids under 5 are always free.
* Half Off Admission To KidsQuest Children’s Musuem – Factoria; 9/7; 5:00pm to 8:00pm; First Friday evening of the month offers free admission.
*Free Entrance To Bellevue Art Museum – Bellevue; 9/7; 11:00am to 8:00pm. First Friday of the month Bellevue Art Museum offers free admission.
*Kids Day at the Juanita Friday Market – Kirkland; 9/7; 3pm to 7pm; On the first Friday of each month through October, kids can enjoy free crafts and a puppet show.
*Columbia City BeatWalk – Columbia City /Seattle; 9/7; 7:00pm to 10:00pm; BeatWalk always features a diverse line-up of first-rate, local musicians hosted by neighborhood businesses for audiences of all ages. $7 for adults. Free ages 14 and under.
*First Friday Bellevue Artwalk – Bellevue; 9/7; 4pm to 8pm; First Friday in Bellevue, a complimentary art walk event located in Bellevue Place Fountain Court. Enjoy a preview of five, juried local artists, live entertainment and specials from the participating Bellevue Place stores and restaurants.
*Tiffany’s Skate Inn, $1 Skate for First Responders – Puyallup; 9/7-9/9; Tiffany’s Skate Inn wants to thank all of our First Responders by inviting them to come skate for FREE! ALL Firefighters, Police Officers, and EMT’s are welcome to bring their family for some skating on Friday, Sept 7th-Sunday Sept 9th for FREE skating during any Public Skating Session. Must present badge or valid credentials. Skate rental extra: reg. skates $1, all other upgrades regular price. (Thanks Christina!)
*Free Casper Babypants Concert – Seattle; 9/7 – 9/7; See website for schedule and locations; Hear a concert by popular kids’ entertainer Caspar Babypants, featuring music on guitar and piano.
*Summer Bash - Tacoma; 8/31; 5pm; Free. Games, food, activities and entertainment, followed by a family-friendly outdoor movie. Vote for your movie preference online. Movie at dusk, bring blankets or chairs.
*Seattle Centers ‘The Next 50′ celebration - Seattle; through 10/21; Join The Next Fifty for a full schedule of activities launching the six-month celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Most of the events are FREE.
Summer events will include: FREE Movies, FREE Concerts, and FREE Programming at the International Fountain
*FreeTête-à-têter At Frye Museum – Seattle; 8/31; 11:00am to 5:00pm; Frye Museum entrance and parking are free all the time. You can check their events page here, for a list of weekly events.
On the first Friday of the month Children’s stories are brought to life with movement and play in the Frye Art Museum galleries by Frye educators or librarians from The Seattle Public Library. Visit the galleries after story time. Ages 3 to 5 with adult. Both museum entrance and story time are free
*Free Entrance to Seattle Symphony’s “Soundbridge”- Seattle, Beneroya Hall; 8/31; 12:00pm to 4:00pm; Soundbridge is a music discovery center and is free each Friday after 12 pm; Ages 2-5, 30 minute interactive storytelling with song & rhythm, dance & musical instruments.
Saturday September 8th:
* Salmon Return Family Festival - Seattle; 9/8; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free festival put on by the Seattle Art Museum. The day will feature live performances by Johnny Bregar and The Board of Education, storytelling by Roger Fernandes, face-painting, a photobooth, seed dissection, an interactive watershed model, marine puppets and environmental jeopardy.
*Military Appreciation Day at Cabela’s - Lacey; 9/8; 10:00am to 2:00pm; Celebrate our military personnel and their families with FREE food (including hot dogs, popcorn & sodas), fun activities for the kids, Reinactors of bygone days, restored military vehicles and active duty Strykers vehicles and other rolling assets from JBLM. Be standing here as a Boeing C-17 high wing, 4 engine, multiple service military transport aircraft does a low altitude fly over. Please join us, the Hawks Prairie Rotary Club and our area community leaders in support of our military and their honored uniformed men and women.
*Seattles Tilth Harvest Festival - Seattle, 9/8; 10:00am to 4:00pm; Free festival with organic farmers market, music, urban livestock, workshops, food, vendors and family activities. Donations welcomed.
*Touch A Truck - Marysville; 9/8; 10:00am to 1:00pm; Free event where kids can climb, sit in and honk horns of dump trucks, a backhoe, vactor truck, police vehicles, street sweeper, fire rigs and a garbage truck. Kids’ activities and treats for sale.
*Touch a Truck – Spanaway; 9/8; 10:00am to 1:00pm; Climb in and around some of the city’s biggest rigs! Free family event; special no-horns time for children with sensory issues. New solid waste and LeMay vehicles including a mobile shredder unit have beed added to the lineup! Bring your personal documents to be shredded for FREE! Food donations will also be accepted for the local food back. Thanks Sounds Fun Mom!
*Tumwater Community Day - Tumwater; 9/8; 8am to 1pm; Free bounce houses, touch a truck, kids’ activities. Plus document shredding and low cost helmets for purchase. Thanks Sounds Fun Mom!
*Camlann Village Weekend - Carnation; 9/1 – 9/23; 12pm to 5pm; Camlann Village event is peopled with portrayals of medieval villagers and every-day village activities. $5 suggested donation, free ages 4 and younger.
*Get OUT Summer with Sam – Seattle (Sculpture Park); Various times and dates throughout the summer; Stay active in the park this summer. Drop by and participate in a weekly line-up of events, including a brand-new Thursday farmers market, performances, social dancing, yoga and drawing in the park on Saturdays and more.
*Beach Explorations – Throughout the Puget Sound; see website for specific locations and times. Join beach naturalists and explore the beach at low tide. Free.
*Bellevue Art Museums Get Crafty Saturday – Bellevue; 9/8; 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Free craft time for kids each Saturday. $2 material fee or free with admission.
*Pond Boat Sailing – Seattle; Saturdays and Sundays through November; 11am to 2pm; Join The Center for Wooden Boats for pond boat sailing in Lake Union Park’s Model Boat Pond. Ages 5 and older. $5 suggested donation for boat rental, free first Saturdays.
* Science & Technology Center (MaST) – Saturdays 10am – 2pm; kids can explore sea life with touch tanks & more.
Sunday September 9th:
*Edmonds Classic Car Show - Edmonds; 9/9; 10:00am to 5:00pm; Classic car show and entertainment all day. FREE, non-perishable food donations welcomed. Enjoy a FREE Pancake breakfast that day too (9am to 1pm)!
*Live Aloha Hawaiian Festival – Seattle; 9/9; 11:00am to 7:00pm; Free cultural event with Hawaiian music, hula, food, vendors, lei-making, kids’ area and Hawaiian history exhibits.
Wednesday September 12th:
*Students Get Free Admission To The Bellevue Art Museum – Bellevue; 9/12; 1:00pm to 5:00pm; Students of all ages can explore the Bellevue Arts Museum after school FREE with printable coupon.
Thursday September 13th:
*Capital Hill Art Walk Blitz – Seattle; 9/13; 5pm – 8pm; On the second Thursday of every month in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, 5pm – 8pm and later. Events include visual arts, musical performances, food and beverage specials, and more. Pick up a printed map at a participating venue and explore Capitol Hill. Art is everywhere! Get FREE admission to the Seattle Asian Art Museum during this time too.
*Free Admission To NAAM - Seattle; 9/13; 11:00am to 7:00pm; The Northwest African American Museum is free on the second Thursday of each month.
*Half Priced Admission Imagine Childrens Museum – Everett; 9/13 ; Thursday 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. is half priced ( $3.88)
Sounds Fun Mom always has a great list of events local to the South Sound area of WA as well, if you are looking for more ideas!
PORTLAND AREA:
Here’s our list of weekly events for the Portland area.
Friday September 7th:
*Free Admission To The Children’s Museum - Portland; 9/7; 4:00pm to 8:00pm; The first Friday of the month you Target sponsors free admission to the Childrens Museum. This month you can make a book.
* Sandy Oktoberfest – Portland; 9/7– 9/9; Fri. and Sat. 11:00am to 12:00am and Sun. 10:30 am to 4:30pm; The whole family will enjoy entertainment, activities, craft and food booths, fine arts and car shows, an Oktoberfest fair, and a biergarten. A children’s area featured face painting, a storyteller, crafts, games and prizes. Free admission to festival; $4-$5 for onsite parking; $4 entry to biergarten; additional fees for select headlining concerts.
*$2 First Fridays at Art ala Carte PDX sponsored by PDX Kids Calendar – Portland; 9/7; Every First Friday of the month you pay only $2 per child for unlimited art! PDX Kids Calendar picked up the bill for the rest! Better yet…if you bring in a bag of recycled goods, toys and trinkets…you get in FREE!
*First Friday Art Walk - SE Portland; 9/7; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm; Hosted by Portland’s Eastside art galleries and alternative art venues, First Friday provides arts enthusiasts the opportunity to wander from gallery to gallery for artist receptions and openings during extended hours on the First Friday of every month
* Camas First Friday - Portland; 9/7; 5:00pm to 8:00pm; Come and join us for January’s First Friday- Game, Craft & Cocoa Night! Enjoy family friendly games and crafts throughout participating downtown merchants. Have fun and the chance to win prizes!
*Vancouver First Friday Art Walk - Vancouver; 9/7; 5:00pm – 7:00pm; Join us for a fresh spring evening with refreshments, stimulating conversation and inspiring art! Walking maps will be provided to all attendees. This event is free to attend, but an RSVP is requested by replying to this email at firstfriday.artwalk@yahoo.com.
*Family Movie Night at Café Sip-n-Play - Portland; 9/8; 5:00pm; Free Movie Night. Grab a bite to eat, relax, and unwind while you enjoy a movie with the little atmosphere.
*Music From Mr. Hoo from The Alphabeticians – Portland; 9/8; 11:00am to 12:00pm; Mr. Hoo will be singing songs with and for kids. He’ll play his guitar and sing some original songs, some Alphabeticians songs, some classic kid songs and Hoo knows what else? $3 suggested donation pp.
Saturday September 8th:
* Belmont Area Street Fair – Portland; 9/8; 12:00pm to 8:00pm; Free festival with music, entertainment, fun, food and more.
*Free Movies In The park Summer Series - Portland; See website for specific times. Come enjoy free movies at various Portland area parks all summer. Pre-movie entertainment begins at 6:30 pm. Movie begins at dark.
*Family Movie Night at Café Sip-n-Play - Portland; 9/1; 5:00pm; Free Movie Night. Grab a bite to eat, relax, and unwind while you enjoy a movie with the little atmosphere. This weekend: .
* Free Family Swim At Marshall Community Center - Vancouver; 9/1; 4:45pm to 6:30pm; Bauman Chiropractic is sponsoring free family swims at Marshall Pool Saturday evenings.
* Kids Saturday Morning Skate Session At Oaks Park – Portland ; 9/1; 10:30am to 12:00pm; For $5.50 children 10 and under can skate (skates included). Parents free with paid child admission.
*Free Guided Nature Walk – Portland – 9/1; 10:00am to 11:30am; Enjoy free guided walks with park ranger.
Sunday September 9th:
*Fiesta Fun at Oaks Park - Portland; 9/9; 11am to 7pm; Free event with live music and dancing, ethnic food, giveaways and more.
*Chalk Art Festival - Portland; 9/9; 10am to 2pm; Pick up a FREE bucket of chalk and head to your little corner of the sidewalk to create your vision! Artists and admirers will enjoy face painting and much more!
Monday September 10th:
*Washington County Museum Free Admission – Portland; 9/10; 10:00am to 4:30pm; Admission is free to this museum every Monday.
*Mondays On The Mall – Portland – Downtown Central Transit Mall; 9/10; Various Times; Free events all day including Wii play, caricatures, the original photo booth and entertainment.
For more Portland happenings, check out the PDX Kids Calendar, a comprehensive events-based website for families in the Portland area.
NATIONAL EVENTS:
*Free Craft Activities at Lakeshore Learning Stores– Sat. 9/8; 11am to 3pm; Kids can come to this free craft time each week for a new craft (plus print a $5 off $25 coupon).
*Lowes Build And Grow Clinic - Saturday 9/8; 10:00am; Come join Lowes Build and Grow Clinic. This week they will be making a Chuck E Roller. Register here.
*Barnes and Noble Free Storytime - 9/8; Times and events vary by location. Check your location for specific story’s available this weekend.
{ 5 comments }
Tiffany’s skating rink in Puyallup has FREE session for families of First Responders all weekend long.
Thanks Christina, we will add that to the list!
I see you have listed free admission to hands on childrens museum in olympia, but the museum is CLOSED until Nov 9.
You said above the hands on childrens museum in olympia is free, but the museum is actually closed until november.
Thanks for catching that Megan. We have updated the post to let folks know they are closed until early November :)