Just 2 weekends left of October already, crazy! Got a few good events going on. Hope everyone finds something to do and that you have a fantastic weekend. Don’t forget to check out the link before for our list of Pacific Northwest Fall Festivals & Pumpkin Patches.
Make sure to check out these fun ideas around the Northwest:
- Pacific Northwest Fall Festivals & Pumpkin Patches 2019
- Northwest Fall Consignment Sale Roundup – 2019
- Portland Staycation Ideas
- Seattle Staycation Ideas
- NW Weekend Getaway Ideas on a Budget (updated weekly)
And if you find a fun, frugal event that’s not listed, feel free to leave a comment so we can add that event to our list.
Cheap Event Tickets for Seattle Area
Head to Goldstar and select Family events to easily find these. Some of the tickets sell out fast, so it’s a good idea to buy ahead if you see an event your family would want to attend!
- Seattle Festival Orchestra: The Fruits of Summer – Seattle; $9 (reg. $18)
- Evan’s Family Variety Show – Seattle; Free
- Spookley The Square Pumpkin: The Musical – Tacoma; $7.50 (reg. $15)
- Beauty & the Beast – Seattle or Renton; $7.50 (reg. $15)
- Frighthouse Station – Tacoma; $10 (reg. $17.56)
- AMC – Multiple Locations; $9 (reg. $13.50)
- Comedy Sportz – Seattle; $7.75 (reg. $15.50)
- Find more Cheap Event Tickets for Seattle area on Goldstar HERE.
Cheap Event Tickets for Portland Area
Head to Goldstar and select Family events to easily find these.
- Cinderella: Or How Pipsqueak the Mouse Became a Stallion – Gresham; $6 (reg. $14)
- World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater – Myrtle Creek; $10-$15 (reg. $20-$30)
- Matilda the Musical – Portland; $9.50-$11.50 (reg. $19-$23)
- Find more Cheap Event Tickets for Portland area on Goldstar HERE.
Things To Do in Seattle Area
Friday, October 18th, 2019
Imagine Children’s Museum – Everett; 5:30pm – 9pm; Free; Enjoy free admission.
Fall Fun Fest – Seattle; 6pm – 8pm; $5 prepay, $7 day of; Apple pressing, make your own scarecrow (bring old clothes) and play games.
Goat & Float – Everett; 5:30pm – 8:30pm; $2 for youth, $3 for adults; Enjoy some trick-or-treating at Forest Animal Farm with friendly goats before going to the swim center to float in the pool. Candy at the farm, root beer floats, and the pool.
Hoot ‘n’ Howl – Eatonville; 5pm – 9pm; $12 in advance, $16 day of; Take a starlit tram ride through the free-roaming area. Go in costume and play games, visit treat stations for candy.
Funky Family Fall Festival – Seattle; 5:30pm – 7:30pm; $5 per person or family of 4+ $20; Go in costume and have fun with games, crafts, haunted mini-golf, and more.
Diwali Festival – Seattle; 5pm – 7:30pm; Free; Hindu festival of lights. Storytime, crafts, games, music, and food.
Seattle Chocolate Haunted Factory Tour – Seattle; 5pm – 9pm; $12 adult, $9 children ages 8 to 12; Halloween event for the entire family. Help repair damage to the factory.
Mommy Matinees at the Movies – Seattle; 9:30am; Children 5 and Under Free, Adult tickets are Matinee Pricing; Every Friday you can show up with your young children and don’t have to worry about interrupting anyone with a crying or antsy little one. Actually, enjoy yourself, worry-free.
Saturday, October 19th, 2019
October Harvest Festival – Stanwood; 11am – 3pm; Free; Pumpkins for decorating, fall leaves, mugs of apple cider, candy, and many different activities.
Harvest Fest – Carnation; 10am – 4pm; Free Admission; Pick pumpkins, climb on tractors, tour the garden, have lunch, and enjoy many other fun activities with the family. This weekend they’ll have an axe throwing activity for $10 for 10 throws.
Trick or Treat on the Ridge – Snoqualmie; 10am – 1pm; Free; Wear costumes and make your way along Center Blvd. Carnival games, decorating pumpkins, playing in a bounce house, and trick or treat.
Fall Foliage Festival – Federal Way; 10am – 4pm; Free; Festival that features plant sales, tours, plant talks, food and coffee trucks. Fall photo backdrop and activities for kids and families.
Festival of Lights at Bellevue Square – Bellevue; 11am – 6pm; Free; Performances, cultural displays, henna, and Diwali crafts.
Halloween Family Magic Show – Seattle; 1pm – 1:45pm; Free; Enjoy a Halloween themed magic show with the family. Comedy magic, stage illusions, mind reading, and more.
Kids’ Club: Glitter Mini Pumpkins – Seattle; 10am – 2pm; $5; Pick a mini pumpkin and decorate it with colorful glitter.
Free Family Flick – Tacoma; 10am – Noon; Free; Enjoy a family-friendly movie for free. Seating is first-come, first-served. They’ll be playing Corpse Bride.
Repair Cafe – Everett; 10am – 2pm; Free; Bring your broken items for fixing. (Limit 2 items per visit) Enjoy a cup of coffee and tour the garden while you wait. They also have a Creation Station for kids and adults to create art from recycled materials.
Open Play – Issaquah; 10am – Noon; Free; Enjoy free open play at Springfree Trampoline.
Redmond Saturday Market – Redmond; 9am – 3:30pm; Free; Farm-fresh family fun to be had at the market. They have local farmers, gardeners, artists, crafts, food, and more.
Sunday, October 20th, 2019
Hamlin Halloween Haunt – Shoreline; 6pm – 8:30pm; Free; Listen to not-so-spooky songs and stories. Toast marshmallows, ride the hay wagon, play Halloween games, and paint your face.
Turkfest – Seattle; 11am – 6pm; Free; Turkish culture with music and dance performances, hands-on activities, food, and a marketplace.
Halloween Pet Parade – Seattle; 11am – 2pm; Free; Dress up your animals for a fun parade. They’ll also have food trucks, prizes, and 20 vendor booths.
Sensory Friendly Time – Everett; 9am – 11am; Free; Children ages 1 to 12 with autism or sensory disorders are invited to the Imagine Children’s Museum for a more comfortable environment. Social stories, noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, and sensory balls available.
Fremont Sunday Market – Seattle; 10am – 4pm; Free; Fun European-style street market with food trucks, handcrafts, produce and more.
Sunday Public Sail – Seattle; 10am – 4pm; Free; Center for Wooden Boats offers 45-minute rides on Lake Union. Sign up for a slot in person. They have several trips throughout the day.
Ballard Farmers Market – Seattle; 10am – 3pm; Free; Do some shopping, get some fresh vegetables and fruits. Maybe even try some of the food!
Things to Do in the Portland Area
Friday, October 18th, 2019
SlumberTime Solutions Sleep Talk – Portland; 6pm – 7:30pm; $5 – $11; Marie-Eve Gagnon will be talking about all things sleep. Pizza and Beer/Wine available.
Portland Art Museum – Portland; 5pm – 8pm; $5; Enjoy admission to the museum for just $5 per person.
Toddler Time – Portland; 10am -11am; $5; Toddler morning time bring them in to craft a little something special.
KiLoFriDay Ft. Zazzy Zoe and Mr. Ben – Portland; 5pm – 6pm; $10 per family; Enjoy live children’s music.
Saturday, October 19th, 2019
iSpark Toys’ Superhero Birthday Party – Hillsboro; 11am – 4pm; Free; Celebrate the anniversary with a party of superheroes. Meet Captain America and Spider-Man and take pictures. Face painting, make superhero masks, prize walk, cake, and more fun.
Cedar Hills Fall Festival – Portland; 11am – 3pm; $2 per person, $10 per family; Different fun activities to do in each room. Bounce house, carnival games, bingo, face painting, food, and refreshments. Tickets for activities are 25 cents each.
Pumpkin Bob – Beaverton; 3pm – 4:30pm; Free; $10 – $12.50; Floating pumpkin patch at Harman Swim Center. Everyone will get a pumpkin and goody bag. Registration required.
Hillsboro Airport’s 19th annual Air Fair – Hillsboro; 11am – 3pm; Free; Take a tour of the airfield, see aircraft up close, and more.
Bricks & Minifigs Fourth Year Anniversary Celebration – Portland; 10am – 6pm; Free; Play games, win stuff, nibble on snacks.
All About Fruit Fair – Canby; 10am – 4pm; $7 – $12; See and taste many different fruits such as apples, pears, plums, grapes to name a few. Fun activities to check out and do.
Glenhaven Park Play Date – Portland; 10am – Noon; Celebrate the reopening of the park with face painting, treats, and meet neighbors.
Creatures of the Night – Sherwood; 5pm – 8pm; Free; Learn about animals of the night. Cookie decorating, night walks, storytime, and more.
Family Resource Fair – Beaverton; 10am – 2pm; Free; Fair features engaging displays, activities for children and information for adults.
Spooky House/Fairy House Crafting – Portland; 9am – 1pm; $10; Create your own spooky house for a witch or fairy.
Pearson Education Center – Vancouver; 10am – 5pm; Free; Open Saturday is this weekend at the Pearson Field Education Center. The youth of all ages can experience STEM education through aviation.
Sunday, October 20th, 2019
Not As Scary Day at Fearlandia – Portland; Noon – 4pm; $5 w/perishable donation; Family-friendly haunted house with fewer kid-friendly monsters and more light.
Me Myself and US – Portand; 4pm – 5pm; Free; 45-minute family-friendly show with magic, juggling, comedy and volunteer participation.
National Events:
Barnes & Noble Saturday Storytime – Enter your zip code to see special storytime events at your local Barnes & Noble store.
Michaels’ Kids Club – every Saturday from 10am-noon; $2 for children ages 3 and up with all supplies included. There are also special projects for spring break. Check your local Michael’s store to see if they are participating in this weeks’ project.
Lakeshore Learning Stores– every Saturday from 11am-3pm there are fun free crafts at Lakeshore Learning Stores for ages 3 and up. Check with your local store to see if they are participating.
lori harris says
February 20, 2015 at 8:51 PMThank u, thank u, thank u for going back to original format- took no time at all to check and plan. I am one of your biggest advertisersn- I tell all the school moms about your site – love it.
Rice NW Museum says
April 3, 2015 at 10:54 AMHi, Thrifty NW Mom! Thanks for featuring our Thundereggstravaganza event. I’d like to share a couple of small corrections: our event runs from 10 AM through 5 PM, not 11 to 1. (We are having talks at 11 and 1). Also, please note that children 4 and under are free!
Sia says
April 3, 2015 at 11:36 AMThanks for letting us know – we will get those updates made asap!
Sarah says
April 18, 2015 at 8:58 AMI agree with Lori! I haven’t been to your site in a while because I found the other style to difficult to use. I just came back and am thankful you changed back. So much more user friendly. Thank you!
Jen says
April 18, 2015 at 5:07 PMThank you for the feedback, Sarah! We’re sorry it was a frustrating experience, please always tell us if you’re having any frustrations and we will work on solutions. We definitely want this as user-friendly as possible!
Rachel says
August 5, 2016 at 8:03 AMTacoma Concert Band: Clarinets and Brass at the Museum of Glass
2pm Saturday Aug 6th FREE, just outside the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1783589378579421/
Here’s the info from their e-mail
—————————–
Tacoma Concert Band presents…
Clarinets and Brass
at the Museum of Glass!
Free and fun for the whole family!
TCB band members are performing a free summer concert featuring a clarinet choir (12 clarinets) and a brass quintet, on the terrace of the Museum of Glass.
Join us on Saturday afternoon, August 6th, at 2:00 p.m.
for a delightful hour of music, played by members of the Northwest’s premier symphonic band.
You’ll also have a chance to learn about the TCB’s upcoming season, which will feature, among others, world-class guest soloists on clarinet (Robert Spring) and brass (trumpet virtuoso Allen Vizzutti and saxophone soloist Erik Steighner).
Bring the whole family. The weather should be great, the setting beautiful, and the music sublime.
See you there!
Karina says
February 3, 2017 at 2:27 PMI’m taking my kids to see Willu Wonka Jr with Youth Theatre Northwest this weekend.
LCM+L says
July 7, 2017 at 11:16 AMHello! We appreciate the shout-out but did want to mention that our name was changed last October to Living Computers: Museum + Labs.
Krista says
August 26, 2017 at 10:58 AMYou can meet Catboy from PJ Masks today from 12-4 at Learning Express Toys in The Landing in Renton. My sons are excited to meet him! :)
ashley says
October 27, 2017 at 10:31 PMI wish eastern wa was included in this list!
V Gani says
December 22, 2017 at 6:24 PMThe Festival of Trees has ended. We tried to go last weekend and there were no trees. Apparently they had already been auctioned off.
Sarah Fairchild says
February 4, 2018 at 1:58 PMHi there! There is a free production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
The show will be provided free and open to all ages!
Charles Schulz’s classic musical “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” comes to Newcastle this February presented by the Newcastle Players in partnership with Newport Creative Arts. The show, produced by Tony Ventrella Productions and King County’s 4Culture, is the first of the inaugural season for the theater group.
Starring Adam Minton as Charlie Brown, Jenn Ollivier as Lucy, Jelani Kee as Snoopy, Sarah Fairchild as Sally, Jake Atwood as Linus, and Manny Golez as Schroeder, the charming and uplifting story based on Schulz’s comic strip “Peanuts” with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner will run six shows including two matinees over the course of two weekends in February at the Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue. Choreographed by Tony Pallozzi with Musical Director Benjamin Bentler and Directed by Mary Rudd.
https://www.facebook.com/events/191670521568553/
Hayk S says
February 17, 2018 at 10:32 PMThank you for posting this great deals.This is exactly what i was looking for.
Jen says
February 19, 2018 at 12:44 PMYou’re very welcome – glad that it is helpful for you!
Natalie says
June 26, 2018 at 8:51 AMI only find events up to June 25….when will you update your list to include the 28th?
Sia says
June 26, 2018 at 9:02 AMHi Natalie – The list is updated every Thursday. This list is the one that includes all the events we highlighted through the 28th (many of the weekday events are library events, or community parks ones, so you should be able to find those in your local library or parks departments listings. Thanks!
Dacha Theatre says
November 26, 2018 at 4:07 PMDacha Theatre is touging an original, musical fairytale show for all ages, called “The Bee-Man of Orn” through Ballard and Phinney Ridge. There are sliding scale ($20/$10) and Pay-What-You-Can tickets available for every performance!
Saturday 12/1 — Ballard Underground — 5:30PM
Saturday 12/8 — Phinney Neighborhood Association — 5:00PM
Friday 12/14 — Phinney Neighborhood Association — 6:30PM
Friday 12/21 — Ballard Underground — 6:30PM
More info on the ticket website: https://beeman.brownpapertickets.com/
Thank you!
Jen says
November 26, 2018 at 11:04 PMThank you for sharing! We will work to get these added to our list for these upcoming weekends & you can email us in the future if you have more details: [email protected] – thank you!
iBrent says
January 31, 2019 at 6:27 PMHello, thrifty moms! Here is a free live music event.
iBrent
DATE Saturday, February 23, 2019
TIME 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm PST
WHERE Third Place Books – Lake Forest Park
17171 Bothell Way NE
PERFORMANCE TYPE Music
AGE RECOMMENDATION Toddler, Preschool, Elementary School, 30 somethings
WHAT IS THE COST? Free!
DESCRIPTION
Catchy, colorful, kindie pop-rock for the full fun-loving family. Acoustic Show!
MORE https://www.reverbnation.com/ibrent
See you there ;)
Sarah Lacey says
February 23, 2019 at 2:41 AMThank you for sharing these, especially the national events. The Bank of America Museums will be of interest to our readers at https://foodstampsnow.com, most of whom are on low income.
A similar program is https://museums4all.org/, which provides free or discounted admission for people with EBT cards.
Jami Geppert says
May 24, 2019 at 5:51 AMI love in Tacoma, WA but noticed not one single event listed for my area. Is thus a standard for Thrifty NW MOM? Your answer is appreciated.
Sia says
May 24, 2019 at 7:52 AMHi Jami – we definitely include events in the Tacoma area when we find them, my kids and I love heading there for family fun (we usually highlight the larger events, so not library days etc), but we are not aware of too many events there this weekend. If we missed something we can definitely add it. You might want to also check out Sounds Fun Mom (https://www.soundsfunmom.com/) if you do not already follow her She shares about South Sound events and happenings, so should have lots of great info for where you live. Thanks so much! Sia
Kat KOch says
July 31, 2019 at 9:02 PMHow can I register an event?
Katherine Koch says
July 31, 2019 at 9:05 PMHow can I register an event.?
It’s a great FREE family event
https://www.facebook.com/cascadegemandmineralshow/
I can send you more info.
Sia says
July 31, 2019 at 9:08 PMHi Katherine, feel free to send us the details at [email protected]. Thanks!
Angie Edwards says
October 16, 2019 at 4:30 PMhttps://www.facebook.com/events/975750919432868/
https://www.facebook.com/events/2564916460223581/