Great festivals and free movie showings happening this weekend and don’t forget about the Bite of Seattle happening as well. They’ll even have the Nintendo Switch Road Trip Truck visiting! Have a fantastic weekend everyone.
Make sure to check out these fun ideas around the Northwest:
- Fairs & Festivals in the PNW: Puget Sound Edition 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!
- Family Concerts: Carnival of the Animals – Seattle; $6 (reg. $12)
- The Little Mermaid Jr – Newcastle; $6.50 – $7.50 (reg. $13 – $15)
- 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.
- Portland Timbers 2 Soccer – Portland; $6 (reg. $10)
- Find more Cheap Event Tickets for Portland area on Goldstar HERE.
Things To Do in Seattle Area
Friday, July 19th, 2019
Bite of Seattle – Seattle; 11am – 9pm; Free; 60 or more restaurants, five entertainment stages, family fun zone, and more.
Capital Lakefair – Olympia; Noon – 10pm; Free; Food, crafts, vendors, entertainment, carnival w/fee, parade, car show, and more. July 20th is kids day featuring entertainment and activities.
Sequim Lavender Festival – Sequim; 9am – 5pm; Free; All things celebrating lavender. Crafts, food court, live music, and more.
Northwest Raspberry Festival – Lynden; 10am – 8pm; Free; Music stages, food court, ice cream, raspberries, yum! They’ll have a kids zone with games and activities.
Family Pop-Up Play in the Park – Redmond; 10am – 1pm; Free; Family-friendly games, activities, and fun in the park.
Free Friday Night – Everett; 5:30pm – 9pm; Free; Enjoy free admission to the Imagine Children’s Museum.
Outdoor Movies Cascade Playground – Seattle; 6pm – 11pm; Free; Pre-movie activities at 6pm the movie begins at dusk. They’ll be playing the Disney Movie Up.
Dig Fun Fridays -Tacoma; 10am – 1pm; Free w/suggested $3 donation; Drop-in at the conservatory for dino-related activities.
Summer Bash & Movies in the Park – Tacoma; 7pm; Free; Bring snacks, blankets, lawn chairs and enjoy a movie together in the park. They’ll have pre-show activities at 7pm and movie begins at dusk. They’ll be playing Disney’s The Incredibles 2.
Live at Lunch Concert Series – Bellevue; Noon – 1:30pm; Free; Enjoy free live music with the family.
Community Kite Painting – Seattle; Noon – 2pm; Free; Paint a kite to be included in Freeway Park’s Annual Art Kite Installation.
Garden Tots – Shoreline; 10am – 1pm; $10 per family; Fun nature exploration in the garden. Simple plant activity and craft project. This weekends theme is lovely ladybugs.
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, July 20th, 2019
Awesome Kids Day – Burien; 10am – 2pm; Free; Educatioal activities, bouncy houses, games, face painting, healthy treats, and a live concert.
Renton History Museum – Renton; 10am – 4pm; Free; Enjoy free admission to the museum.
Kids’ Club: Paint Garden Rocks – Seattle; 10am – 2pm; $5; Paint your very own rocks for your garden.
Family Flick – Tacoma; 10am – Noon; Free; Take the family to watch a movie at The Grand Cinema! Movies start at 10am and seats are first-come, first-served. They’ll be showing Space Jam!
SandBlast Festival of the Arts – Duvall; Noon – 8pm; Free; Live music, artist booths, sand sculptures and more.
Food Truck Festival – Tacoma; Noon – 7:30pm; Free; Plenty of food trucks to choose from such as Boss Mama’s Kitchen and HamHock Jones Soul Shackk to name a few.
Covington Days Festival – Covington; 10am – 7pm; Free; Two-day summer festival with a parade, vendor booths, food, live music, a kids zone, and a watermelon eating contest!
Cinema Under the Stars – Seattle; 7:30pm – 10:30pm; Free; Enjoy a free showing of the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Columbia Park.
Visit the Burke Museum – Tacoma; 10am – 1pm; Free w/$3 suggested donation; Check out specimens, objects, artifacts, and more.
Redmond Saturday Market – Redmond; 9am – 3pm; Free; Farm-fresh family fun to be had at the market. They have local farmers, gardeners, artists, crafts, food, and more.
Mary Olson Farm Day – Kent; Noon – 5pm; Free; Your family can take a trip back in time while meeting cows, chickens, and mini donkeys. Pack a picnic to enjoy while visiting.
Sunday, July 21st, 2019
Fremont Sunday Market – Seattle; 10am – 4pm; Free; Fun European-style street market with food trucks, handcrafts, produce and more.
Auburn Farmers Market – Auburn; 10am – 3pm; Free; Shop for fresh foods, enjoy live entertainment, activities, and demonstrations.
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.
Alki Point Lighthouse Tours – Seattle; 1pm – 4pm; Free; Get a chance to look inside a lighthouse. Children ages 7 and younger are allowed to visit the landing, but only 8 and older can visit the top. This will be open now from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
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, July 19th, 2019
2019 Gresham Arts Festival – Gresham; 6pm – 10pm; Free; This 2-day event has so much going on both days! Sunday is Art Under the Stars featuring a concert with The Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester Band and more. Then Saturday is kids village from 9am – 5pm along with a few other things. Check out the schedule.
West Linn Old Tiem Fair – West Linn; Time Varies Each Day; Free; 3-day weekend fair with various activities to enjoy as a family such as food booths, entertainment, music, parade, car show, old-time baseball game.
Robin Hood Festival – Sherwood; Time Varies Each Day; Free; They’ll have food vendors, parade, a family stage for performances, garage sale, petting zoo and so much more to discover during this 3-day festival.
Shaba-lah Family Shabbat BBQ – Portland; 3:30pm; $15 per family; Bring your family or child at camp for a special Shabbat. Shabbat will be set to the theme of camp with stories, songs, and more.
Portland Parks Ladybug Walk – Portland; 10am – 11:15am; $3 – $8 (sliding scale); Get a chance to introduce plants, insects, creeks, birds, and animals to your children during this walk.
Toddler Time – Portland; 10am -11am; $5; Toddler morning time bring them in to craft a little something special.
Tillamook Forest Center Programs – Tillamook; 11:30am – 2pm; Free; Two different themed time slots. 11:30am – Noon is Bald Eagles. Learning all about this beautiful animal. The 1:30pm – 2pm is Skullduggery. Learning about how pirates are not the only skull enthusiasts. Learning all about clues skulls give you to in an animals identity.
KiLoFriDay Ft. Zazzy Zoe and Mr. Ben – Portland; 5pm – 6pm; $10 per family; Enjoy live children’s music.
Saturday, July 20th, 2019
46th Annual Troutdale SummerFest – Troutdale; 10am – 4pm; Free, $5 kids activities bracelet; Parade, entertainment, food, family fun, game booths, and more!
NW Family Concert & Instrument Zoo – Portland; 10am – Noon; Free; Fun instrument petting zoo for kids and families! As well as a family concert!
Fairy House Crafting – Portland; 9am – 1pm; $10; Make a fun fairy house! Don’t forget to head downstairs after crafting to get a special Fairy Hair at Village Kids.
Mary Charlotte’s Garden Party – Eagle Creek; 1pm – 4pm; $5 per person or $20 per family; Celebration of Phillip Fosters wife Mary Charlotte. They’ll be reenacting the wedding of his son. Set in the 1860s, you can do pictures, try some authentic pioneer refreshments, explore fashions, and more.
POP (Power of Produce) Club – Portland; 9am – 12:30pm; Free; Fun kids program to help kids make healthy food choices.
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, July 21st, 2019
Sunday Family Matinee – Portland; 10am – 11am; Free; Enjoy a family showing of the movie How to Train Your Dragon.
Drop-in Exploration Day: Animal Tracks – Sherwood; Noon – 2pm; Free; Free activities and crafts in the environmental education classroom. Explore animals and plants.
Tillamook Forest Center Programs – Tillamook; 11:30am – 2pm; Free; Two different themed time slots. 11:30am – Noon is Scared of bats. They’ll talk more about these fascinating creatures. Then 1:30 – 2pm is Bald Eagles. Learn about these amazing birds.
National Events:
Summer Movie Express at Regal Theaters – Various Locations; Enjoy an array of fun movies this summer for just $1 a ticket. Check out our post for more detailed information.
Bank of America Museum Admission – Various Locations; Any cardholders with Bank of America can enjoy FREE admission to various museums! Check out the list in your state to check out which museums are participating.
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