JULY

MON 2 & TUE 3

Fourth of July festivities kick off at Lake Union with the Wooden Boat Festival, now bigger, better, and more shellacked. cwb.org

WED 4

Seattle soul kids Pickwick and orchestral-pop band Hey Marseilles play the prelude to the city’s fireworks show at the Family Fourth at Lake Union. familyfourth.org

THU 5

Lunch breaks are best spent 200 feet in the air. Take a ride on the new Pier 57 Ferris wheel. seattlegreatwheel.com

FRI 6

Boozing is serious business at the three-day Seattle International Beerfest at Seattle Center, with more than 200 rare brews from 16 countries on tap. seattlebeerfest.com

SAT 7

The march of the undead looks a little like the “Thriller” dance. Fremont’s Red, White, and Dead zombie walk returns. redwhitedead.com

SUN 8

For three months, a turn-of-the-century dairy farm in Quilcene becomes a hotbed of chamber music. Catch a “Concert in the Barn” during the Olympic Music Festival. olympicmusicfestival.org

WED 11

Seattle’s free Out to Lunch concert series opens with the sweet, bashful country tunes of Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers at Columbia Center. downtownseattle.com

THU 12

Food trucks and a Brazilian band roll into Olympic Sculpture Park for the summer’s first Picnic in the Park. Samba as the sun sets over Elliott Bay. seattleartmuseum.org/getout

FRI 13

A half century later, there’s still no one better than The Beach Boys at high harmonies and good vibrations; the golden boys play Chateau Ste. Michelle. ste-michelle.com

SAT 14

Something smells fishy. Wait, no, everything does. Salmon BBQs and lutefisk-eating contests dominate the Ballard SeafoodFest. seafoodfest.org

SUN 15

Follow a dance with dragons at the Chinatown-International District Dragon Fest, the largest pan-Asian street festival in the region. cidbia.org

WED 18

The Sounders need to be on their A-plus game when they face off against newly crowned European champs Chelsea. soundersfc.com

THU 19

Papa would’ve been proud of Ziggy Marley, who carries on the family business with a chill reggae session at Woodland Park Zoo. zoo.org/zootunes

FRI 20

When the summer gets hot, the hip kids head to Capitol Hill Block Party for a three-day music festival featuring Neko Case, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Major Lazer. capitolhillblockparty.com

SAT 21

The dog days aren’t over until the redhead sings. Florence and the Machine unleashes operatic rock at White River Amphitheatre. livenation.com

SUN 22

Seattle Center becomes a nosh pit during Comcast Bite of Seattle; more than 50 local restaurants tempt taste buds with pad Thai, crepes, and alligator skewers. comcastbiteofseattle.com

MON 23

People chant “Yankees suck!” at ball games even when the Bronx Bombers aren’t playing. Cheer or jeer the team everyone loves to hate when the Mariners take on the Yankees. mariners.com

TUE 24

Ever a Renaissance man, Steve Martin shows off his world-class banjo skills alongside studly bluegrass band the Steep Canyon Rangers and Emmylou Harris at Chateau Ste. Michelle. ste-michelle.com

WED 25

X Factor finalist LeRoy Bell (joined by his backing band His Only Friends) livens up your shopping trip to University Village with a free Sounds of Summer concert. uvillage.com

THU 26

Ethan Stowell cooks dinner, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready plays the cocktail hour, and guests ride tractors. It’s the best of the Northwest at the Summer Harvest Feast on the Farm. stewardshippartners.org

FRI 27

Bellevue ArtsFair lures Eastsiders and Westsiders alike with a street festival, juried art exhibition, artist demos, and chalk drawing for all ages. bellevuearts.org/fair

SAT 28

Vintage Spitfires and P-51s take to the skies for a show of Allied might, courtesy of the Flying Heritage Collection’s Free Fly Days. flyingheritage.com

SUN 29

Seattle Shakespeare’s Wooden O offers up a double-header— Twelfth Night and The Winter’s Tale—at Seattle Center. seattleshakespeare.org

TUE 31

We’ll pay the 520 toll for nothing less than a Bellevue Summer Outdoor Movies screening of The Adventures of Tintin, whose capers make Bourne and Bond look like chumps. intelius.com/summermovies

AUGUST

THU 2

You’ll hear them before you see them: U.S. Navy stunt fliers the Blue Angels start buzzing our city before their weekend Seafair performances. seafair.com

FRI 3

It’s the 1990s at Marymoor Park, where Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Cracker, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters run around on their Last Summer on Earth tour. concertsatmarymoor.com

SAT 4

Accio lawn chair! Seattle Center’s Movies at the Mural screen all eight Harry Potter flicks this month, starting tonight with Sorcerer’s Stone. seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural

SUN 5

The inaugural Watershed Festival at the Gorge brings in twangers like Blake ­Shelton in an attempt to be country music’s answer to Sasquatch. watershedfest.com

WED 8

When he isn’t fronting the Presidents of the United States of America, Chris Ballew morphs into his kindie-rocking alter ego Caspar Babypants at Auburn’s Kids SummerStage. babypantsmusic.com

THU 9

Part nature retreat, part music fest, Doe Bay Festival draws the region’s best indie rockers and their fans to Orcas Island for a weekend of camping and fireside sing-alongs. doebayfest.com

FRI 10

The South Lake Union Block Party starts at noon and runs until 11. Don’t expect anything to get done at Amazon HQ today. slublockparty.com

SAT 11

The courtyard between Hotwire Online Coffeehouse and Dr. Wolff’s in West Seattle is one of the city’s liveliest outdoor movie venues—the perfect spot to watch Iron Man. wsmovies.org

SUN 12

Runners don all white and turn into sweaty rainbows by the end of the CMY5K, thanks to volunteers who pelt them with colorful (all-natural) powder at each kilometer. cmy5k.com

WED 15

Movies at Marymoor shows new releases Hugo and Moneyball this summer, but tonight’s flick is a classic: the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. kingcounty.gov

THU 16

Star local choreographer Catherine Cabeen lends her long limbs to a dance performance at Olympic Sculpture Park. seattleartmuseum.org/getout

FRI 17

Pike Place Market is looking good for 105. Celebrate its anniversary with small bites and vino from local restaurants and dancing under the stars at the Sunset Supper at the Market. pikeplacemarket.org

SAT 18

Another chance for a double dose of the Bard: GreenStage performs The Taming of the Shrew and Henry VIII at Volunteer Park. greenstage.org

SUN 19

If Washington State legalizes marijuana someday, does that make “protestival” Hempfest…dare we say it…legitimate? hempfest.org

WED 22

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews plays “supafunkrock” rooted in New Orleans jazz, with a hint of AC/DC. The zoo won’t know what hit it. zoo.org/zootunes

THU 23

How gloriously meta would it be to drink Rainiers at a Tacoma Rainiers vs. Las Vegas 51s minor league baseball game? Make it happen, Tacoma. milb.com

FRI 24

Seattle Art Museum’s late-night Remix party heads outside to Olympic Sculpture Park for dancing, drinking, and art-making till midnight. seattleartmuseum.org

SAT 25

Families flock to the free Big Day of Play at Magnuson Park: ­three-on-three basketball tournaments, 5k fun runs, boating, and kindie rock concerts. seattle.gov

SUN 26

Harry vs. Voldemort! Fight to the death! Movies at the Mural’s Potter marathon closes with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Spoiler alert: Someone wins. seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural

WED 29

Talent wins out over famous bloodlines. Lucky for country crooner and ZooTunes performer Rosanne Cash she’s covered in both categories. zoo.org/zootunes

THU 30

Dancing Til Dusk closes its summer of outdoor dance lessons with the Ball Blanc at Olympic Sculpture Park. Wear white and come ready to waltz, swing, and fox-trot. danceforjoy.biz

FRI 31

Dave Matthews Band leads his caravan back to the Gorge this Labor Day weekend, with Seattle soul singer Allen Stone and folk rockers the Avett Brothers bringing up the rear. livenation.com

SEPTEMBER

SAT 1, 2 & 3

What other festival offers Tony Bennett and Skrillex? The only bummer to Bumbershoot is that it officially marks the end of summer. bumbershoot.org

Summer 2012 Outdoor Events Directory