When Seattle's own resident performing arts companies aren't taking to the dozens of stages around the city, various touring companies from around the world are. If you're a fan of Broadway shows, check the calendars at the Paramount Theatre and the 5th Avenue Theatre, both of which regularly serve as Seattle stops for touring shows. Seattle loves the theater, and each March the city binges on the fringes with the Seattle Fringe Theater Festival . Avant-garde performances are also the specialty of the Northwest New Works Festival, On the Board's annual barrage of contemporary dance and performance art held each spring. Every Thursday from 5 to 9pm, the museum hosts live music, frequently jazz, and sets up a bar in its main lobby.
Shows are free with museum admission.
Summer is a time of outdoor festivals and performance series in Seattle, and should you be in town during the sunny months, you'll have a wide variety of alfresco performances from which to choose. The city's biggest summer music festivals are the Northwest Folklife Festival over Memorial Day weekend and Bumbershoot over Labor Day weekend. Over in Woodinville, which is on the east side of Lake Washington, Chateau Ste. Michele, Washington's largest winery, stages the area's most enjoyable outdoor summer concert series. Of course, plenty of wine is available.