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Fave Five: Bright and Breezy

Shakespeare, sunset cruising, and fizzy rice wine

Sarah Stackhouse By Sarah Stackhouse July 14, 2025

Two women in historical costumes stand back to back outdoors, smiling and gesturing with their hands at a lively food festival, surrounded by greenery in the background.
Shakespeare in the Park
Photo courtesy of GreenStage

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.

Seattle summer doesn’t need selling. We wait all year for this.The long light, the beaches, the breeze that sneaks in just when you need it. Here are five ways to make the most of it.

1. Watch Shakespeare under the trees

GreenStage has been performing free Shakespeare in Seattle parks since 1989. This year’s lineup includes Much Ado About Nothing, a sharp romantic comedy that circles around a wedding, and Richard III, a dark, twisty power grab led by one of literature’s most ruthless antiheroes. Backyard Bard will also tour abbreviated productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. Shows run July 11 to Aug. 16. Bring a blanket and settle in. The lighting is perfect and there’s not a bad seat in the house.

2. Pick your flavor at a food festival

The Bite of Seattle (July 25-27) turns 40 this year. It’s a big annual food. party with more than 300 vendors, beer and wine gardens, and music at every turn. CHOMP! (Aug. 16) is smaller, held
at Willowmoor Farm in Marymoor Park, with a focus on sustainability and local farms. You’ll find zucchini races, animals, tree climbing and a farmers market. Either way, go hungry.

A band performs on an outdoor stage to a lively crowd at the Bite of Seattle festival, with vendor booths and trees visible in the background.
Bite of Seattle festival
Photo courtesy of the Bite of Seattle

3. Cruise Lake Union aboard The Beverly

The Beverly is a classy little electric boat off ering daily and private tours around Lake Union. Book a happy-hour float or a golden hour cruise. Prices start at $55 per person or $495 for groups. Sip champagne and see how pretty the city looks from the water.

A group of people wearing party hats sits around a table on a covered boat during Seattle summer, smiling and raising their hands, with water and city buildings visible in the background.
Golden hour cruise on The Beverly
Phot courtesy of The Beverly

4. Go to a Storm game and yell a little

There’s no better deal in town than watching pro athletes do wild, impossible things. The Storm play at Climate Pledge Arena through Sept. 9. The energy is fun and filled with families, and the players are a blur speeding up and down the court. You don’t need to know the stats. Just show up and get loud.

A basketball player from the Seattle Storm dribbles the ball while being guarded by a Las Vegas Aces player during a game, capturing the excitement of Seattle summer just like the city’s lively food festivals such as Chomp!.
Seattle Storm v.s. Las Vegas Aces
Photo courtesy of the Seattle Storm

5. Sip makgeolli at Rainbrew

Rainbrew in Woodinville is the only Korean rice wine brewery in the Pacific Northwest, and just the second in the country. It’s run by a family of three who brew makgeolli: cloudy, fermented rice wine with a fizzy, creamy texture. The tasting room is open Friday evenings and weekends, with small plates, innovative makgeolli cocktails and a soft glow that will make you want to linger.

 

Three people hold ceramic cups filled with a light-colored beverage, seen from above as they clink their cups together—celebrating good times after a day at the Bite of Seattle food festival.
Makgeolli is a cloudy, fermented rice wine with a fizzy, creamy texture.
Photo courtesy of Rainbrew

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