01.23.2025

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Today’s Forecast

🐍 Welcome to the Year of the Snake

The Wing Luke Museum’s celebration also includes a wide variety of family activities. | Photo by Sunita Martini

Though its official dates vary across different Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of the start of spring and a new year on the lunisolar calendar. This year, the festivities will begin around Wednesday, January 29 and run for about two weeks.

2025 is the Year of the Snake, an animal representing sensitivity, adaptability, and a calm + collective nature.

Here are just a few Lunar New Year events to check out.

Tet in Seattle | Saturday, Jan. 25-Sunday, Jan. 26 | Various times | Seattle Center | Free | As a part of the Seattle Center’s Festal series, this big event celebrates Vietnamese culture with opera performances, live dancers, fashion shows, music, and eating competitions.
Wing Luke Museum’s Lunar New Year Fair | Saturday, Feb. 3 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Wing Luke Museum | $10-$17 | Enjoy lion dances, ceramics classes, crafts, snacks, raffles, and calligraphy courses.
Chinatown-International District’s Lunar New Year Celebration | Saturday, Feb. 22 | 11-4 p.m. | Chinatown-International District | Free | One of Seattle’s biggest events will include a food walk featuring local businesses, lots of vendors, and performances.

More event-ssss

Events

Thursday, Jan. 23

Comedian Heather Shaw | 8-9:30 p.m. | Laughs Comedy Club | $25 | The viral TikTok comedian known for her “uncanny resemblance to Jim Carrey” is touring the US with a show that adds some levity to current news headlines.

Friday, Jan. 24

Saturday, Jan. 25

Foster the People | 8 p.m. | Paramount Theatre | $40+ | Join all the other kids with the pumped up kicks for this indie band’s concert.

Sunday, Jan. 26

Harlem Globetrotters | 3-5 p.m. | Climate Pledge Arena | $43+ | We can just hear that catchy little whistle now — watch the iconic exhibition basketball team dribble, spin, and slam dunk against their forever rivals.

Monday, Jan. 27

Embodied Altars: All Levels Dance Class | Monday, Jan. 27 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center | $10+ | Designed by Indigenous Mexican-American artist Alicia Mullikin, this class weaves ancient + contemporary movement together to explore authentic storytelling.

Tuesday, Jan. 28

Anaheim Ducks vs. Seattle Kraken | 7 p.m. | Climate Pledge Arena | $40+ | You’d have to be a real quack to think some ducks stand any chance against a beast of the deep.

There's plenty more to do

Click here to have your event featured.

Jobs

💼 Find the best local candidates in 2025

Find candidates who want to work right here, right now. | Gif by 6AM City

56%. That’s the percentage of full-time employees in the US who want a new job in 2025. Of this, 27% have already started searching. What’s more, the first part of the year sees the largest uptick in job postings + submitted job applications online.

If you’re hiring this year, don’t let your job posting get lost on over-saturated job sites. We created 6AM City Job Board to help you cut through the noise and find top local talent. Share your opportunity with the most connected locals, SEAtoday readers.

Get started — your first job listing is free

News Notes

Sports

We’ve got a little tear in our eye — Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki is now the first Japanese player to be voted into the baseball Hall of Fame. He was just one vote shy of becoming the second-ever player to receive a unanimous selection for the honor. Ichiro spent 14 seasons (2001-2012 + 2018-2019) of his 19-year MLB career playing for the Mariners. (KING 5)

Award

Yes, chef. A whole bunch of Seattle restaurants, bars, and chefs were nominated this year for the coveted James Beard Awards. Repeat nominations went out for stars like Archipelago and the owners of Pho Bac. But new names on the list include Roquette for Outstanding Bar and FamilyFriend for Best New Restaurant.

Theater

Cue the applause — the 2025-26 Broadway at the Paramount season has been released. The next year includes buzzworthy titles like “The Notebook,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and “Les Misérables.” Season subscriptions are open for renewal, with single tickets to go on sale at a later date.

Development

Looks like someone gave into pier pressure. The waterfront’s Pier 70 has a brand new owner after locally owned Landmark Event Co. purchased the property for $11 million. The biz said it intends to keep the building’s current tenants, including Aqua by El Guacho + Pub 70. Pier 70 is one of only four privately owned piers in Seattle. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Closing

The first ever Burgermaster location in the University District is turning off its grills at the end of February due to an ending lease. Opened in 1952, the local chain predates other Seattle classics like Dick’s and Lowell’s. The original U District location is also the only to offer breakfast, but the biz says it’s looking to expand the option soon. (Eater Seattle)

Weather

Seattle seems to be on track to see its third-driest January in 80 years this month. So far, we’ve only seen 1.04 inches of rain when we would normally have about 4 inches. There may be some potential for this number to rise by the end of the month as new weather patterns emerge, but this has yet to enter our immediate forecast. (KING 5)

Arts

Mourning JOANN’s bankruptcy? News about a new fiber arts store opening in Ballard might ease the weight. Wool Friends is now open on NW 70th Street with a variety of purchasable supplies, classes, and an open studio space for Seattle’s crafty folk. Owners Brandi Henderson and Sarah Emerson hope the store will be a space for artists to gather and play. (My Ballard)

Open

Capitol Hill coffee shop Ghost Note (boo!) has opened its second location downtown at the base of the Seattle Tower on Third Avenue. Look for varying weekday hours that run generally from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Puget Sound Business Journal)

Listen

The Seahawks are on the hunt for their next offensive coordinator — but how close are they to making a hire? Hear from the local experts on the Seahawks with Locked On’s daily, team-focused podcasts.

Health

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Wellness

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City Guide

☕️ Warm up with a cup

Coffee being poured into an orange ceramic mug

Sound and Fog makes well-crafted espressos in handsome ceramics. | Photo via @soundandfog

For richer or pour over, Seattle’s sensational coffee shops are what keep us going in the morning. Our city helped create cafe culture more than 50 years ago — thanks to a certain coffee giant — and we’ve been sipping right along ever since.

Here’s our guide to some of the best coffee shops in Seattle.

Dote, Bellevue | In addition to offering its own roasted beans, one of the company’s owners is a chocolatier who’s created a series of ganaches that are blended into the shop’s drinks. Talk about decadence.

Onda Origins, Hillman City | Baristas will happily help walk you through techniques to bring out the best flavors from each batch — your cash also goes directly to the original growers.

Phin, Little Saigon | At this charming Vietnamese coffee shop, the pandan waffles — made with a crispy exterior — are becoming legendary. They go well with those sweet, rich drinks.

Black Coffee Northwest, Various locations | In addition to brewing a great cup of joe, this local biz offers youth programs that teach kids about how to run a business. It also regularly hosts makers markets and festivals — and will soon have a cafe in the Central District.

More buzz-worthy cafes

Asked

Do you prefer to make coffee at home or get your coffee from a local business?

A. I brew my own drinks at home.
B. I stop at my local coffee shop.
C. I get my order from a large coffee chain (Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Panera, etc.).

Spill it

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The Wrap

I’ll be going to check out Cirque du Soleil’s “KOOZA” this week and am pretty pumped about it. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve been to the circus and have no idea what to expect. The descriptions I see and pass on to you all in SEAtoday always sound so intense, so I’m interested to see how the show will showcase “the art of clowning while exploring fear, identity, recognition, and power.”

I’ll circle back to you all next week and let you know what I think!

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