Weekend revelry roundup: Tasty treats, strange brews and more

Friday/the best day of the week has arrived yet again — yes, I said the BEST DAY — and we’ve got another weekend full of fun stuff to do in the Seattle area.

Tasty treats and strange brews

Kicking things off is a busy Friday full of tasty treats and funky beats.

Mighty-O Donuts is celebrating it’s 21st birthday! Head over to the location in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood for specialty donuts, gift card giveaways, 2003 throwback jams and more. The party goes until 4 p.m.

If beer is more your thing, and in case you were curious if French Onion Soup would make a tasty pint, the Strange Brewfest is for you.

The 18th edition of this two-day festival starts Friday. More than 20 breweries will be showing off out-of-this-world brews, to go with theme this year. There also will be live music Friday and Saturday, food and a live glassblowing demonstration.

I brought up French Onion Soup because Whidbey Island’s Double Bluff Brewing Company won the 2023 Best Strange Brew award for their … you guessed it … French Onion Soup beer.

The Strange Brewfest is in Port Townsend at the American Legion Hall. Those interested in attending will need a ticket and they can be purchased at strangebrewfestpt.com.

Music merriment and film fun

Fun with food isn’t the only thing going on this weekend. Down in Olympia, it’s time to get funky.

The Olympia Funk Festival runs through Sunday and features acts like George Porter Jr., Polyrhythmics and The Rumble. Tickets and information are available at olyfunkfest.com.

Maybe the weather has created the urge to just hang out inside and watch a movie. This weekend, parents can share the magic of the big screen with their kids or experience one of the greatest trilogies of all time.

The Seattle Children’s Film Festival starts Friday and runs through next weekend. I spoke with Kendra Ann Sherrill, the executive director of the festival, and she offered some recommendations: Among them, she noted a showing of the popular 2008 Disney film “Wall-E” taking place on Opening Night. She also said the festival’s final night will feature an animated movie called “The Inventor.” It features the vocal talents of Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Stephen Fry and it’s about Leonardo da Vinci finding the meaning of life, so to speak. It was on the short list for the 2024 Academy Awards.

For those who have always wanted to marathon the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, extended editions, of course, the SIFF Cinema in Downtown Seattle is bringing the movies back to the big screen for an exclusive event. Showtimes are 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday. SIFF will also be showing the “Hobbit” trilogy next week.

Lunar New Year Events and more

Celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon Saturday with events throughout Seattle.

The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle will be holding it’s annual Lunar New Year Fair. There will be a traditional lion dance, calligraphy lessons, informative sessions and plenty more. The lion dance will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the Wing Luke Museum will open at 11 a.m.

The Seattle Asian Art Museum will also be celebrating with live performances, a lion dance, story times, a book raffle, food and more. It all gets started on Capitol Hill at 10:30 a.m.

Seattle star stop: Justin Timberlake announces tour and he’ll start in the PNW

Also on Saturday, if you were curious about an e-bike, or maybe looking for a new set of wheels, The Seattle Bike Swap goes from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

Action on the ice

The National Hockey League is off this weekend. So, there won’t be any Seattle Kraken games at Climate Pledge Arena. But you can see the league’s best players in action on your television (or phone) during its annual All-Star Weekend, which is taking place in Toronto.

On Friday, the NHL All-Star Skills event takes place. According to the league, “the revamped format features 12 NHL All-Stars competing for points in eight events; the player with the most points takes home a prize of $1 million.” It will air on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S.

On Saturday afternoon,  four teams “comprised of 11 players (nine skaters and two goaltenders) compete in the annual NHL All-Star Game.” It will air on ABC and ESPN+ in the U.S.

The Kraken will be represented by Oliver Bjorkstrand, who is playing on “Team MacKinnon.” Colorado Avalanche star player Nathan MacKinnon is the captain of the team.

Big upcoming event: Billy Joel returns to Seattle for T-Mobile Park show in May

If you want to see tomorrow’s NHL stars today, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the World Hockey League will be in action all weekend, playing three games in three days in two cities.

On Friday, the Thunderbirds will be in Victoria, British Columbia, taking on the Victoria Royals. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m.

From there, the Thunderbirds will be home at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent Saturday and Sunday. They will play the Portland Winterhawks Saturday (6:05 p.m. faceoff) and take on Victoria again in a rematch Sunday (5:05 p.m.).

There are plenty of things to do this weekend. So, don’t miss out!

Contributing: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest