Pierce County Events Calendar
This calendar is the place to find fun events happening throughout Pierce County, including Tacoma, Puyallup, Lakewood and beyond.
Have an event that isn’t listed? Please email events@SouthSoundTalk.com with the following information:
- Name of Event
- Date, time and location (name of business if applicable and complete address)
- Organizer(s) name
- Cost
- URL to purchase tickets
- Website URL
- SHORT description of the event
- Photo
Our editors will review and post within a few business days.
Water Lantern Festival is back!
Tacoma Water Lantern Festival is coming up on September 11, 2021!
Voted #1 Best Cultural Festival by USA TODAY!
Water Lantern Festival is a floating lantern event that is all about connections. Magical nights in cities across the U.S. include food, games, activities, vendors, music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns adorned with letters of love, hope and dreams reflected upon the water.
As the sun begins to set on the evening sky, the Water Lantern Festival begins to shine with the launch of the lanterns onto the water as we Light The Water together. Watch your unique lantern drift out into the water as it joins other lanterns carrying hope, love, happiness, healing, peace, and connection. It’s a night that you’ll never forget.
Tickets are selling fast!
Visit www.WaterLanternFestival.com for more details.
Park(ing) Day is an international activism project where people around the world repurpose parking spaces into tiny parklets. On September 17, tune in to Downtown On the Go’s (DOTG) Facebook page to listen to us discussing transit related topics with transit advocates, local officials, and others! We’ll be “taking over” a parking space in Downtown Tacoma, and hope that you will follow us as we stream the conversations live at facebook.com/downtownonthego
The parklet, sponsored by Spin and BCRA Design, will be active from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 17. Parklets around the world are available on the Park(ing) Day website’s map. The 2005 San Francisco parklet that marked the first Park(ing) day was a lawn, a 15-foot-tall tree, and a rented park bench in a parking space. In years following, Park(ing) day, an original concept by Rebar, became an international event celebrating human-use spaces.
Downtown On The Go has celebrated Park(ing) day for several years, assisting other local organizations with setting up their own parklets. Last year, we hosted a virtual Park(ing) day of online panels of local advocates. This year due to the ongoing pandemic we have instead opted to minimize public interaction and instead host advocates in a virtual space, while still physically occupying a parking space.
We encourage you to engage with us and the worldwide Park(ing) Day community by following us on social media and by using the hashtags #downtowntacoma and #parkingday. We will livestream the interviews with advocates on Facebook, and the recordings will be available after the event.
After a difficult past year, we are excited to announce that The Cider Swig returns with dozens of regional ciders (and related libations) to sip and savor, live music and entertainment on two stages, the annual “Battle of the Pie” Contest, apple launching, award winning delectable curbside cuisine by area restaurants and food trucks, the Apple Carnivàle Zone, and more!
Northwest cidermakers, vintners and distillers will present over 100 ciders, wine, mead and more. The popular Apple Carnivàle returns – replete with performers, arts and crafts, dancers, an array of carnival games, inflatable obstacle course, sticky wall, face painting, apple launching, demonstrations, and other fun and games.
Ciders, etc. presented for sampling in the Cider Garden will be for sale under the Cider Tent, so you can take your favorites home to enjoy!
Come Get your Swig On!
Ticket includes: 5 drink tokens, 6 oz. festival glass, and access to all live music and entertainment, food, the Apple Carnivàle Zone, and all other festival activities.
Additional cider tokens are available at festival. ID is required to enter the Cider Garden. Must be 21+ to enter the Cider Garden.
**Each year the Cider Swig brings thousands from around the region to enjoy ciders, great food, live music and family fun. And, each year the Cider Swig sells out! Advance ticket purchase is strongly encouraged.**
OTHER FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
For 2021 we have chosen to make this a 21+ only event. We hope that 2022 we will be able to return to an accessible family-fun event.
WANT TO VOLUNTEER?
Without people like you, the Festival could not happen. Cider Swig volunteers will receive reduced admission ticket ($18) for the Cider Garden, free festival t-shirt, festival tasting glass, one $5 meal voucher … and have a great time!
Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease.
We’re moving forward with plans to host Walk to End Alzheimer’s® in person this fall. The health and safety of our participants, staff and volunteers remain our top priorities as we make decisions about event details in your community, and we’ll continue to offer options to participate online and in your neighborhood.
While there is no fee to register for Walk, all participants are encouraged to raise critical funds that allow the Alzheimer’s Association to provide 24/7 care and support and advance research toward methods of prevention, treatment and, ultimately, a cure.
Child Care Resources will be hosting the 2021 Seeds of Change Annual Event on Friday, October 15th at 7pm. Formerly known as the the CCR Luncheon, the Annual Event will illustrate the impact of investing in children’s early learning as a benefit not only to the children, families, and child care providers we serve, but to our community as a whole.
Child Care Resources has been working with families, caregivers, early learning professionals, and community partners to ensure that every child has a great start in school an in life. We are a trusted resource for families seeking child care across Washington State, helping more than 18,000 families each year explore their early learning options and make informed decisions. Through coaching and professional development, we help more than 2,000 child care professionals annually in King and Pierce Counties develop and improve the quality of their care for all children.
This is a fundraising event. The CCR Annual Event is a critical financial support that helps us advance our mission of improving all children’s access to high quality early learning experiences so that all children have a great start in school and in life. Join us and register today!
Register at: https://bit.ly/SeedsofChangeRSVP
Can’t make it? Make a donation today: https://qrco.de/SeedsOfChangeDonate
Dress up the family and bring your little superheroes, princesses, and monsters to the Hands On Children’s Museum for a spooktacular good time. Enjoy Halloween-inspired fun and exciting activities without the fright at Boo Bash, October 22-31. Navigate a straw bale maze, explore a black-light cavern, design a scarecrow family, go on a scavenger hunt, decorate mini pumpkins, watch Dr. Science demos, join the costume parade, and more! Hands On is the premier children’s museum in the PNW. Explore 150 interactive exhibits and a half-acre outdoor play space where kids can ride trikes, sluice for treasure, captain a vintage schooner, climb a giant boulder, and go up the lighthouse lookout.
Sensory-friendly Boo Bash activities will be offered during our regular Sensory Friendly Hour, October 24 & 31 at 9 am.
Online reservations required for museum admission. Special event activities vary depending on the days of the week and visitation levels, please see the events calendar for updated information. Activities may be added at any time.
Dress up the family and bring your little superheroes, princesses, and monsters to the Hands On Children’s Museum for a spooktacular good time. Enjoy Halloween-inspired fun and exciting activities without the fright at Boo Bash, October 22-31. Navigate a straw bale maze, explore a black-light cavern, design a scarecrow family, go on a scavenger hunt, decorate mini pumpkins, watch Dr. Science demos, join the costume parade, and more! Hands On is the premier children’s museum in the PNW. Explore 150 interactive exhibits and a half-acre outdoor play space where kids can ride trikes, sluice for treasure, captain a vintage schooner, climb a giant boulder, and go up the lighthouse lookout.
Sensory-friendly Boo Bash activities will be offered during our regular Sensory Friendly Hour, October 24 & 31 at 9 am.
Online reservations required for museum admission. Special event activities vary depending on the days of the week and visitation levels, please see the events calendar for updated information. Activities may be added at any time.
The event starts with a ride aboard the Simpson Railroad trailer car around the loop over to the event grounds. This year events are located in our operations area to provide more space. There we will have a hay bale/straw maze to navigate thru -hopefully it is not haunted with loggers past. Grab a cup of hot cider to sip while you listen to not too scary short stories read by Area youth and literary groups. Don’t forget just before you get back on the trailer car for the short ride back stop at the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to take home. While at the activities grounds keep a sharp eye out for trick or treat candy. Kids are encouraged to wear and show off their costumes.
Bring your entourage and get ready for an unforgettable night supporting A Step Ahead in Pierce County as we celebrate our 20th Anniversary!
Join us on Saturday October 23, 2021, for our 12th Annual Auction & Gala available both in-person and virtually. Our 2021 Theme, Casino for a Cause – An Evening of Celebration. ASAPC will be celebrating our 20 years of service while also recognizing the positive ingenuity of human resiliency demonstrated within our community during the Pandemic crisis. This will be our most inspirational party yet!
Over the course of our twenty-year history, ASAPC has served thousands of children from all over the Puget Sound region and have never turned away a child in need of services because of an inability to pay. This is made possible because of our CARES Fund, which covers the costs of uncompensated care, ensuring every child receives the necessary therapeutic support they need.
This will be a sold-out event! Register before Sept. 23rd for the Early-Bird pricing. Can’t attend? Register for the virtual event!
Dress up the family and bring your little superheroes, princesses, and monsters to the Hands On Children’s Museum for a spooktacular good time. Enjoy Halloween-inspired fun and exciting activities without the fright at Boo Bash, October 22-31. Navigate a straw bale maze, explore a black-light cavern, design a scarecrow family, go on a scavenger hunt, decorate mini pumpkins, watch Dr. Science demos, join the costume parade, and more! Hands On is the premier children’s museum in the PNW. Explore 150 interactive exhibits and a half-acre outdoor play space where kids can ride trikes, sluice for treasure, captain a vintage schooner, climb a giant boulder, and go up the lighthouse lookout.
Sensory-friendly Boo Bash activities will be offered during our regular Sensory Friendly Hour, October 24 & 31 at 9 am.
Online reservations required for museum admission. Special event activities vary depending on the days of the week and visitation levels, please see the events calendar for updated information. Activities may be added at any time.