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The high-tech boom created an enthusiastic and philanthropic audience for Seattle's arts community, which continues to grow. The gorgeous Benaroya Hall is a national benchmark for acoustic design. Its main tenant is the Seattle Symphony. At the Seattle Center, the ethereal Marion Oliver McCaw Hall combines Northwest hues and hanging screens in colorful light shows accompanying performances by the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Although the city's music scene has lost some of its shine after Portland became the go-to city for indie rock, music is still a main form of entertainment here. This very literate city also supports a full calendar of readings, lectures, and writing workshops.
The Seattle International Film Festival gets a lot of attention, but the city also hosts numerous smaller festivals throughout the year. The most popular include STIFF (Seattle's True Independent Film Festival; www.trueindependent.org) in June; the Children's Film Festival (www.childrensfilmfestivalseattle.nwfilmforum.org/), held at the Northwest Film Forum in January; and the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (www.threedollarbillcinema.org) in October.
This non-profit arts organization—offers a gathering place for Seattle's Black community through a variety of programming, like classes, film screenings, readings, and theater. Housed in an elegant historic domed building, LHPAI also hosts the annual Seattle Black Film Festival in the spring.
This opulent, glass-enclosed structure reflecting the skies and the Space Needle nearby is home to the Seattle Opera and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.The facility houses two auditoriums and a four-story main lobby area where several artworks are on display. Look for Sarah Sze's An Equal and Opposite Reaction, an enormous sculpture of found objects, hanging over the stairs at the north end of the Kreielsheimer Promenade.
From October through May, the University of Washington's Meany Hall hosts dance and music performances. Most have a high-art bent to them (piano soloists and modern-dance troupes), but it's always an eclectic, international mix.
A cultural hub in the U District since 1921, this striking Renaissance-revival theater is operated by STG Presents, which also runs the Paramount and Moore. The lineup—featuring mostly pop music and comedy—includes a mix of emerging and well-established acts. On the third Saturday of every month you can take a free tour of the theater.
