A weekend of festivals

The Seattle International Film Festival is coming right up (May 11 – 21), and next week I’ll have more on the local films in the lineup. But meanwhile there are plenty of other ways to get that festival feeling. 

Seattle Center is celebrating Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a free community party (Armory Food and Event Hall, May 6, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.) featuring Mak Fai Kung Fu dragon and lion dances, the always-mesmerizing Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, the Massive Monkeys break-dancing team, hula dance by Sunshine from Polynesia and more performances. 

The Bicycle Film Festival (Egyptian Theatre, May 6 at 7 p.m.) is an annual international celebration of the two-wheeled wonder. This year’s 90-minute lineup of short films includes true and imagined stories about massive street rides, a blind bike mechanic in Iran, a bicyclist retracing the route of the Buffalo Soldiers, a lost and found (and lost) bike, and Seattle bike messengers as a symbol of “outsourcing gone wild.” 

The inaugural Seattle Art Book Fair (May 6 – 7 at Washington Hall) caters to people with papyrophilia [raises hand and waves vigorously]. Indulge that deep love of paper with art books that just wouldn’t elicit the same oohs and ahhs if flipped through digitally. Organized by Seattle-based graphic designers Jayme Yen and Tom Eykemans (the latter of whom is also design director at local Marquand Books), the free event features 65+ international exhibitors, including Seattle’s Wave Books, Minor Matters and Chin Music Press.

If you’re itching to get behind the scenes of visual-art-in-progress, check out the Spotlight North Studio Tour (May 6 – 7). During this newish north-end event, Seattle artists bravely open their studio doors and allow us to see where the magic happens. Among the artists participating this year are glass knitter Carol Milne, painter Gala Bent and ceramicist Laura Brodax.

And for those wanting a festival that really turns it up, consider Belltown Bloom (The Crocodile, May 5 – 6). It’s the third annual edition of this indie-music festival celebrating women in rock, and topping the roster is 1980s punk/grunge band L7 (yes, I do still have them on cassette tape, thank you very much), along with Pussy Riot, Mannequin Pussy, Thunderpussy (are you getting the idea) and several bands without that word in their name, including Seattle faves La Fonda, Mt. Fog and Prom Queen. Rock on.