Ultimate PNW Events Guide for a Super September

This September is pretty spectacular for a variety of reasons. You can "do the Puyallup" at The Washington State Fair's 125th anniversary, get impressed with huge LEGO displays, go to "Realms Unknown," experience a hot air balloon rally, or get scared out of your wits.

Plus, there's the usual fall-time festivals, car shows and food and drink fairs.

Here's your ultimate PNW festival and events guide for a super September!

Games People Play

Ready to play? Check out what people can do with Legos at BrickCon (the world's largest fan expo), enjoy an out-of-this-world Flying Saucer Party, watch true athletes compete at the Seattle Spartan Pan American Championship, or check out the intriguing Realms Unknown event.

PAX West
September 1 / Arch Building and Summit Building, Seattle

Ellensburg Rodeo
September 1 / 609 N. Main St., Ellensburg

BrickCon Public Exhibition
September 6-7 / Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue

Woodinville Wine Ride
September 7 / Black Raven Brewing, Woodinville

Flying Saucer Party
September 12-13 / Lewis County Historical Museum, Chehalis

Seattle Spartan Pan American Championship Weekend
September 13-14 / Meadow Wood Equestrian Center, Snohomish

Realms Unknown
September 19-21 / Lewis River Golf Course, Woodland

Michelmasse Festival
September 28-29 / Camlann Medieval Village, Carnation

Community Celebrations

Just as the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe is packing up, the Washington State Fair in Puyallup begins its 125th anniversary with a lot of hoopla. There's also a bunch of other community events to check out in Mukilteo, Olympia, Bremerton, and way up north in Bellingham,

Bremerton Blackberry Festival
September 1 / Bremerton Boardwalk, Bremerton

Evergreen State Fair
September 1 / Monroe Fairgrounds, Monroe

Washington State Fair
September 1-21 / Washington State Fair Events Center

Newcastle Days
September 6 / Lake Boren Park, Newcastle

Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival
September 5-7 / Mukilteo Lighthouse Park, Mukilteo

Beacon Arts Street Fair
September 13 / Various locations, Seattle

Fisherman’s Fall Festival
September 13 / 1900 W. Nickerson St., Seattle

Fall City Apple Festival
September 21 / 32925 SE 46th St., Fall City

Wenatchee River Salmon Festival
September 20 / Rocky Reach Dam & Discovery Center, Wenatchee

Sustainable Ballard Festival
September 27 / Loyal Heights Community Center Lawn, Seattle

Bellingham SeaFeast
September 27-28 / Zuanich Point Park, Bellingham

Olympia Harbor Days
September 29-31 / Olympia Waterfront, Olympia

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This month includes a variety of transportation-themed events that feature classic cars, monster trucks, boats and even hot air balloons.

Wooden Boat Festival
September 5-7 / Port Townsend

Edmonds Classic Car Show
September 7 / Downtown Edmonds

Boats Afloat Show
September 11-14 / South Lake Union, Seattle

Monster Jam
September 19-21 / Tacoma Dome, Tacoma

The Great Prosser Balloon Rally
September 26-28 / Prosser Airport, Prosser

Nighttime Spectaculars and Haunted Happenings

While Halloween still occurs on October 31, haunted houses and spooky events are popping up earlier each year. At least four are opening at the end of this month. Before then, come out and marvel at the Arts-A-Glow and Luminata festivities in Burien and Seattle.

Arts-A-Glow
September 6 / Downtown Burien

Luminata
September 20 / Green Lake Community Center, Seattle

Georgetown Morgue
September 26- November 2 / 5000 E. Marginal Way S., Seattle

The Haunted Woods
September 27-October 26 / 25001 Sumner-Buckley Hwy., Sumner

My Haunted Forest
September 27-November 1 / 17616 S. Vaughn Rd. NW, Vaughn

Fright Fest
September 27-November 2 / Wild Waves, Federal Way

It’s a Small World

Harvest Home at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Tacoma will send you back in time and you can party with Vikings at the Salmon Feast and Mead Pairing. Get a head start at one of the two Oktoberfests, or take a (virtual) trip around the world with festivals that celebrate cultures including Thai, Ukrainian, Hawaiian, Greek, Italian and more.

Thai Festival
September 6 / North Seattle College, Seattle

Harvest Home
September 6 / Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Tacoma

NorthWest Ukrainian International Festival
September 6 / Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue

Wa Na Wari Walk the Block
September 27 / Central District, Seattle

Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
September 7 / Seattle Center, Seattle

Seattle Fiestas Patrias
September 13-14 / Seattle Center, Seattle

Salmon Feast + Mead Pairing
September 18 / Skal Beer Hall, Seattle

Edmonds Oktoberfest
September 19-20, Edmonds Civic Playfield, Edmonds

Fremont Oktoberfest
September 19-21 / Various locations, Seattle

Seattle Iranian Festival
September 20 / Seattle Center, Seattle

B-Town Fiesta
September 21 / Burien Town Square, Burien

APCC Korean ChuSeok Festivals
September 27 / Skansie Brothers Park, Gig Harbor

St. Demetrios Greek Festival
September 19-21 / St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Seattle

Festa Italiana
September 26-28 / Seattle Center, Seattle

Music, Film and Theater

The Latvian, French, and Belgian movie Flow won a Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This month, you can see it while the Seattle Symphony performs the music track. You can also take a stroll at the Jackson Street Jazz Walk, enjoy the one-of-a-kind Sketchfest and marvel at performances at the Men in Dance event.

Seattle Nordic Film Festival
September 5-7 / Majestic Bay Theatres, Seattle

Jackson Street Jazz Walk
September 6/ Jackson Street, Seattle

"Flow" in Concert with the Seattle Symphony
September 10 / Benaroya Hall, Seattle

SketchFest Seattle
September 11-14 / Market Theater, Seattle

DjangoFest NorthWest
September 17-21 / Various Locations, Langley

Port Townsend Film Festival
September 18-21 / Various Locations, Port Townsend

Local Sightings Film Festival
September 19-28 / Northwest Film Forum, Seattle

Men in Dance
September 26-27 / The Erickson Theatre, Seattle

Food & Drink

There's a lot of brew ha ha happening this September with Cider Summit Seattle, the Cider Swig, Hops & Crops Music and Beer Festival and the fun-sounding Pancakes and Booze Art Show.

Art Uncorked
September 6 / Various locations, Mercer Island

BrewFest on the Skagit
September 6 / South 1st Street and West Broadway, Mount Vernon

Cider Summit Seattle
September 12-13 / South Lake Union Discovery Center Lawn, Seattle

The Great Wallingford Bratwurst Festival
September 12-13 / 4811 Wallingford Ave. N., Seattle

Hops & Crops Music & Beer Festival
September 13 / Mary Olson Farm, Kent

Fishermen’s Fall Festival
September 13 / Fishermen’s Terminal, Seattle

Salmon on Sunset
September 13 / Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Issaquah

Bite of PhinneyWood
September 14 / Phinney Center, Seattle

The Pancakes & Booze Art Show
September 20 / 109 Eastlake Ave., Seattle

Taste of West Seattle
September 25 / The Hall at Fauntleroy, Seattle

Crave! Oktoberfest
September 26 / Lynnwood Event Center, Lynnwood

Sustainable Ballard Festival
September 27 / Loyal Heights Community Center Lawn, Seattle

Cider Swig
September 27 / LeMay Car Museum, Tacoma

Northwest Tea Festival
September 27-28 / Seattle Center, Seattle

BBQ, Brews & Brats
September 27-28 / Enumclaw Expo Center, Enumclaw

Have a spectacular September!

Jeff Totey is a freelance contributor for Seattle Refined.