What's Happening, Tacoma? 21 May Events

That time a friendly kid offered to take a photo of us at a Tacoma Arts event. You may just get so lucky this May. But only if you head out and try something!

May is a big month for annual events and celebrations in Tacoma, so we’re keeping our monthly post simple by just gathering up a variety of what’s on offer.

May is Bike Month.

May is Historic Preservation Month.

May holds Affordable Housing Week.

Visit those pages linked above to get all the associated events planned around Tacoma and Pierce County!

We’ve chosen some events to represent each of those important themes, and you’ll find a host of other opportunities to learn, get out of the house, be festive, explore your creativity, support the arts, and lend a hand.

May is the month for a lightsaber battle, for live music and crafts in Old Town Park, for night markets, plants sales at your local high school, locally made short film screenings, hands-on printmaking and paper arts. It’s the month to learn about the history of Tacoma, and even contribute your own story at events like the Eastside Story Fest. It’s the month to pick-up litter with a bunch of nice people, the month to set out nutritious foods for your mail carrier to share with the food bank, the month to take time to learn more about affordable housing. It’s the month to tune up your bike and join a group ride.

Grab the kids, call your dog, pick-up a friend, stop by for Grandma, (don’t forget yourself), and step out the door into the community a time or two this Month. The days are lengthening, the dogwoods are bursting with blooms, and you might bump into a friend, make a new one, or even get to know yourself better. Maybe we’ll see you out there.

Image from La Paloma Tacoma

Daily, Weekly & One-Time Events This May in Tacoma

Interactive print arts we brought home from Wayzgoose in 2023. Be sure to bring a blank t-shirt or sweathshirt for the free screen printing with Shroom Brothers!

Image from the Black Night Market

  1. Daily for a few weeks: Frisko Freeze camps out at E9 Brewing Co. downtown while they complete renovations on Division

  2. Weekly on Saturdays: Tacoma Night Market's Downtown Mini Mart every Saturday starting May 4th

  3. Weekly on Sundays: Lazy Sundays at La Paloma Tacoma

  4. Weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays: Community Hours at Rainbow Center 

  5. The First 2 Weeks of May: Tacoma Public School Plant Sales! At Lincoln, Mt. Tahoma, & Silas

  6. Friday & Saturday, 5/3 & 5/4: Tacoma Wayzgoose (In case you're not familiar: What's a Wayzgoose?)

  7. Saturday, 5/4: May the 4th is Star Wars Day! 2nd Annual Tacoma Lightsaber Battle at Dune Peninsula

  8. Saturday, 5/4:  Hilltop Artists Spring Glass Sale at Hilltop Heritage Middle School

  9. Saturday, 5/4: Old Town Craft & Music Fest at Old Town Park

  10. Wednesday, 5/8: Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality - Film Premiere & Director Discussion at the Grand Cinema (part of Affordable Housing Week)

  11. Friday, 5/10: 253 Short Film Party with Tacoma Creates & The Grand Cinema

  12. Saturday, 5/11: Letter Carriers' Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive - Check out Emergency Food Network's List of Most Wanted Foods in our area

  13. Saturday, 5/11: Bike Month Safety Story Time with Arts & Crafts at Swasey Library

  14. Friday, 5/17: Old Shirt, New Look with Tacoma Historical Society and Tacoma Creates

  15. Saturday, 5/18: Eastside Story Fest at Eastside Community Center

  16. Sunday, 5/19: Destiny Dozen Hill Challenge with Second Cycle for Bike Month

  17. Saturday & Sunday, 5/25 & 5/26: Tacoma Night Market & Sunday Drag Brunch

  18. Saturday, 5/25: Oscar’s Enemies Litter Pick-up

  19. Saturday, 5/25: Poetry After Dark presented by the Black Night Market

  20. Wednesday, 5/29: Affordable Housing Workshop with UW Tacoma School of Urban Studies 

  21. Thursday, 5/30: State of Black Tacoma by Tacoma Urban League

KEEP IN TOUCH ABOUT TACOMA LIFE, COMMUNITY, EVENTS, HOMES, AND A BIT ABOUT US.

This week we’re grateful for the @windermereabode community and the chance to be part of one of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions: Community Dinner Kits 💛 Our colleague @melohogan.realtor and her husband Steve started out 10 years ago makin
On this closing day the biggest excitement came from a 7 year old who’s about to have his own room and who loves (fervently) the bathroom downstairs with orange walls. We’re excited for the whole family. Friendly neighbors came over to sa
I’m grateful Michael is willing to join me again, again, again and again on Orcas Island. We went last week so I could turn 41 in a place where my heart feels quiet, where deer tracks and bird tracks cross on the beach, where paths bordered by
When even the east glows at sunset What stills me in one window frame Where fabric flower feather and wax make the table a place How light of sky and light of candle and light of bulb need their own names Why home is also the distance seen beyond its
There’s change in the air across Tacoma, the return of things once lost, the reopening of places once closed, the transformation of one restaurant into another, the creation of brand new places to gather, shop, eat, and drink. We’ve been
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What's New, Tacoma? 17 New Businesses + 3 Coming Soon
What's New, Tacoma? 17 New Businesses + 3 Coming Soon

There’s change in the air across Tacoma, the return of things once lost, the reopening of places once closed, the transformation of one restaurant into another, the creation of brand new places to gather, shop, eat, and drink. We’ve been experiencing this change across the city and wanted to pull some of it together in one place. What follows is a list of 17 new, renewed, and returned businesses along with 3 coming soon. See if you can enjoy and support something new this month; if you do, we’d love to hear about it!

Tacoma Community: 15 Things to Do in October
Tacoma Community: 15 Things to Do in October

We’ve rounded-up and narrowed-down 15 ways to get out into community this October. Don your most intellectual scarf and hat combination for a literary night, dance and eat with the Greeks, step into a candlelit tour our 1855, get psyched up about cycling (and bicycle fashion), try forest bathing, don your most eccentric scarf and hat combination for the film festival, write letters for fun, tour art studios, hear from Latinas who experience being The Firsts in so many ways, take a local art walk, and celebrate Día de los Muertos. We’ve got some ways to volunteer in here too—lend a hand with Habitat for Humanity, pick up litter, or pull weeds and plant seeds at a favorite park to keep Tacoma green.

Get Out of Town: Puget Sound Day Trips
Get Out of Town: Puget Sound Day Trips

Once in a while, we all need to get out of town. This month we’re sharing about Port Townsend and Vashon Island, two places we go again and again when a change of scene is calling. They’re places where the beach is always near, where parking is easy, where woods and trails beckon us away from the sidewalks. Places where small, local bakeries, coffee roasters, independent bookstores, and one of a kind shops outnumber chains by far. We’ll share some of the ways we pass the time and how we fill our stomachs (never a problem). Don’t worry too much about planning; these destinations are so close to Tacoma, you can show up again and try what you missed. Wake up one morning and just decide to go!

Tacoma High 5 - July 2024
Tacoma High 5 - July 2024

Tacoma High 5 is our way to nudge you (and us!) toward what we love about Tacoma. It’s a short list with a commitment to the local—it embraces the season, invites delight, encourages a spirit of exploration and some generosity as well. This month’s list includes Tacoma Pride, an all ages neighborhood music festival, a game that gets you supporting small businesses (and winning prizes), Swedish-style baked goods, and the chance to help out Habitat for Humanity or spend Friday afternoons watering trees to keep Tacoma (and its future) healthy and shaded.

  1. Community Event

  2. Sweet Treat

  3. Exploration & Adventure

  4. Local Love

  5. Volunteering & Sharing

Tacoma Outdoor Dining Guide
Tacoma Outdoor Dining Guide

Want to go out and really be out—out in the open air, beneath a colorful umbrella, on a shaded patio, beside a bustling sidewalk, seated on a deck overlooking the water, pulled up to a bar counter by the street? We’ve gathered over 60 of Tacoma’s outdoor dining spots by neighborhood to get you started. Take a look at our list of restaurants, cafes, and bars with outdoor seating, then get yourself away from the screen, out the door, and into the life of Tacoma’s summer. See you out there!

What's Happening, Tacoma? 21 May Events
What's Happening, Tacoma? 21 May Events

May is Bike Month. May is Historic Preservation Month. May holds Affordable Housing Week. May is the month for a lightsaber battle, for live music and crafts in Old Town Park, for night markets, plant sales at your local high school, hands-on printmaking and paper arts, and locally made short films. It’s the month to learn about the history of Tacoma, and even contribute your own story at events like the Eastside Story Fest. It’s the month to pick-up litter with a bunch of nice people, the month to set out nutritious foods for your mail carrier to share with the food bank, the month to take time to learn more about affordable housing. It’s the month to tune up your bike and join a group ride.

Hi, I'm Michael Duggan, a licensed broker with Windermere Abode. I would love to help you through the home buying or selling process. Please contact me to set up a meeting and get things started.