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Must List: Six Things to Do in Seattle This Week

Big sounds, bold films, taco truck showdown

By Sarah Stackhouse April 3, 2025

People gathering around colorful food trucks on a busy street during a neighborhood event, with trees and buildings in the background.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Mobile Food Rodeo

Looks like we’ve got ourselves a pretty spring day.

While you’re out and about, there’s plenty happening around town: a new Filipino-Hawaiian spot is taking over the old Highliner space, and Sabine is heading to the Eastside. Seattle U. just unveiled plans for a new museum, and the Storm scored a major national TV deal. Unfortunately, one of the Eastside’s most vital youth nonprofits is facing major funding changes under new federal rules.

Here’s what else to do this week.

 

Poster showcasing two vibrant lucha libre masks with the text: "Taco Libre Taco Truck Showdown." Set against a bright yellow background with distressed design elements, this event is a must-list for your 04-03-2025 plans.

Taco Libre Truck Showdown

Saturday, April 5, 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
Magnuson Park Hangar 30
$15+, 21+ event

I like my taco meat messy, spicy, and wrapped in a teeny-tiny tortilla. Taco Libre brings together the city’s best taco trucks for a six-hour showdown featuring more than 30 taco varieties — all backed by music, margarita bars, beer, high-flying wrestling, and an illuminated night market. Pace yourself.

A woman with long blonde hair rests her head on her hand. Text reads "Seattle Arts & Lectures, Bonnie Garmus, Must List April 2025." A book titled "Lessons in Chemistry" is shown.

A Conversation with Bonnie Garmus

Monday, April 7, 7:30 p.m.
Town Hall
$7+

The author of Lessons in Chemistry has sold more than eight million copies and launched a major Apple TV+ series. Hear Garmus talk about her literary career and what it’s like to have your debut novel become a global phenomenon.

4th Annual John Prine Tribute Night

Wednesday, April 9, 8 p.m.
Tractor Tavern
$20

The Maywood Mailmen (aka The Riffbrokers) will play Bruised Orange start to finish, followed by more Prine covers from local favorites like Carrie Biell, Brittany Danielle, and Bobby Olde. All proceeds go to Lavender Rights Project. Come raise a glass to the songwriter who made love, adolescence, and big thoughts feel like bar talk — and made you believe you could write a song too.

Poster for the Social Justice Film Festival, dated 04-03-2025, features an orange-tinted silhouette of Seattle's skyline, complete with the iconic Space Needle. Add it to your Must List for can’t-miss events.

Social Justice Film Festival

April 9-13 | Online: April 14-20
NW Film Forum | University Heights Center | Pacific Tower | Online
$12+

This year’s lineup includes films about activism, abolition, and community care — with stories that span continents and generations. Screenings and panels take place at NW Film Forum, University Heights Center, and Pacific Tower, with an additional week of online access for those streaming from home. Films like this are especially important right now — they show what others are doing and remind us that we can do something, too.

A conductor in a tuxedo, eyes closed in artistic concentration, holds a baton mid-motion, leading an orchestra—a must-list experience for any music lover on 04-03-2025.

Dvořák New World Symphony

April 10-12
S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium – Benaroya Hall
$41+

There’s a reason this one made it onto the Apollo 11 mission. Dvořák’s New World Symphony channels the music he encountered in America with a deep nostalgia for his native Bohemia. Paired with Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances and a new violin concerto by Raymond Yiu, this Seattle Symphony program is rooted, searching, and big in scope.

 

Two musicians performing indoors in March 2025. One plays a piano and the other a cello, both dressed in suits near a window. The text reads "Canellakis-Brown Duo," marking their concert as a must-list for music enthusiasts.

An Evening with Canellakis-Brown Duo

Friday, April 11, 8 p.m.
415 on Westlake
$49+

Cellist Nicholas Canellakis and pianist Michael Stephen Brown are both Juilliard grads and regulars at Lincoln Center, but this isn’t your average recital. Their Emerald City Music program mixes chamber music, comedy, and film. The duo’s banter and longtime chemistry give the evening a lived-in feel — it’s like watching world-class musicians mess around in your living room.

Visit our events calendar for more ideas.

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