Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings | ChuSeok, Film Festival, breast cancer event highlight a packed weekend

Posted on September 23rd, 2025 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

Celebrate the arrival of autumn at the annual ChuSeok Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Skansie Park.

Presented by the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, the festivities include face painting with Korean motifs, traditional music and dance performances, lotus lantern making, rice cake tasting and your name written in Korean calligraphy. ChuSeok is free and family friendly.

Dancers perform at the 2024 ChuSeuok Festival. Photo by Julie Warrick Ammann

Film Festival

Since its founding in 2007, the Gig Harbor Film Festival has become one of the most popular events on the movie circuit. This year’s festival runs Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 25 through 28, with 91 independent films across every genre showing at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown.

The films are screened in “blocks” comprising either one full-length film or a curated series of short films — from laugh-out-loud comedies to heartwarming dramas to local documentaries. A Q&A with the filmmaker follows many of the films.

The marquee inside the Galaxy Theatres Uptown during the Gig Harbor Film Festival in 2024. Photo by Angie Mitchell Photo.

Opening night festivities on Thursday, Sept. 25, include “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion,” a journey through thee six-decade career of the legendary costume designer Bob Mackie. Mackie and producer/design director Joe McFate will attend the showing, which is open to all pass holders.

General admission passes cost $50; VIP passes cost $400. They can be purchased here.

Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Rally

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which starts Oct. 1, a Let’s Beat Cancer Rally will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at Skansie Park.

Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber and others will speak and percussionists from local bands, including the Peninsula High School drumline and Seattle Seahawks Blue Thunder, will “Beat the Drum” for breast cancer prevention.

Cider Swig

The Greater Gig Harbor Foundation’s annual Cider Swig is from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma.

More than 130 makers of cider and other libations – like meads, wines, beer, spirits, kombucha, coffee and juices — will participate, along with an assortment of food vendors. The event also features a kids market, an apple pie contest, nail driving, keg toss, stein holding and other games. Purchase tickets here.

Author conversation

Lakewood author Heidi Fedore will talk about her debut novel “Pigs and Flakes’ Friday, at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at Island View Market, 7102 Ray Nash Drive.

Fedore is a former school principal and the discussion will include topics like bullying and coping with gossip. Those topics are the focus of her book, which is geared toward teens and parents. She poses the question: “Is it better to let gossip die down, or strike back with fierceness?”

Italian dinner

The Gig Harbor Yacht Club will host a free Italian dinner for prospective members at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 (for current members, dinner costs $16.37.) Registration is required. Make reservations here.

HOA Fair

Members of homeowners associations can learn about local codes and development rules and meet with city staff for tips that will help HOAs run successfully from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Civic Center, 3510 Grandview Street.

At the library

The nonfiction book club meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr. This club is geared to adults.

Teens can paint a mug or learn to make their own mug on the library’s pottery wheel, during the monthly Teen Creative Space get-together on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Space is limited to five for the wheel, 10 for painting a mug. Register here.

Live music

Olalla Winery’s summer concert series closes with 10 Strings and a Box starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26. The band plays covers of tunes from Neil Young, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Springsteen and others. Tickets are $20 here.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, it’s Boots and Bubbly in the loft at the winery, with country line dancing and a glass of bubbly included in the $20 ticket price. Purchase tickets here.

Singer-songwriter Angelina Adams takes the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at The Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Drive.

Locust Cider has music by Mock Defense on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. They also have an open mic from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays. Locust is at 3207 57^th Street Court, next to the Inn at Gig Harbor.

At the movies

The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown on Wednesday, Sept. 24, is “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” showing at 11 a.m., 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday’s Flashback movie is “Young Frankenstein,” the Mel Brooks comedy starring Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein. Sunday showtime is 6 p.m. Flashback movies are just $5.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets in a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, to discuss traffic calming ideas for Soundview Drive during maintenance projects; dry sewer issues on 38th Avenue; an easement for a Gig Harbor North trail; and fee schedule updates.

The council will also meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29. Agenda items include the first reading of an ordinance creating a new parks code and adoption of an ordinance regarding impact fees. Council meetings take place at the Civic Center and can also be accessed online.