Arts & Entertainment Community
Harbor Happenings | Pride in the Park, Garden Tour highlight a packed weekend
Pride in the Park is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Skansie Park on Harborview Drive.
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Arts & Entertainment stories are made possible in part by the Gig Harbor Film Festival, a proud sponsor of Gig Harbor Now.
The Pride festival includes live music from Lankin, the Brian Kam Band and others; games; vendors; drag performances; kids activities sponsored by Snapology; and “free mom hugs.”
A scene from Pride in the Park on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photo by Vince Dice
Organizers bill it as a “heartfelt gathering where the community comes together to celebrate who we are and the values we hold dear. It’s a day of reflection, joy, visibility and recognition of the ongoing journey toward equality and inclusion.”
Gig Harbor Garden Tour
Six local gardens will be open to the public during the 27th annual Gig Harbor Garden tour Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28.
Visitors will find creative ideas for small-space gardens and shady spots, beds filled with roses and all manner of other plants, water features, art and plenty of inspiration. The self-guided tour raises funds for school and community groups that help kids and adults learn to read.
Garden Tour tickets cost $25 and are available at Ace Hardware, The Garden Room, Rosedale Gardens, Wilco, Tickled Pink, Wild Birds Unlimited, Walrath Landscaping Supply, Sunnycrest Nursery in Lakebay and online here.
The 2025 Gig Harbor Garden Tour. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick
Round Rock contest
Gig Harbor’s popular Round Rock Contest returns for its 75th year, with entries due Aug. 2.
The Harbor History Museum now runs the contest, which was founded by well-known and quirky promoter CE Shaw in 1951. Museum Director Stephanie Lile will discuss the contest at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at the museum at 4121 Harborview Dr.
Round rock winners of the past: first through fifth place rock display at the Harbor History Museum. Photo by Tonya Strickland.
Lile will talk about how round rocks are formed, their geology and how the annual contest got started. The presentation is free for museum members or $5 for non-members. RSVP to [email protected].
Emergency prep
Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One will host part two of its four-part series on preparing for emergencies at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25. The presentation takes place at GHFMO headquarters at 10222 Bujacich Road and will focus on how to build first aid kits, create communications plans and plan for special needs. The first 20 registrants will get all the materials needed to build their own first aid kits. The lecture is free but registration is required here.
The fire district will host a grand opening ceremony for its new Training Campus from 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, also at its Bujacich Road property. The training center was funded with revenues from a bond approved by voters in 2022. Read more about the facility here.
Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One’s new training tower. Photo by Vince Dice
Family Wellness Day
PenMet Parks will sponsor a Family Health and Wellness Day starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Recreation Center, 2524 14th Ave. NW.
The event includes free movement-based activities, a climbing wall, kid-friendly inflatables, food trucks, healthy cooking demos and fun runs. The run/walk events start at 5 p.m. and include a free kids-dash on the Rec Center’s grassy field and a “Crush the Cushman” out-and-back 5K run/walk along the Cushman Trail. Get details and sign up here.
Lavender Festival
Astrid’s Lavender Farm on the Key Peninsula hosts a lavender festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27. The farm has more than 3,000 lavender plants and creates a variety of lavender-based products. Saturday’s event includes live music, vendors, food booths and demonstrations. The farm is at 13617 Thomas Road NW.
Beach walks
Guides from Harbor WildWatch will lead educational walks along local beaches on Monday and Tuesday, June 29 and 30. The walks highlight the beauty and complexity of our marine environment.
Monday’s walk starts at 11 a.m. at the Fox Island boat launch, 203 Third Ave. Tuesday’s walk starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Sunrise Beach parking lot, 10015 Sunrise Beach Dr. Walkers will have an opportunity to see and touch sea stars, crabs, sea anemones and other beach creatures and learn how to protect them. Each guided walk lasts about 60 to 90 minutes, but walkers can arrive and leave at any time. WildWatch programs are free, but donations are welcome.
Waterfront walks
Harbor WildWatch guides also lead weekly “Wonders of the Waterfront” walking tours at 10 a.m. Saturdays. The 1.5 mile walks begins at Donkey Creek Park, 8714 N. Harborview Dr., and end at the Old Ferry Landing, focusing on the diversity of life and natural history of the waterfront. The walks are free, but walkers must arrange their own return transportation.
Community rows
The Gig Harbor BoatShop sponsors a free community row every Sunday, in which people can help row the Porpoise, a 10-oared replica of the captain’s gig used to “discover” Gig Harbor more than 180 years ago. It’s a unique way to see the harbor from the perspective of the explorers who named the town. Make reservations here.
At the library
The non-fiction book club meets to discuss this month’s selection at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at the Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Dr.
The library hosts an afternoon of shared poetry from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 28. Bring a favorite poem to read, and talk about why it’s meaningful to you.
Fun and games
Locust Cider, 3207 57th St. Ct., has trivia at 6 p.m. Wednesdays. The cidery also hosts Drag Bingo at 6 p.m. Friday, June 26, and Cider and Salsa at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 27.
Ocean5, 5268 Point Fosdick Dr. NW, has trivia games at 6 p.m. Thursdays. All ages are welcome.
The Beer Vault, 14004 Purdy Dr., has music bingo at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, and trivia at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. Christy Palmer will lead line dancing classes at The Vault starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 29.
Hidden Harbor Wind Library has canasta at 4:30 p.m. Thursdays, with newcomers and longtime players welcome. The Wine Library also hosts GlobeTilt Trivia at 6 p.m. Fridays and bingo at 4:30 p.m. Mondays at 8805 N. Harborview Dr. Suite 204.
The Float, 14511 Sherman Dr. in Purdy, has karaoke from 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays.
Live music
Steel Dragons provide the music at the Waterfront Farmers Market from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, June 25, in Skansie Park. Park at the Church of the Latter-day Saints on Rosedale or the Methodist Church on Pioneer Way and ride the free shuttle to and from the market.
Thursday is open mic night at Kimball Coffeehouse, with signups at 5:30 p.m. and music at 6.
The Beer Vault will host a benefit for Food4All (formerly Food Backpacks 4 Kids) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 26. The event includes a silent auction, food, prizes and music by Thea Wescott, Jim Albrecht, Luke Stanton and Kevin Cummings. The Vault is at 14004 Purdy Dr.
Michele D’Amour and the Love Dealers take the stage at Olalla Winery with award winning blues starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 26. Tickets are $20 here.
Stevenson Brooks plays at Hidden Harbor Wine Library at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at 8805 N. Harborview Dr. Suite 204.
At the movies
The Film Festival’s Monday Movie for June is “The Travel Companion,” showing at 6:30 p.m. June 29 at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown. It’s the story of a young filmmaker who enjoys free flights, thanks to his best friend and roommate who works for an airline. When another, more successful, filmmaker enters the picture, things get complicated. This movie won the Best Narrative Feature Award at last year’s Gig Harbor Film Festival.
This week’s SummerFest movie at the Galaxy is “The Ant Bully” showing at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, June 24 and 25. Starting Friday, June 26 it’s “Dog Man,” showing at 10 a.m. daily through July 2. SummerFest movies are just $3.50.
Wednesday’s Flashback Cinema movie is “Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ showing at 6 and 8:55 p.m.
In honor of Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday, the Flashback movie on Sunday, June 28, and Wednesday, July 1 is “Spaceballs,” Brooks’ spoof of “Star Wars.” Showtime is 12:30 p.m. both days. Flashback movies are just $7.
The Friday Fright Night Movie on June 26 is “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954), about a group of scientists trying to capture a strange prehistoric creature that lurks deep in the Amazon jungle. Showtime is 8:45 p.m. Fright Night movies are just $6.
Summer camps
The Gig Harbor BoatShop sponsors a series of Junior Shipwrights and Marine Adventurers summer camps, each geared to a specific age group. Camps take place on the water and in the BoatShop building. Get more information and register here.
Summer lunches
In July and August, Altrusa Gig Harbor provides healthy, balanced sack lunches for kids and families in need in July and August. The organization is asking for donations to cover the cost of food and meal prep materials. Click here to contribute.
Looking ahead
Gig Harbor celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday at Skansie Park on the Fourth of July with parades, pie eating contests, games, hot dogs and more.
The festivities begin with a kids and pets parade at 10 a.m. and a series of pie-eating contests at 11 a.m. Kids can bring bikes, wagons and their pups all decked out in red, white and blue to join the parade, and pups can receive a free bandana to wear. There will also be a pet-free section for people with allergies. The no-forks pie eating contest will have separate heats for kids, adults and a special police vs. firefighters showdown.