Free events in Bellingham, WA

Set in Downtown Bellingham, this monthly First Friday celebration spotlights the city center with art, music, food, and late night shopping. Galleries and creative spaces showcase local work, restaurants and bars roll out signature tastes, and shops extend hours while musicians turn storefronts into stages. Programming changes each month, offering fresh ways to explore the neighborhood as dozens of businesses host artists and special happenings. In May the event coincides with the Children’s Art Walk presented by Allied Arts of Whatcom County, and the January edition may shift to accommodate holiday schedules.

Get an early look before the official fall opening with a special preview at Gabriel's Art Center. As part of downtown Bellingham's First Friday Art Walk, the center presents an open house showcasing GAK and GAC instructors, visual artists, performers, and dancers sharing their own work. Explore the new space, meet the teachers behind the classes, and discover what GAC has planned. This event is free, open to all ages, and requires no tickets or registration.

This free community offering in Bellingham, Washington features two days of restful practice. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required.

This artisan market showcases work from local artisans and offers a welcoming place to discover memorable pieces while supporting the people who made them.

This free, family-friendly gathering features local illustrator Luciana Navarro Powell, the creator behind Squirrel Draws Big Feelings, and includes a hands-on chalk art activity. Through the characters Squirrel, Porcupine, and Bear, the book explores what it feels like when emotions run high and how creativity can offer calm. As the story unfolds, Squirrel channels big feelings into chalk drawings, and friends who are unsure at first discover that making art together, sharing, and friendship can help. With rhyming text and lively mixed-media artwork, the book encourages readers to express themselves even when words are hard to find. Registration is requested to help anticipate audience size. Powell is an award-winning illustrator who started her career in Brazil, moved to the United States in 2002, and now lives in Washington state. She has illustrated more than twenty children’s books and enjoys hiking with her family in the Pacific Northwest.

Bring any broken item that you can comfortably carry to the NW Free Repair event, and the volunteer team will evaluate it and fix it for free if they can. Owners need to be present and participate during the repair, and kids must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Some basic parts and materials may be provided, but if special parts are needed, you’ll be responsible for purchasing them. Items must be suitable for a public setting and the event does not accept things like gasoline or petroleum-based items, leaking or hazardous items, items with strong noxious odors, or large items that can’t easily be carried.

Under the Herald sign in downtown Bellingham, this long-running trivia night at ʻOno Kitchen & Bar has brought people together since 2017. Hosted by Quizmaster Randall of World’s Best Trivia, it is free to play and welcomes locals, students, and teams of all ages. Expect raffles and prizes, a touch of zaniness, and friendly competition that keeps the evening lively.

Bellingham Script Studio meets at New Prospect Theatre for an active, free screenwriting program where local writers at any stage can develop new work. Participants share pages in a private, supportive, writer-centered setting and receive feedback on works in progress, completed scripts, concepts in development, and strategies for getting new projects off the ground. Each session features up to three scripts, with a maximum of fifteen pages each, including shorts or excerpts from features. Scripts are placed in the queue in the order they are received. To get in the lineup, send pages in professional screenwriting format to joshua.krenz@gmail.com. When it is your turn, bring printed copies for every character being read, plus one for narration. Newcomers are welcome, as are producers, directors, and actors. Actors can practice cold reading while connecting with the local film community.