Get Ready for One of Seattle’s Booziest Events of the Year

Scotch, beer, meat, cheese, followed by more alcohol (and a run). Sounds like a delightful weekend, no? In this list of upcoming food and drink events Seattleites need to know about, the key is pacing. Here’s how to plan it all out perfectly.

Start sipping slowly at Seattle Scotch & Beer Fest

Where: Fremont Studios, 155 N 35th St.
When: Friday, April 19: 6 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Saturday, April 20: 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: Tickets start at $30
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The wildly popular Seattle Scotch & Beer Fest is now in its 16th year and is still an annual rite for those who like spirits and hops in equal measure. Attracting approximately four thousand attendees each year, it’s not only the largest spring beer festival in the region, but an ideal opportunity to taste some rare scotch flights and stock up on some booze in the tax-free bottle shop. Among the newcomers to watch out for this year at Fremont Studios include Chivas Regal, which will highlight its 12-year Mizunara scotch-whiskey (notes of honey and hazelnut), and Hellbent Brewing, which will have an intriguing, citrusy hazy pale ale called Seattle Sunshine on hand.

Pro Tip: The pommes frites with spicy bourbon sauce at Brouwer’s Cafe down the block from the event could be a nice food break. Plus, the popular Fremont spot has over 64 beers in tap for those looking to keep the party going.

Fill up on charcuterie at Seattle’s Cheese and Meat Festival

Where: Block 41, 115 Bell Street
When: See below for update
Cost: Tickets start at $35
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The upcoming Cheese and Meat Festival may not sound like the healthiest event ever, but let’s call it Keto and focus more on the good stuff that awaits. Separated into two floors at the Belltown event space Block 41, festival attendees are greeted with a charcuterie board upon arrival and given two hours to taste their way through fare from the 30-plus vendors, which includes dry-aged pork salami and lonzino from The Shambles (a butcher shop in Maple Leaf that recently made our list of 38 Essential Seattle Restaurants). For those who like smoked cheese, swing by the Crooked Barrel booth, where there will be samples of mesquite-smoked cheddar and alder-smoked mozzarella. There are also a couple of culinary-focused seminars, including a presentation on farm-to-table food and another on cheese, chocolate, and beer.

Pro Tip: Especially hungry carnivores can walk over to Space Needle Park and check out Odin Star — one of Seattle’s newest food trucks, specializing in smoked meats.

Burn it all off at a Brunch Run (then drink some more)

Where: Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 6310 Northeast 74th Street
When: Sunday, April 21, 8 a.m.
Cost: General admission is $50
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While most of the best brunch places in town will likely be booked up on Easter Sunday, Seattle Magazine’s Brunch Run still has general admission tickets available, and could be a nice option for those who want to get some exercise in after a weekend of decadence. After running (or walking) a scenic 5K course through Magnuson Park, participants will be greeted by brunch offerings from 15 different restaurants, including Le Coin, Fremont’s modern French restaurant specializing in brunch food such as Benedicts with Kurobata ham and chicken and waffles. After it’s all done, participants will get to drink in a garden serving mimosas and bloody marys. Oh, and the money raised supports Northwest Harvest — an organization that supports food banks in Washington. (Note: this is a 21-and-over event.)

Pro Tip: On Seattle’s Essential Brunch Restaurants for the spring season, the highly-acclaimed Salare from star chef Edouardo Jordan is closest to the park, in case none of the restaurants at the finish line satisfy your post-run cravings. But call for a reservation ASAP (as of press time, there were still a few slots available on Open Table).

UPDATE, Thursday, April 25, 11:50am: The Cheese and Meat festival originally scheduled for April 20 has officially been rescheduled for June 29. Eater confirmed that full refunds will be granted to those who bought tickets for the original date, but can’t make the new one.