Things to do in Seattle over Labor Day weekend

🎉 Enjoy live music with a waterfront backdrop at the third annual Waterfront Block Party. The event — which has multiple locations, from Olympic Sculpture Park to Pier 62 to Occidental Park — also features dancing, food trucks and kid-friendly crafts. 1-8pm Friday.

🎤 Experience poetry at the Verbal Oasis Spoken Word Festival, which showcases the talent of Black artists. 6:30-9pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.

🎮 Get your game on at PAX West, the sprawling video game convention that is taking over the Seattle Convention Center this weekend. Featuring game tournaments, panels about navigating the industry and lots of opportunities to play — plus Nintendo Live 2023, an "all-ages Nintendo celebration." A day pass is $71, or pay $260 for the full four-day convention.

🦈 Learn about salmon from experts as you watch the fish fight their way up the ladder at the Ballard Locks. Trained naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium will be on site from 11-3pm Saturday and Sunday to provide explanations of the salmon's journey.

🎶 Check out the lineup of dozens of bands at Bumbershoot this weekend. The two-day event is devoting more time and space to visual art, dance and crafts than in the past. Doors open at 12:30pm Saturday and Sunday at Seattle Center.

Read more: Bumbershoot returns to Seattle Center for Labor Day Weekend