On the List | Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival celebrates 25th season of free outdoor performance this weekend in Volunteer Park

(Image: GreenStage)

Celebrating its 25th season, the Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival takes place this weekend in Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park.

“SOTF has served as the unofficial launching pad for the Seattle’s summer outdoor theater season since 2001, and consists of multiple theatre companies coming together in one park to present a weekend of free theatre,” organizers say.

The Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival began in 2001 when GreenStage, Theater Schmeater, and Seattle Shakespeare’s Wooden O joined forces to bring a weekend of performances to Volunteer Park. The festival has grown to include three stages and twenty-one performances from thirteen local theater companies in 2026.

This year’s highlights include GreenStage performing The Winter’s Tale and Coriolanus, Shakespeare Northwest’s Hamlet, Penguin Productions’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream; CSz Seattle’s Sound & Fury, An Improvised Shakespeareance, and Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre.

The two-day festival is free with funding from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Parks and Recreation, King County 4Culture, and ArtsWA. You can also help when participating companies “pass the hat” after performances.

Shows run roughly from 10 AM to 9 PM both days.

This week also brings the latest round of “free concerts and movies in the park season” events around Capitol Hill.

Looking for more neighborhood events or want to get the word out about your own, check out the CHS Calendar.

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