It’s improbable — or maybe even downright impossible — that anyone could take in the abundance of plays, performances and exhibitions happening in Olympia and environs. That’s an excellent problem to have, as far as the Arts Aficionado is concerned, but if you’d like help narrowing down the options, I’m at your service.
Here’s a handful of the most promising events happening before the end of 2026. You might want to add them to your calendar (and get tickets, where needed) now.
Fall Arts Walk
The only thing better — and more quintessentially Olympia — than fall Arts Walk (https://www.artswalkoly.com/) is spring Arts Walk, when the weekend includes the Procession of the Species and the Luminary Procession. Though smaller than its sibling, the fall event fills downtown with free performances, art shows and plenty of people to watch.
WHEN & WHERE: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, in downtown Olympia.
HOW MUCH: Free
Harlequin Productions’ “Sanctuary City”
Kudos to Harlequin for producing this unflinchingly topical new play about two undocumented and perhaps star-crossed teen-agers. The company’s website (https://harlequinproductions.org/show/sanctuary-city/) describes “Sanctuary,” written by Pulitzer winner Martyna Majok and directed by Aaron Lamb, as “a story of borders — visible and invisible — that divide us all.”
WHEN & WHERE: On stage from Friday, Oct. 9, to Sunday, Oct. 25, at the State Theater, 202 4th Ave. E., Olympia, running in repertory with Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $35-$49.
Tig Notaro
(Nov. 12 and 13): Notaro is among Rolling Stone’s picks for the 50 best stand-up comics of all time (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/50-best-stand-up-comics-of-all-time-126359/). She’s also an Emmy and Grammy nominee, and her tale about getting locked in a Sacramento hotel room (https://www.thisamericanlife.org/826/unprepared-for-what-has-already-happened/act-two-13) is unforgettable.
WHEN & WHERE: Her Olympia appearances, part of her Out of Nowhere tour, are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 12 and Friday, Nov. 13, at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. .
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $43-$95.
INFO and TICKETS: https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/tig-notaro-out-of-nowhere-2026-11-12/
The Olympia Peace Choir’s “Nothing Between Us”
The choir’s first concert under the leadership of Matthew Melendez will be an a cappella program performed in the Capitol rotunda, renowned for its Reverberation. “Reverberation actually erases some of the distance between singer and listener,” Melendez said. “The sound doesn’t travel at you there; it arrives around you.”
WHEN & WHERE: November 14, 2 p.m. in the Washington State Capitol, 215 Sid Snyder Ave. SW, Olympia..
HOW MUCH: Free
INFO: https://theolympiapeacechoir.org/event/fall-concert/
SPSCC Fine Art Postcard Exhibition
(Submission deadline Dec. 11): Yes, I’m suggesting that you, no matter you are, make art for this impressively inclusive gallery show. Anyone with $5 to spend on the entry fee can submit 1-3 postcard-sized pieces to be shown and sold to raise money for the South Puget Sound Community College’s Leonor R. Fuller Gallery (https://spscc.edu/art-gallery).
WHEN & WHERE: The exhibition is open from Monday, Jan. 4, to Friday, Feb. 5, in the gallery, in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts, 2011 Mottman Road SW, Olympia.
HOW MUCH: Free