Benaroya Hall will throw open its doors for free on Sunday, Oct. 18, with a daylong festival that includes a headlining set by members of The Head and the Heart.
Members of the Seattle-born indie folk band, which formed at open mic nights at Ballard's Conor Byrne pub, will perform at 4 p.m. in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium alongside Seattle Symphony musicians. Free tickets for that concert will be handed out in person starting at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to two per person. No tickets are needed for anything else.
The open house marks the public debut of Benaroya Hall's first major renovation since the downtown venue opened in 1998. The $20 million Amplify capital campaign, according to The Seattle Times, funded a 42,500-square-foot overhaul designed by Seattle firm Mithun.
Changes include a redesigned gallery, relocated ticket offices, new seating, expanded food options from chef Ethan Stowell and a new community room where the old box office stood.
"We want to be able to create a hub and a space that we can bring community together," Andrew Joslyn, associate director of popular programming for the Seattle Symphony, told KIRO Newsradio.
Joslyn said the goal is for people to stop by on lunch breaks or meet friends in the building, whether or not they have a concert ticket.
The open house schedule stretches across every corner of the hall. In the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, a National Geographic Live presentation by photographer Steve Winter and a video game composer panel share the stage. That panel features Kazuma Jinnouchi (Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians), Wilbert Roget II (Mortal Kombat 1, Call of Duty: WWII), Nadia Wheaton (Destiny 2: The Final Shape) and Danny Baranowsky (Rift of the NecroDancer), according to the Benaroya Hall event page.
Joslyn, who called himself "a closet video game nut," said the symphony's recent Undertale concerts sold out two nights. The symphony has also performed music from Stardew Valley and Elden Ring.
Other programming includes a Pacific Northwest romantasy author panel hosted by The High Fae Housewives Podcast and Pioneer Square bookstore Beguiled Books, flash tattoos from Mama Bird Tattoo and an Arte Noir exhibition opening in the new Delta Air Lines Foundation Community Space.
The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, indie pop duo Chinese American Bear and a closing dance party with DJ JAM from The Residency round out the lineup. Families can catch a Tiny Tots performance by orchestra musicians, arts and crafts activities and building tours of the new spaces.
The open house runs from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Admission is free.
