World Rhythm Festival – Seattle Center

Life is Rhythm: This April 5 & 6 was the 21^st annual World Rhythm Festival, and hopefully with many more to come from this free, volunteer run weekend of anything to do with rhythm: music & dance performances, workshops, and international market. The weekend attracts notables such as Arthur Hull, Simone LaDrumma, Anil Prasa, Mollie Singh, Leif Totusek, Naby Camara, and many many more. You can be busy attending over 80 free music and dance workshops starting at 10:00 AM both Sat. and Sun. or watch from over 30 world class performances at the Armory (Center House) Main Floor Stage. All of this is organized by the Seattle World Percussion Society (
). There’s nothing like this anywhere! My highlight this year was definately the Saturday night performance by EntreMundos

2013. 5 stars.
Great performances, as always excellent classes and vendors who sell lovely clothes and drums. It is a great time. Next year it will be smaller and only 1 or 2 days. so if you didnt drink it in then you have a shorter time next year.

boom boom bo bo bo boom… always a good time, great energy.

Amazing music as always and it is free! If you want to learn most any style of hand drum or rhythm dance, you have to attend. Nothing like it in North America.

If you love rhythm, you’d better show up! I can’t remember exactly when the first WRF occurred in Seattle, but I believe this year is the 15^th! A remarkable fact is that it has been planned, organized and run by volunteers from The Seattle World Percussion Society (SWPS) and it is Totally Free!
The festival starts on Friday evening (this year 04÷13÷07) at 7 PM. There are opening ceremonies from 7 — 10PM that will include a sampling of performances by an incredible assortment of percussionists ranging from the near and far East, Africa, Latin America and Cuba.
Saturday and Sunday will be filled with workshops on dance, drumming styles, rhythmic variations and a stunning array of percussion instruments, offered by local and world renown teachers. The dance workshops alone are fabulous. You can learn Rumba, Brazillian, Middle Eastern, Cuban, or various styles of African dance.
The requisite hippies (reviewer included) will be drumming and dancing our hearts out in small and large drum circles in every possible spot on the Center grounds.
Various groups perform in The Center House throughout the day and Saturday night offers a dance party to the live music of some wonderful Afro-​Cuban-​Latin bands. This is a ‘get it on’ event of the first order. Sunday offers more of the same, concluding with The Great Northwest Drum Circle, led by the Godfather of Rhythm, Arthur Hull.
This is an event that is guaranteed to melt any Seattle Freeze. You will be in a *Certified Freeze Free Zone*.
Got a drum or any other percussive instruments? Bring them with you and get involved with this Seattle Only Party and tradition.
OOH! I almost forgot. There’s a marketplace with some VERY cool instruments for sale. Look for it.
Want info & schedules?