Downtown Tacoma's Museum District will open its doors free of charge Saturday, August 8, when Glass Fest Northwest and the 21st annual In the Spirit Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival take over three museums from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Glass Fest Northwest, the Museum of Glass's annual celebration of regional glass art, fills the Grand Plaza with more than 50 local artists and artisans, food trucks, live music, and hands-on activities. Inside the museum's iconic cone-shaped Hot Shop, Lummi Nation artist Dan Friday will work alongside the Hot Shop team, creating pieces live for the crowd.

Friday, a Skagit Valley-based glass artist with roughly 30 years in the medium, draws on his Coast Salish heritage to create totemic and narrative sculptures. He's held previous residencies at the Museum of Glass and the Corning Museum of Glass, appeared on Netflix's glassblowing competition show "Blown Away," and received the 2025 BIMA Award for Native American & First Nations Artist of the Salish Sea region.

The Museum of Glass confirmed on its Facebook page that Friday is working in the Hot Shop all week, through Saturday.

In a 2024 artist statement on his website, Friday described how discovering glassblowing changed his life: "When I saw glass blowing for the first time, it felt as though I grew an inch! That is to say, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I had finally figured out my path."

Flame-working demonstrations will run throughout the day on the plaza, giving visitors a close look at artists shaping molten glass in real time.

Two festivals, one Museum District walk

The same day, the In the Spirit Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival celebrates its 21st year across the Washington State History Museum at 1911 Pacific Ave., the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Museum of Glass. The long-running festival showcases Native arts and culture with artist vendors, live music, a fashion show, art exhibitions, and artmaking activities at each location.

Both events are completely free, including museum admission at all three venues. No tickets or registration required.

For residents planning their Saturday, the two festivals create a full arts-day loop within walking distance: start at the Museum of Glass Grand Plaza for Glass Fest, step inside the Hot Shop to watch Dan Friday work, then walk to the History Museum and Tacoma Art Museum for In the Spirit vendors and performances.

Art on the Ave returns to Sixth Avenue the following day, Sunday, August 9, with more than 200 artists and five live stages.