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Good Afternoon. It's Wednesday, December 31, (the day before you write the wrong date on everything for the upcoming month). The city’s buzzing with kid-friendly chaos, creative side hustles, and at least one person mad their license plate dreams were crushed. It’s cozy, it’s weird, it’s peak end-of-year energy. Take another sip of coffee, hide from your inbox, and enjoy the good kind of local noise.
Alright, here's today's edition of your local lowdown:
📰 LOCAL NEWS SNAPSHOTS
Lacey Museum Seeks Volunteer Gallery Hosts
Dust off your docent dreams, Lacey! The new city museum is looking for volunteers to greet visitors, share fun facts, and generally look knowledgeable. If you enjoy talking about old stuff and have a couple of hours to spare on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays, this might be your calling. Interviews are scheduled for the week of January 5th, so get ready to impress!
License Plate Dreams: Denied
Washington drivers had ideas, and Olympia said no. More than 170 personalized license plate requests were rejected this year. With strict content rules, not every clever phrase makes the cut. Turns out your car does not need to say everything you’re thinking. No CHMPGN for you tomorrow night!
Tumwater Swearing-In Ceremony, January 6th
A swearing-in ceremony will be held for the City of Tumwater mayor-elect, a new city council member, and returning council members at the first Tumwater City Council meeting of the new year. The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, at Tumwater City Hall in the Council Chambers.
🎯 BUSINESS HAPPENINGS
Olympia Couple Launches Low-Sugar Jam Brand
An Olympia-area couple launched MoraMade after a cancer scare prompted them to rethink their diet. The company produces small-batch jams made from locally sourced fruit from Pacific Northwest family farms. By using a natural citrus pectin, the jams require less sugar while maintaining texture and flavor. MoraMade avoids artificial and alternative sweeteners.
Present this ad and your first visit is only $49!
📷 READER PHOTO SPOTLIGHT
@zackary_pnwphotography tag @olympialowdown to have your photos feature!
📆 EVENTS LOWDOWN
Wednesday, 12/31 - New Year's Eve Events!
New Year's Eve
Cocktail
Altitude 15 Grand Opening and New Years Eve Party
Skip the couch confetti and upgrade to real champagne, gourmet nibbles, formal fits, and games while you welcome 2026 with a room full of new best friends.
Wednesday
Live Music
New Year's Eve
Dance: The Masquerade Ball
Swap noise makers for violins at a New Years Eve masquerade where Strauss rubs shoulders with Cher, masks outnumber resolutions, and you can waltz confidently into 2026 before dark.Wednesday
Bachata
Dance
New Years Eve Party Salsa & Bachata 2026
Step out of sweatpants and into dance shoes for a midnight packed with spins, dips, and enough salsa and bachata to confuse your fitness tracker.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
New Years Eve Party
Trade couch time for guitar solos, party hats, champagne bubbles, and a free hot dog at 1 a.m. Your future self will thank you - your resolutions can start tomorrow.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
Westside Lanes New Years Eve Party
Start the year aiming for strikes instead of resolutions as you bowl, snack, and laugh your way toward midnight with a fun-loving crowd and plenty of pins to knock down.Wednesday
Salsa
Nightlife & Parties
New Years Eve Wednesday Salsa
Trade countdown couch time for spicy spins and salsa shines, as DJs and dancers turn New Years Eve into three hours of confetti-free cardio and big smiles.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Holiday
New Years Eve
Wave goodbye to the old year with music, mingling, and a midnight countdown that lets you practice your New Year resolutions tomorrow instead.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Dance
NYE Great Gatsby Masquerade 2026
Swap sweatpants for sequins and dance like it is 1926, not 2026, at a glittering Gatsby bash where the only roaring is from the dance floor.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Performing Arts
New Years Eve Open Mic Night
End the year on a high note as brave souls grab the mic, supportive listeners grab snacks, and everyone pretends their New Years resolution is not more stage time.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Paddleboarding (SUP)
Ring in the New Year Midnight Paddle
Skip the crowded bar scene and paddle into 2026 instead, trading sequins for life vests, confetti for splashes, and awkward small talk for perfectly synchronized strokes.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
New Years Eve at Cove
Dig out your best Y2K-era moves, match your outfit to a chessboard, and toast 2026 while the DJ spins the hits you secretly still know by heart.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
New Years Eve at OlyMEGA Makerspace
Upgrade New Years by swapping crowded bars for cozy games, half-finished projects, sparkling cider, and that one snack someone swears is their secret recipe. Poppers at midnight, of course.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
Why fight packed clubs and pricey cover charges when you can welcome midnight in a historic house, swap resolutions, and still hear yourself think while you toast the new year.Wednesday
Nightlife & Parties
The Upside Down Countdown
New year, new high score. Swap crowded ball drops for pinball drops, pixel-glow selfies, strong drinks, and a countdown where the only thing dropping is your last life.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Food & Drink
Prix Fixe New Year's Eve Dinner
Ring in the new year with courses so good you might forget about your resolutions until dessert arrives. Cozy vibes, great drinks, and zero dishwashing required the next morning.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
Lantern Lights N.Y.E.: Fastener, The Gobs, Crushed
Forget quiet resolutions and welcome midnight with thundering drums, sweaty singalongs, and a crowd cheering so loud you might miss the actual countdown.Wednesday
Contra
New Year's Eve Contra Dance
Swap the crowded bar scene for spinning, swinging, and whooping in time to live contra tunes as midnight hits and everyone is too busy dancing to check their phones.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Nightlife & Parties
Cup of Swords Two Year Anniversary and New Years Eve Party
Swap your sequined nightclub for tankards and tabards as you toast the new year like a tipsy knight, surrounded by merrymakers and raucous tavern tunes.Wednesday
Drag
New Year's Eve
Eat The Rich: A Queer NYE Pride Celebration
Start the year by feasting on decadence, not your budget spreadsheet, with dinner, drag, comedy, live tunes, DJ beats and burlesque carrying you stylishly past midnight.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Holiday
New Year's Eve Party at the Olympia Elks Lodge #186
Kick off 2026 with full glasses, full plates, and a full dance floor, then trade your dance shoes for bacon and eggs at a post-midnight breakfast feast.Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Rave / Electronic Music
New Year 2026 - Party of the Year
Lose track of time as DJs, balloon drops, and money giveaways turn midnight into a blur of glitter, bass, and "wait, did I really dance that hard for eight hours?"Wednesday
New Year's Eve
Holiday
New Year's Celebration at ASHHO
Swap couch time for soul food, art, and games, then ring in midnight with a toast that beats watching the countdown alone with your leftovers.Wednesday
Doors open at 11 am. All ages! Free face painting until 1 pm!
Thursday, 1/1 - New Year's Day
Screening
Bugonia
Grab popcorn and question reality as paranoid kidnappers, a maybe-alien CEO, and Lanthimos-level weirdness collide in one delightfully unhinged movie night.Thursday
Screening
The Secret Agent
Trade streaming queues for a giant screen and two and a half hours of spies, politics, and popcorn-fueled tension during this New Year run of an internationally praised thriller.Thursday
Sports & Active
Fitness & Wellness
Thursday Morning Group Walk Around Eastside Olympia
Lace up, sign a quick waiver, and log your morning miles with folks who think 3 to 6 miles before lunch is the perfect way to celebrate Thursday.Thursday
Trivia
Nightlife & Parties
Trivia Night
Warm up your brain cells, cool down with a drink, and see if your random facts can finally do something useful besides winning arguments in group chats.Thursday
Outdoors & Adventure
Sports & Active
Thursday Evening Paddle
Ditch the treadmill and climb into a dragon boat instead, where your cardio comes with splashy teamwork, sunset water views, and zero judgment if your first paddle stroke is mostly chaos.Thursday
Science & Tech
3D Modeling & Printing
Open House
Skip another aimless scroll session and wander into a world of lasers, 3D printers, and half finished genius instead, where questions are encouraged and nerdy enthusiasm is mandatory.Thursday
Meditation
Sound Bath / Gong Bath
Welcome - New Years Day Sound Bath
Skip the noisy countdown and ring in the year horizontal while gongs and bowls do the heavy lifting. Wear comfy clothes, bring water, leave stress and resolutions to the sound waves.Thursday
Contemporary
Animal Dreams
Step into a world where critters, clouds, and coastlines sneak out of woodblock prints to party in your imagination, all courtesy of Kristen Etmund and her finely carved dreamscapes.Thursday
Crochet & Knitting
Social Knit
Yarn, gossip, and half-finished projects unite as crafters gather to knit, crochet, and pretend they are absolutely not starting another work-in-progress.Thursday
Bingo
Bingo
Trade spreadsheets for score sheets and let the thrill of shouting bingo at 1 pm be the most dramatic plot twist of your Thursday afternoon.Thursday
Country
Rowdy Ryan Baker and the Whiskey Bandits
Craving twangy guitars and sing-along choruses? This band serves up foot-stomping songs with just enough whiskey-soaked attitude to jump-start your night.Thursday
Contemporary
Thursday Fusion at the Eagles
Swap your couch for a dance floor and let tango, zouk, and fusion beats turn your Thursday into the fun, wiggly cardio session your streaming queue could never provide.Thursday
Dance
Diversity & Pride
Thirsty Thursdays
Ditch the couch, grab some glitter, and let DJs, drink specials, and a packed queer-friendly dance floor cure your weekday thirst for fun.Thursday
Sports & Active
Family & Kids
Oly On Ice Pop-Up Ice Skating Rink
Trade your couch for skates and your scrolling thumb for a wobbly lap around the ice at this cozy downtown winter pop-up.Thursday
Art & Exhibits
Painting
Make Art With Hummingbird
Swap scrolling for splattering paint in a judgment-free studio where masterpieces and happy accidents are equally celebrated. No skills, no fees, just creativity, community, and colorful fingers.Thursday
Science & Tech
NO_TAPE Meetup
Bring your curiosity and your love of blinking lights to an AV meetup where cables tangle, pixels dance, and happy accidents become new techniques.Thursday
Folk / Acoustic
Jam
Old Time Jam
Bring your favorite fiddle tune and your inside voice: this acoustic jam trades roaring amps for toe-tapping reels, spontaneous harmonies, and the occasional "Wait, how does this one start?" moment.Thursday
💳 CLICKABLE COUPONS
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🎸 LIVE MUSIC
Friday | 12/26
Latin
DJ
Dream Pop
Indie Pop
21+
Jazz Fusion
Alt Rock
21+
Post-Punk
21+
Punk
21+
Saturday | 12/27
Indie Folk
21+
Blues
Bluegrass
All Ages
Beach Rock
Indie Jazz
All Ages
Indie Alt
21+
Garage Emo
21+
Indie Prog
21+
Post-Punk
21+
Post-Americana
Indie Rock
21+
Doom Metal
21+
Sunday | 12/28
Thrash Metal
21+
Power Pop
21+
🍸 SOUND BITES
happy hours | food & drink specials | late night deals
Gardner's Restaurant | Tapas Tuesday | 4–7pm. Book now: Northwest seafood downtown.
Anthony's HomePort | Happy Hour | Mon–Fri 3–6:00 pm. Sip, snack, waterfront.
Cynara Restaurant & Lounge | Happy Hour | Mon–Fri 3:30–5:30pm. $5 Craft Beers.
Cascadia Grill | New Winter Menu | Sun–Thu 12–8pm. Local brasserie vibes.
Octapas Cafe | Brunch Sat–Sun | 9am–2pm. Dec Theme: Benedicts Galore!
Chicory | Christmas brunch | Sat–Sun 10am–3pm. Seasonal plates, natural wine.
Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar | Oyster hour | Fri–Sat 4–6pm. Flights and cocktails.
Basilico Ristorante | Happy Hour | Tue–Sat 4–5pm. Italian sips, $4 off snacks.
Ninevah Restaurant | Buffet Brunch | Sat–Sun 9 am–2pm. Assyrian flavors await.
Well 80 Brewhouse | Late-night bites | Fri–Sat 9–11pm. $4 Craft beer, pizza.
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Thanks for Reading!
And that’s a wrap on today’s local goodness. Olympia showed up with creativity, community spirit, and a healthy sense of humor — as usual. Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this, spread the word like gossip at a holiday party.
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Written with ❤️ for Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey, WA.
Behind the name MyTownLowdown: A community only thrives when its people are connected to it. In a world where local papers are disappearing and algorithms dictate what we see, we believe finding community news & events shouldn't be a struggle. MyTownLowdown exists to bridge the gap between you and your community, ensuring you never miss a moment to celebrate local life.