(5/4) Rooted in a rich history of tribal canoe racing, the annual Penn Cove Water Festival celebrates Native American traditions of storytelling, food and arts. Georgetown Brewing Company, Georgetown, 5200 Denver Ave. Registration fees assist in the protection and expansion of the Pacific Northwest’s cycle routes. Departing from Georgetown and arriving in Tukwila, participants are treated to lunch, a beer at both the midway point and the finish line, and finish line festivities. (5/5) As many as 1,000 bicycle and beer enthusiasts will embark on a 27-mile route along some of Seattle’s most picturesque, protected and flat trails. Seattle University, First Hill, 901 12 th Ave. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, U.S Representative Pramila Jayapal and Valerie Jarrett, former senior adviser to President Obama, are among those scheduled to attend. (5/3-5/4) More than 60 speakers and 40 events are on tap for this year’s Crosscut Festival, the second such gathering of some of America’s leaders in politics, business and social justice for conversations exploring important issues of our time.

McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 321 Mercer St.

No matter how inexperienced you are, you probably already know at least three of the tunes, and the push-pull romance between the title character and Don José, the soldier she dangles on a string, will hold you in its grip just as he’s held in hers, leading to a punch-in-the-gut (or knife, to be exact) tragic climax. (5/4–5/19) It’s on the long side (three and a half hours), but otherwise Bizet’s earthy melodrama is the ideal opera for the novice. Love the Must List? Get it right in your inbox.

Carmen seattle opera