Here's a closer look at Seattle's newest eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated Seattle venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, team-building activities, conferences, meetings and more.
A note regarding COVID-19: Some of the venues listed here may not yet be available for hosting events due to COVID-19, or they may be operating at a lower capacity. As venues begin to slowly reopen across North America, we encourage event organizers to contact the venues to verify current capacity restrictions.
Climate Pledge Arena
The year's buzziest new opening is the Climate Pledge Arena, an 18,000-seat sports and entertainment arena that opened in October. Home to the NHL team Seattle Kraken and the WNBA team Seattle Storm, the arena is located at the base of the iconic Space Needle on the 74-acre Seattle Center campus. The name is a nod to the Climate Pledge created by Amazon and Global Optimism, reflecting the venue’s commitment to sustainability; in fact, it’s the first net-zero carbon-certified arena in the world, using 100% renewable energy power, no fossil fuel consumption, zero single-use plastics, unique water conservation features and more. The venue can host up to 17,200 people for concerts or as many as 18,300 for basketball games, with a variety of suites, lounges and club spaces available for rent.
Photo: Courtesy of Climate Pledge Arena
Bourbon Steak Seattle
Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina opened a Seattle location of modern American steakhouse Bourbon Steak in October. The menu from executive chef Adam Reece, who recently was on the opening culinary team at the new Lotte Hotel Seattle, highlights Pacific Northwest and Washington state ingredients and purveyors, with a focus on all-natural, organic and hormone-free cuts of beef. There’s also an extensive bar menu, including hand-crafted signature cocktails highlighting spirits from local distilleries such as Westland Whiskey, as well as a wine list with over 450 selections. Bourbon Steak is located in the Joshua Green Building downtown; it seats 125 in the dining room and an additional 20 at the bar. There’s also a private dining room that holds 16.
Photo: Angelo Clinton/MINA Group
Founders Club at Fairmont Olympic Seattle
Last April, the historic Fairmont Olympic Seattle debuted a $25 million renovation to its lobby and event spaces. An exciting new addition was Olympic Bar, a glamorous 1920s-inspired bar that offers daily breakfast, lunch and dinner service along with afternoon tea on the weekends. And this month saw the opening of Founders Bar (pictured), a speakeasy-style addition tucked behind a bookcase inside the Olympic Bar. The moody, secluded social club, which seats 30, has rich wood tones, polished brass accents and a mirrored ceiling, plus a menu of aged, vintage and limited-edition fine spirits curated by Jesse Cyr. It’s a unique spot for intimate events at the 450-room hotel, which has a total of 28,000 square feet of gathering space.
Photo: Courtesy of Fairmont Olympic Seattle
32 Bar & Grill at Kraken Community Iceplex
Kraken Community Iceplex, the NHL team’s training hub in Northgate, opened its own sports bar in November. 32 Bar & Grill is a hockey-lovers paradise, with a ceiling covered in more than 300 hockey sticks and a collection of 1,000 pucks serving as the bar top. The 5,000-square-foot pub, which overlooks both the Starbucks Rink where the Kraken practice, as well as the Smartsheet Rink, also boasts 17 high-definition monitors where guests can watch the action. The bar has general seating for 250, and a private dining space for 35. Overall, the iceplex has three NHL-sized ice rinks that can be rented for on-ice activities for up to 300 people. For larger events, there's the option to lay a subfloor down to create off-ice event space for up to 500 people.
Photo: Courtesy of Kraken Community Iceplex
TIDAL+ at Hyatt at Olive 8
Hyatt at Olive 8 opened a new seafood restaurant, TIDAL+, in August. Celebrating seafood from the Pacific Northwest, it features items like its signature Lobster Mac & Cheese, plus locally sourced flat oysters and more, as well as an extensive selection of local wines, craft beer and cocktails incorporating homemade infusion syrups. An added bonus? TIDAL+ has a menu that’s over 50% gluten-free. The restaurant offers floor-to-ceiling windows, plus bar seating and a seasonal outdoor patio. It can accommodate groups as large as 35 people. Overall, the 346-room Hyatt at Olive 8 has 12,000 square feet of event space.
Photo: Courtesy of Hyatt
