In an outdoor-centric town like Bellingham, January and February are notoriously quiet (especially if you’re not into winter sports). But even if you prefer to stay indoors, surviving the colder months doesn’t require being isolated.
With two more months of darkness on the horizon, we’ve put together a list of regularly occurring activities to fill your schedule until spring. Options range from craft nights to open mics, book clubs and other cozy, indoor-friendly meetups.
Arts and crafts
Creative types can channel their energy at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden, which hosts workshops in mediums from fiber arts to painting, ceramics, jewelry making and more.
Burnish Clay Studio and Mud Ceramics Studio are your best bet for pottery classes, whereas Bellingham Art offers painting lessons for kids and adults alike. For little ones, Gabriel’s Art Kids has classes in everything from music to photography.
Don’t want to sign up for a class? Participants in Make.Shift’s Free Fridays (1–3 p.m. weekly) get access to all supplies and tools available in the studio. Kulshan Sunnyland has a Drink and Draw every other Monday, and the Karate Church hosts Life Drawing every Tuesday from 6:30–9 p.m. Additionally, there’s a Cocktails and Coloring gathering every Monday at 1-Up Lounge.
For the craft-inclined, Northwest Yarns offers free beginning knitting class at 4 p.m. Wednesdays as well as regular craft circles. Apple Yarns hosts “Sit Knit and Crochet” (10 a.m. Tuesdays) and “Fiber Friends” (10 a.m. Friday) meetups. Finally, there are weekly crafting sessions at 2 p.m. Sundays at District Brewing.
Open mics, comedy and performance
If you’re brave enough to show off your musical chops in public, Bellingham has a thriving open mic scene. Weekly events include Honey Moon (Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.), El Capitan (first and third Thursdays, 8:30 p.m.) and Make.Shift (6 p.m. every second Saturday).
For Western Washington University students, there’s also an open mic at The Underground Coffee House on Tuesdays from 7–9 p.m.
The bi-monthly Bellingham Story Hour returns to New Prospect Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 28 with the theme of “Cold Feet.”
Lummi violinist and storyteller Swil Kanim is now giving monthly “Storytelling and Snacks” workshops at the Lummi Library, with the next installment occurring Tuesday, Jan. 14.
There are even a few regular comedy nights in town: Laughs at Larrabee (Larrabee Lager Co., last Friday of the month), Nacho Average Comedy (Nacho Problem, 8 p.m. second and fourth Tuesdays) and Southside Comedy Hour (Corner Taphouse, 8 p.m. third Fridays).
Physical activities
Bellingham is home to a myriad of gyms and yoga studios, but you don’t need a membership (or ski pass) to stay active. Bellingham Treehouse Yoga hosts by-donation community yoga classes at Lost Giants Cider Co. Tuesday and Thursday evenings; just make sure to register in advance.
Latin Flow Collective offers “Spanglish” yoga classes at 6 p.m. every Wednesday at COF&. There’s also a free monthly yoga series for LGBTQ+ community members at the Bellingham Queer Collective.
For something faster-paced, the Bellingham Country Dance Society hosts contra dance sessions in the Fairhaven Library Auditorium, with the next one occurring from 7–10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11.
The Bellingham Salsa Collective has regular salsa events at The Majestic Ballroom, whereas Bellingham Tango has tango classes on Wednesdays in the same location.
B’Ham Hop hosts swing dance lessons every Tuesday as part of its Lindy at the Leo series. There are also sliding-scale community hip-hop classes on select Wednesdays at Lost Giants Cider Co. Finally, Presence Studio offers open-floor community dances at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday.
Literary events
In addition to talks with established authors, Village Books has a wealth of resources for aspiring writers. Writing groups cater to genres from fiction to sci-fi, memoir, and even a children’s picture book critique group. Red Wheelbarrow Writers also has a happy hour at 4 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month.
For those who prefer reading to writing, know that Village Books, the Whatcom County Library System, the Bellingham Public Library and even the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra have book clubs and discussion groups.
Then there are more casual, “silent” book clubs, wherein participants read whatever book they want, then chat about them. I’ve been known to frequent the one at Ponderosa Beer + Books (Mondays at 6 p.m.). Welcome Road Winery also has a silent book club from 6–8 p.m. the last Tuesday of the month.
Game nights
Bellingham loves its trivia — see my April 2024 roundup — but it’s not the only game option in town.
Cribbage players can try their luck at Kulshan “Nobs Night” (6 p.m. Tuesdays at K2), whereas board game enthusiasts can compete in Lucas Warford’s weekly board game night at Nelson’s Market (6 p.m. Mondays). Cardhaven Games has a casual open play night for tabletop gamers every Tuesday, and The Comics Place also has a Friday night board game series from 6–10 p.m.
For weekly bingo nights, try Cheba Hut (7 p.m. Tuesdays), Corner Taphouse (7 p.m. Wednesdays), Flatstick Pub (7 p.m. Thursdays) or District Brewing (6:30 p.m. Thursdays in Lynden/Saturdays in Ferndale). The Ferndale District location also has cribbage on Mondays and cornhole on Tuesdays.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
