Blitz Capitol Hill Arts Walk celebrates its four-year anniversary on Thursday. The ever popular annual walking tours return, lead by a Capitol Hill cast of characters: Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Purple Mark, comedian/performer Emmett Montgomery, cartoonist Ellen Forney, artist Joey Veltkamp, Mylinda Sneed, and art critic Jen Graves. Walking on your own? Be sure to stop in to Vermillion on Thursday and offer congratulations to owner Diana Adams on the gallery’s 5 year anniversary. Later, head to the Narwhal for the art walk afterparty to chat about tours and art and the Hill. See BlitzCapitolHill.com for tour start times and locations, a map, and art show listings

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Thursday, June 13th

• Thought Experiments: Robots and AI presents five original plays which explore how innovations might bring into question what it means to be human. Thursday through Saturday,Town Hall, various times.
• Wine tasting: drink from Evita’s glass with tastings from Argentina, including cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and malbec varieties. Vino Verite, 5 – 8p.
• Book launch party: Help poet Ed Skoog celebrate the launch of his second poetry book Rough Day. The evening includes selected readings and live music from The Gloria Darlings and from Pontrello & Kevin Murphy. Richard Hugo House, 7p.
• Street Art: The Belle Époque Poster art history lecture focuses on how Art Nouveau sensibilities and improvements in color lithography influenced commercial expression. Frye Art Museum, 7p.

Friday, June 14th

• Cooking class: eat what you learn to make for lunch at Paris Eastside, 11:30 -1p
• Best of Gage Student Exhibition, Awards, and Sale: The 21st annual celebration of student excellence features more than 200 works in various media, plus wine, snacks and music by Folk Group Tinker’s Dram. The event is free and open to all. Gage Academy of Art (1501 10th Ave), 6 – 9p.
• Hey Bartender! Seattle premiere of the film which follows the rebirth of the bartender and the comeback of the cocktail. Opening night happy hour at 6p with cocktail demonstration and drinks. Murray, I’ll have another please. Continues through next Thursday at Northwest Film Forum, 7p and 9p.
• Exhibition opening reception for BUSTER SIMPSON // SURVEYOR, a retrospective survey of work by Seattle artist Buster Simpson, a pioneer in the field of urban environmentalism and art in public spaces. Frye Art Museum, 7:30- 9p.
• All In The Timing: six short plays by David Ives is an experiment in social behavior. Ives’ collection of one-acts are best known for use in educational settings; in this staging 7 directors pull things off center. Continues through June 29th, Richard Hugo House, 7:30p.
• Sandbox One-Act Play Festival (SOAP Fest!) features an evening of four provacative stories presented by award-winning playwrights, directors, actors, and designers. Runs through Saturday at Erickson Theatre, 8p.
• Dances Under the Crescent Moon: Enjoy dance performances from Tunisia, Egypt, Macdonian Rom, Daghestan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Broadway Performance Hall, 8p.
• Secret Colors LP release party: enjoy the ambient sounds from local artist Secret Colors, with opening acts The Numbs and Queen Scott Johnson. All ages. Cairo (507 E Mercer), 8 – 11p.

Saturday, June 15th

• Kickoff Pride with the third annual Divas Take The Hill party, to benefit Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets. Prizes, performances, treats, and sips await you at Velocity Dance Center (1621 12th Ave), 7:30p
• Hooping workshop with Dizzy Hips: learn all kinds of tricks and techniques from Dizzy Hips, trainer to Cirque Du Soliel performers, and innovator of new hooping tricks. Looks like there’s a $30 fee to participate, but hey it’s a public park so watching is free. Cal Anderson Park, 10a.
• The 4th Annual Pride Picnic offers food, live entertainment and activities for all ages. A buck will get you Chipotle tacos, plus there will be hot dogs and fruit and salads. Volunteer Park, starts at 11a.
• Colors of Bangladesh is a fundraiser for Spreeha and features meals, movies and a silent auction. A variety of packaged deals are available. Broadway Performance Hall, 12p – 7p.
• Gallery talk on BUSTER SIMPSON // SURVEYOR exhibit with Buster Simpson, artist and Scott Lawrimore, curator. Frye Art Museum, 2p.
• Pike PIne Trivia Crawl: play a new round of trivia at each new watering hole. Register to learn the starting location; 3- 6:30p.
• Book release: Gender and Sexuality for Beginners! Writer/editor Jaimee Garbacik and musician/comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis’ read from their groundbreaking new book examining the evolution of gender roles and definitions of sexual orientation in American society. Elliott Bay Book Company, 7:30p

Sunday, June 16th

• Call your Dad!
• Broadway Farmer’s Market at Broadway and Pike, 11a – 3p.
• Decadence! The Tea Dance is back! Reviving the tea party in the spirit of the old Timberline, DJ Disco Vinnie spins ’70s disco at 5p, ’80s disco at 7p, and mashups after 8p. Wear those purple platforms and get down. Cuff Bar (1533 13th Ave), 5 – 10p.
• Bloomsday! Commemorate the birthday of author James Joyce with Short Stories Live as a professional cast reads from a selection of short stories. Town Hall, 4 – 5:30p. Or join the Wild Geese Players’ annual Bloomsday staged reading from Ulysses at Elliott Bay Book Company, 3p.
• American Savage: Capitol Hill-ite Dan Savage celebrates the publication of his new book, American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love and Politics with an onstage interview conducted by NPR White House correspondent Ari Shapiro. Town Hall, 7:30p.

(Disclosure: the author is a co-organizer of the Blitz Capitol Hill Arts Walk. )