Tumwater is known for beer, but this Saturday it’s all about a walk and wine
.jpg "The Nocturnal Hound Wine Bar & Bottle Shop is one of the stops on the Tumwater Winter Wine Walk.")
Sex on the big screen
Hump Fest — columnist/podcaster Dan Savage’s inclusive amateur porn festival — has become such a phenomenon that these days there are not one but two editions each year. The 2026 spring collection of short movies, featuring a wide array of bodies, genders, sexual preferences and kinks, comes to town on Saturday, Feb. 28. The trailer (https://www.humpfilmfest.com/), definitely not safe for work, features aliens, googly eyes and lots and lots of tongues. The funny and fabulous Hottie Hotpants will host the screening, open to those 18 and older. The action (https://olympiafilmsociety.org/hump-film-festival-spring-2026/) begins at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, with doors open at 7. Tickets are $25.82. For those who prefer mountains to mounting, the Olympia Film Society is screening the Banff Mountain Film Festival (https://olympiafilmsociety.org/banffdayone/) beginning Thursday, March 5.
Wine walk in Tumwater
Traditionally, Tumwater’s best-known beverage is beer. Or maybe it’s the water (https://youtu.be/YEkZR4wyf-M?si=uRArS_ZodnNa-ct5), as Olympia Beer’s famed jingle proclaimed. But on Saturday, Feb. 28, the spotlight is on wine. The Tumwater Winter Wine Walk features tastings at Oly Wines, 321 Cleveland Ave. SE, Suite 309; Nocturnal Hound, 324 Custer Way SW; and Wines by the Valley, 4242 Capital Blvd. Suite 140. The trio really are within walking distance, which is probably a good thing considering that each shop will be pouring three varietals — a Viognier, a Pinot Noir and a Carménère. In keeping with the walk theme “Judgment of Tumwater,” fans du vin are invited to vote for their favorites. The juice will be flowing from 3 to 7 p.m. The tasting fee at each spot is $12.
.jpg "The Nocturnal Hound (1).jpg")
Dance festival showcases homegrown talent
The 2026 Olympia Dance Festival features performances by more than 200 dancers in 18 Western Washington dance troupes. It’s a record number of troupes — performing ballet, contemporary, hip-hop, belly dance and more — for the festival, juried by dance teachers and arts professionals. In fact, the performance, happening Saturday, Feb. 28, has so many performers that there wasn’t space for a guest artist. “The number of groups has grown as has the quality of the groups, so we’ve decided the focus should be solely on the local groups,” said Kenneth Johnson of Ballet Northwest, which produces the festival in cooperation with The Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The festival (https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/olympia-dance-festival-2026-02-28/), which will also showcase tap, jazz, ballroom, Flamenco and Irish and Chinese dance styles, begins at 7 p.m. at the center, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia. Tickets (https://www.washingtoncenter.org/event/olympia-dance-festival-2026-02-28/) are $24-$36.
This column features more than one of freelance writer Molly Gilmore’s favorite things.