TODAY IS WORLD REFUGEE DAY! The International Rescue Committee is hosting a benefit night of poetry, music, dance and crafts from our local refugee community at the Seattle Center, and John Hilde's Made In China (a documentary about his father's childhood in pre-WWII China) is screening at the NWFF with proceeds going to Mercy Corps' work in the devastated Sichuan province of China. Be a good neighbor and enjoy these artsy celebrations of diversity and tradition!

IRC Refugee Art Benefit // 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday // Center House, Seattle Center // Free!
Made In China // 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., Friday // Northwest Film Forum // $10 suggested donation

ROCK OF LOVE: Bret Michaels is performing at the Emerald Queen Casino earlier this evening, but you'll be busy at the Northwest Film Forum for that part of the night. So after you are personally and politically enriched by your celebration of diversity, et. al., you should go to El Corazon for the official Bret Michaels Afterparty. There will be music (Zero Down and DJ Sammi Curr), there will be drinks if you're of age, and there will be Bret's lovely long hair. Or, if you're a Cultured Grown-Up, you may want to catch "Nickel and Brass"--original jazz compositions from Andrew Boscardin, "with an emphasis on the low brass and the electric guitar," according to his website. Cool! Options.

Bret Michaels Afterparty // 9 p.m. Friday // El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E // $20 dos // All Ages (bar w/ ID)
Nickel And Brass // 8 p.m. Friday // Chapel Performance Space // $5-$15 suggested donation

SEATTLE IS NOT SAN FRANCISCO but we can try, and we do, with our very fun/wacky/Dionysian annual Fremont Solstice Parade. It's on Saturday! There will be many floats in many colors! This event is all about the wild glory of art, namely body paint. So dress in something funky, bring your kids if you have them, and don't forget to donate money. The Parade starts at NW 36th St. & 3rd Ave NW.

12 p.m., Saturday // Fremont // All Ages // Free

IN LOVE WITH THE EIGHTIES: The Queen Anne Pagliacci's is in full time warp mode today. Back when the pizzeria opened in 1988, a slice of cheese pizza cost $1.10 and pop cost $0.75; to celebrate twenty years of crusty, cheesy, local goodness, those '88 prices are once again in effect today. The employees are decked out in '80s-pop appropriate attire, and we've been promised Duran Duran piped through the store's speakers.

11 a.m. - Midnight, Friday // QA Pagliacci's, 550 Queen Anne Ave. N // 1988 menu prices

"Colors of the Solstice" by Seattlest Flickr Pool Contributor Grundlepuck. A preview of the weird and wonderful parade! Thanks.