Meet the Baltics in the Pacific Northwest
Hi, I’m Agnese George! I believe we’re all searching for home in some way—a place of comfort and belonging, where we feel seen, understood, and truly connected.
As a Latvian immigrant, I grew up surrounded by familiar languages, foods, and traditions. As life took me farther from those communities, I realized I wasn't looking for a place at all. I was looking for a home feeling. I eventually found that feeling right here in the Pacific Northwest, in my community, in local shops that carry foods I grew up with, and at cultural events that make me want to sing, dance, and celebrate.
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia may be thousands of miles away, but their traditions live here too. Sometimes, finding home is as simple as finding your people and comforts. No passport required.
Latvian Community Center — Seattle
Music, dance, traditions, and community
If you want to see the Latvian community in action, this is the place to start. The Seattle Latvian community hosts events throughout the year, bringing people together through choir concerts, Latvian folk dancing, school programs, summer camps for children and teens, senior lunches, and Sunday church services. The community is preparing to host the XVII West Coast Latvian Song and Dance Festival, July 1–5, 2027, bringing choirs, folk dancers, families, and visitors from around the world to Seattle. The festival will celebrate 65 years since the first West Coast Latvian Song Festival, with performances and events throughout the area.
One of my favorite recent experiences was a joint Baltic choir concert, where Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Mägi Ensemble (a professional Seattle-based Baltic female choir) singers came together. For the finale, we sang “Atmostas Baltija” (“The Baltics Are Awakening”), a song inspired by the historic Baltic Way and now an unofficial anthem of Baltic unity and freedom. Hearing all three communities sing together was one of those moments that makes you feel the strength of our shared history and the joy of keeping it alive.
Bring a friend: Come to a concert or folk-dance performance. You might arrive as a curious outsider and leave knowing a few new people and joining in on the dancing.
Emish Market — Fife, Washington
2040 70th Ave E, Fife, WA 98424 · Instagram
Eastern European grocery store and restaurant
If you want to dip your toes into Baltic and Eastern European food, Emish Market is a great place to start. It's part grocery store, part restaurant, with plenty of ready-to-eat options. Grab something familiar, something completely new, and maybe a few things you can't pronounce. That's half the fun. Pelmeni are simple, delicious dumplings that traveled across the former Soviet Union and found a place on tables throughout the Baltics. They're especially good with sour cream.
Bring a friend: Get the honey cake to share, then wander the aisles and pick up a few zefir (marshmallow), chocolates, Riga Gold sprats, and some kvass—a lightly fermented, fizzy drink traditionally made from rye bread, for research!
Latvian Holiday Market — Seattle
11710 3rd Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98125 · Website
November 14–15 · A Full Baltic Cultural Experience
For a taste of the Baltics all in one place, mark your calendar for the Latvian Holiday Market in Seattle on November 14–15. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia will each have their own tables featuring Baltic goods, while the Latvian community fills the market with regional foods, freshly baked treats, and imported favorites. The weekend also includes a Latvian folk-dance performance by Trejdeksnītis. It's a chance to eat, browse, listen to music, watch the dancing, and experience the Baltic community coming together.
Bring a friend: Come hungry and leave room in your bag! Pick out a few Baltic treats and stick around for the dancing.
Marvel Food & Deli — Lakewood & Auburn, Washington
301 133rd St S, Tacoma, WA 98444 · Instagram
Eastern European Market and Deli
A local favorite, Marvel Food & Deli is the kind of place where you can go in for one thing and somehow leave with a full bag of Baltic goodies. With locations in Lakewood and Auburn, the deli offers meats, freshly made salads, baked goods, and imported Baltic favorites. Look for Estonian rye bread (Tallinna rukkileib), Lithuanian butter and cheeses by Bandi, and Dadu yogurt bars and ice creams (a Lithuanian favorite). It's a delicious stop for everyday Baltic foods.
Bring a friend: Pick out something neither of you has tried before, grab a couple of Baltic sweets, and make your own little tasting adventure. Just be prepared to debate who gets the last Dadu bar.
The Baltics Are Closer Than You Think
In this area of the Pacific Northwest (Seattle-Tacoma), you'll find Baltic communities that have kept their traditions alive for generations through local businesses, cultural organizations, festivals, and gatherings. What I love most is that you don't have to be Baltic to be part of them. Walk into a little shop looking for smoked fish and a sweet treat, and you’ll walk out with a favorite snack. Show up to a cultural celebration knowing no one, leave with new friends. That's the beauty of these communities: they're preserving the past while inviting others in.
Whether you're Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian, or simply curious about the Baltics, I hope you'll take the time to explore these little pieces of the region here in the Pacific Northwest. Try something new, share a meal, listen to the music, and watch the dancing. For me, these places remind me that home isn't always a single place on a map.
Sometimes it's a familiar bite of food, a song that makes you want to dance, or a room full of people who make you feel like you belong. And in 2027, when Latvians from near and far gather in Seattle for the West Coast Latvian Song and Dance Festival, I think we'll see just how far that feeling of home can travel. Grab a friend, bring your appetite, and go find a little Baltic home of your own.