Best bets for this weekend

So we're into the doldrums of November: knowing it's going to rain, wondering if it might snow — waiting for Thanksgiving, drumming our fingers, waiting for something to happen. Somehow, November is just like that. Grab your Gore-Tex and get out of the house, or risk adding 5 pounds before the holiday season even starts. (Back AWAY from the Halloween candy!) Here are some ideas to keep you moving this weekend:

For more information on these events, see the listed Web site or search our Weekend Calendar.

First Thursday: Here's something good that November has, just like any other month. Go visit Pioneer Square galleries this evening as they open new exhibits (see www.firstthursdayseattle.com), or get free admission to your favorite Seattle museum, a great way to get in out of the rain that's forecast.

Happy New Year: Maybe the Hmong people have it right. Just when Seattle's dark and wet season gets under way, they throw a New Year's party. (Why wait till January? It's kind of a dessert-first thing, seems like.) Head for Seattle Center's Hmong New Year Celebration on Saturday.

More festive occasions: Others aren't shy about having a good time, either. Odunde Festival, an African harvest celebration, brings a marketplace, drums, dancers and good food to Rainier Valley Cultural Center this weekend (www.brownpapertickets.com/event/79543). Or join in toy-boat building, sea chanteys, tugboat tours and more at the Maritime Family Festival at Lake Union Park (www.atlakeunionpark.org/activities-park/maritime-family-festival).

Bazaar-apalooza: Our Weekend Calendar lists 22 holiday bazaars, with names such as "Red Ribbons and Reindeer" (in Woodinville), and representing various ethnic backgrounds (Finnish, Latvian and Polish were three we noticed). Stock up on crafty things bedecked with red and green sequins, topped by wax holly and pinned with sprigs of knitted mistletoe. Up to you to figure out whether it's a festive beer-can cozy or a cunning holiday hat.

A win-win: Lower Seattle's carbon footprint while burning your own calories as you help shovel and sweat during Plant a Tree for Green Seattle Day in parks all over town. See greenseattle.org/events/events-in-the-next-week.