Seattle is about to get a front-row seat to the wildest corners of the planet. The 2026/2027 National Geographic Live Seattle Speaker Series returns to Benaroya Hall with six unforgettable presentations running from November 2026 through May 2027, bringing National Geographic’s explorers, photographers, scientists and adventurers live to the Seattle stage, accompanied by the iconic imagery and footage the world knows and loves.
The adventure kicks off November 1–3 with Battling Bloodsuckers, where epidemiologist and National Geographic Explorer Ryan Carney dives into the fascinating world of bats, mosquitoes and other ‘vampires’ of the natural world through a sci-fi-inspired lens on infectious disease research. On January 10–12, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Muhammed Muheisen presents Beauty Beyond the Frontlines, a powerful look at kindness and resilience in communities affected by war.
February 14–16 brings acoustic biologist Ben Mirin and Saving Nature’s Symphony, tuning into wildlife sounds to reveal what nature’s voices teach us about the planet’s health. Archaeologist Caitie Barrett then digs into The Ghosts of Pompeii (March 7–9), uncovering new stories beneath the ash-preserved city. Conservation biologist Jonathan Kolby celebrates amphibians in Weird World of Frogs (April 11–13), and the season closes May 16–18 with Death of the Dinosaurs, as paleontologist Tyler Lyson explores the fall of the dinosaur dynasty and the rise of the modern world.
Each presentation plays three times — Sunday at 2 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Subscriptions are on sale now, and single tickets are available at benaroyahall.org/natgeo. Happy City News can’t think of a better way to spend a Seattle evening than traveling the globe from one of the most beautiful concert halls in the country.
Photo: Brandon Patoc / Seattle Symphony
