Get your GeekWire Gala tickets as festive holiday party returns to Seattle on Dec. 12

The hap-happiest time of the year can also be the geekiest — so make sure your plans include the upcoming GeekWire Gala.

Our annual holiday extravaganza — featuring networking, dancing, karaoke, cocktails and more — returns Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle, and early bird tickets are now on sale through Nov. 30.

The party is an excuse to ditch your everyday work uniform and step out in style, or simply raid your closet for the holiday sweater that will top all others. We will crown a winner in a “Sweetest Winter Fashion Contest.”

There will also be food stations, festive drinks, music, a photo booth, games and giveaways. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

And in addition to the party atmosphere, GeekWire and Greater Seattle Partners will once again recognize the region’s “Uncommon Thinkers,” the groundbreaking innovators who are changing the way we work, live and play. Our first in a series of profiles on these individuals features Uri Shumlak, a University of Washington professor and co-founder of fusion energy startup Zap Energy.

We’ll publish profiles of other honorees in the coming weeks.

Showbox SoDo is located at 1700 1st Ave S., not far from T-Mobile Park. The event is 21+ and all attendees must have valid ID to enter.

Big thanks to the GeekWire Gala presenting sponsor, First Tech Federal Credit Union; gold sponsors Greater Seattle Partners and Network of Giving; silver sponsor Delta Air Lines; and supporting sponsors Showbox Presents, Washington State Department of Commerce, and ALLtech.