Seattle Annual Events
Seafair Summer Celebration.
For 55 years, Seafair has been a vibrant part of summertime in Seattle. The month-long celebration features hydroplane races, torchlight parades, air shows, special events and community festivals, celebrating everything from seafood to classic cars. Running from early July through early August, the festivities, hosted in various locales, showcase the traditions, celebrations and diversity of the Puget Sound. Visit www.seafair.com.
Seattle International Film Festival.
The largest and most popular film festival in the country, Seattle International Film Festival runs for 25 days and presents over 340 national and international films, with screenings, forums, and panels in nine venues. Starting in mid-May and running into June, the Festival signals the start of the summer film season. Visit www.seattlefilm.com.
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Seattle Music & Art Festivals.
Seattle's music festivals attract music lovers to outdoor stages at Seattle Center. Held Memorial Day Weekend, the Northwest Folklife Festival hosts 1,000 performances on 19 stages with four days of music, dance and traditional arts celebrating ethnic and cultural communities. Held over Labor Day weekend, Bumbershoot Seattle Arts Festival, transforms Seattle Center into a bustling urban carnival with blockbuster music from rock to zydeco, a marketplace, food, and exciting activities. June through August, Cingular Summer Nights at the Pier features an all-star line-up of great music. In the fall, Earshot Jazz Festival brings several weeks of contemporary jazz to venues throughout Seattle.
[Top] Fourth of July Festivals.
Seattle is an exciting place to celebrate the Fourth of July. Myrtle Edwards Park near Pier 70 at the Waterfront is home to Seattle's daylong Fourth of Jul-Ivar's, featuring a full day of free live music and entertainment that ends with fireworks at 10 PM. Hosting the largest fireworks show in the Seattle area, the Family Fourth at Gasworks Park lights up the beautiful Lake Union district with a pyrotechnic extravaganza at 10 PM. The fireworks display is digitally timed to a moving score of patriotic music.
[Top] Holiday Festivals.
Each year downtown Seattle celebrates with a vibrant festival of holiday cheer. Westlake Center is the scene for the holiday carousel, an antique holiday trolley makes getting around easy, and store windows are decorated with old-fashioned displays. From late November through December, Winterfest at Seattle Center offers ice skating, concerts, dances, exhibits and plenty of holiday fun. On the waterfront, Argosy Christmas Ship Festival is a ship-to-shore holiday celebration and a Northwest tradition running nightly December 1 - 23. The Spirit of Seattle is decorated with hundreds of shimmering white lights and other decorated boats join in the festivities, forming the largest holiday flotilla in the world. On shore, thousands gather around roaring bonfires to share the joy. New Years Eve at the Needle is the West Coast's most popular New Year’s party with 50,000 people gazing at the fireworks blaze across the midnight sky.
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