January
Seattle Boat Show - The Seattle Boat Show is the largest on the west coast, and features both indoor and on the water shows. Indoors the show features over 1,000 examples of watercraft and a huge selection of marine accessories. The on-the-water show features another 200 of the larger boats. Also available is a special high tech section, a Sailing Center, and exhibits and seminars. The roots of this event can be traced back to a boat-sale in a huge tent in 1947. Through many different locations, the show has grown tremendously and come a long way.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration - Seattle Center - The Seattle Center is the hub for many activities in the city over the course of the year and this is one of the earliest. The celebration remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. and with choirs, concerts, speakers, and a reading of his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech. The mayor also awards MLK Youth Awards to youth who have done an outstanding job of promoting King's values of peace and unity in their community.
February
Seattle Roadster Show - Between 100 and 200 of the area's hottest rods and imports are displayed in all their automotive glory at this annual event, which takes place at the Seahawks Stadium and Exhibition Center. This show is one of four in the western US that feature some of the best hot rods, customs, muscle cars, motorcycles, and street and competition machines in the world.
Chilly Hilly Bicycle Ride - For a different sort of wheels, check out the bicycle ride, which sees not only traditional bicycles, but unicycles, tandem bikes, and just about anything else on wheels that could be considered bike-like. Riders take the ferry each year from Seattle to Bambridge (approximately 3,700 riders in 2004, but it varies). Registered riders in 2004 ranged in age from 3 to 84. The route is 37.2 miles, but includes a number of hills that add challenge to the route. The ride is sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club of Seattle, one of the nations largest, and raises money for them as well as a number of local charities.
March
Irish Week Festival at Seattle Center - These festivities center around St. Patrick's Day and include many of the activities and things you would expect from such a festival: Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, music, singing, dancing, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, and activities for the kids. There is a parade on St. Patrick's Day and if that is not enough, residents also gather for a mini-parade the night before as they walk the parade route for the laying of the green stripe that the parade will follow the next day. Then there's the St. Patty's Day Dash, a 3 1/2 mile run that has grown to over 15,000 runners. People take their green seriously for this holiday, some of them wearing elaborate costumes while others chose to paint their faces or even entire bodies green!
Whirligig! - The Seattle Center hosts their annual carnival in the Center House with free entertainment and fun for the family. Kids can bounce, slide, glide, and ride on super-size inflatables. And if that is insufficient to put a smile on the little faces, there are also clowns, face painters, and an array of other entertainers to amuse and delight.
April
FringeAct Festival - The Seattle Fringe combined forces with ACT Theatre to sponsor FringeAct, which features new playwrights and the work of more than two dozen local writers who have created original, full length, one-act plays, and solo works. There is also a theater for young audiences available.
Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival - The roots of this festival stretch back to 1976 when the late Prime Minister of Japan, Takeo Miki, and the Japanese government gifted Seattle with 1,000 cherry trees in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial. The prime minister had also spent time in Seattle as a student and developed close ties to the city, so this was also a personal thank you from him. A small group of people gathered in Seward Park to have a ceremony to celebrate the trees. This grew and eventually moved to the Seattle Center, which helped to further publicize and grow the event and introduce more people to Japanese culture. Today the festival lasts three days and includes dancers, puppeteers, sword makers, and other performers and artists who showcase traditional and contemporary Japanese culture to over 30,000 attendees.
May
Northwest Folklife Festival - This is one of the largest free Folk Festivals in the world. Founded in 1972 and sponsored by Northwest Folklife and the Seattle Center, the festival joins more than 250,000 visitors, 1,800 volunteers, and more than 6,000 musicians, dancers, tradition bearers, and visual artists who share their time, talent, and energy in order to allow visitors to experience the culture of the more than 100 countries represented at the festival. Some of the special areas available are the crafts marketplace, the musical instrument makers showcase, the international food village, various dance halls, and the uncommon market featuring folk and ethnic imported and domestic products. The essence of the festival is participation, and visitors are encouraged not only to watch and listen but also to learn and experience.
Salute to America's Armed Forces - Memorial Day weekend sees the Museum of Flight in Seattle taking time to honor the armed forces. The salute is a three-day event that features presentations, tours, patriotic music, and autograph signings.
June
Juneteenth - Juneteenth is a celebration that symbolizes the end of slavery. June 19, 1865 was the day that slaves in Galveston, Texas first heard the good news of the Emancipation though it had been signed in January. The event typically includes live music, guest speakers, local vendors, dance groups, a choir, a fashion show, and carnival rides. This eclectic mix echoes the joyful exuberance and spontaneous celebrations of so many years ago.
Washington Summer Brewfest - The Washington Brewers Guild hosts their festival on Father's Day Weekend featuring three days of fun, food and beer. For the kids there is a root bear garden and plenty of games and activities. Also patrons can enjoy live music and festival activities while traveling between hand crafted beer tasting and craft and import booths.
Use It Again, Seattle! - In an effort to keep good, reusable items out of landfills, Seattle sponsors this free event where it encourages its residents to bring clean, working, reusable items (such as appliances, exercise equipment, clothing, furniture, books, art, etc.) to give to others. People can bring items or take them, and the city only asks that people take only what they need for themselves rather than taking extra items to resell.
July
Seafair Seattle - This extravagant event runs 25 days from July to August and includes a plethora of activities. Community events include a variety of parades, festivals, fairs and other community events (two of which are detailed below.) Also available is the half marathon (running or walking), triathlon (adults or children), Miss Seafair scholarship competition, Torchlight Run & Parade, Fleet arrival, hydroplane race, and air show. This astounding range of events has led Seafair to be regarded as one of the top events in the country.
Chinatown-International District Summer Festival - The largest Pan-Asian American street fair in the Pacific Northwest spills through Seattle's Chinatown as part of Seafair. The festival offers food, arts & crafts, community booths, and cultural performances. Sports demonstrations are available in a variety of sports from boxing to fencing and various martial arts. For those desperate to try their skills, there is an inflatable sumo-wrestling match available. In the music arena, there is the Dragon Stage featuring various performances including lion/dragon dance, steel drum band, Japanese taiko drum, martial arts, Hawaiian hula dance, and many others. And for some random entertainment, sign up for or just watch the Karoke Idol competition.
Milk Carton Derby - Part of Seafair, this Seattle tradition is bound to excite praise from those who encourage creative trash recycling. Each summer, over 100 milk carton boats gather at Green Lake, brought there by anxious kids, teens, parents and corporations who have spent countless hours constructing their milk carton creations in hopes of winning the derby. In addition to the milk carton engineers, 35,000 spectators turn out to see the derby as well. And just to add an edge to the competition, over $10,000 in prizes is awarded.
August
Seattle Music Fest - Billed as Seattle's premiere showcase for emerging music, this three-day event features various bands, some better known than others. The festival takes place on Alki Beach, and is FREE to all those who want to enjoy the music - definitely a bargain, particularly on a student budget!
Seattle HempFest - With a slight twist on the typical festival, this is both a celebration and a political statement as thousands of people (an estimated 185,000 in 2003) join together to peacefully protest the rights of cannabis enthusiasts with speakers and music. The festival has grown astonishingly since its un-ambitious start in 1991 with a group of 500 attendees and 20 staff.
September
Bumbershoot - Labor Day weekend once again sees the Seattle Center packed with people looking for a good time. With a name like Bumbershoot, they are sure not to be disappointed. One of America's largest urban arts festivals, Bumbershoot features over 2,500 artists from national stars to regional favorites. The festival features poets, painters, dancers, divas, comedians, filmmakers, musicians, clowns, acrobats, DJs, and any other group that could be categorized under the rather broad umbrella of "the arts".
DjangoFest Northwest - For another festival that is out of the ordinary, try DjangoFest, which was started several years ago to celebrate the music of Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Jazz. The festival features not only performances, but also a variety of workshops and even a few jam sessions (spontaneous of course!)
October
Earshot Jazz Festival - Organized by the non-profit organization, Earshot Jazz, this two-week festival features jazz musicians from around the world and the region. With no regard for the type of jazz or the venue, this festival runs the gambit from concert halls to saloons and makes no apologies for its variety. Hundreds of different concerts are available for the enthusiast and curious alike.
Pumpkin Prowl - Halloween festivities make the Woodland Park Zoo an even more exciting place for three days at the end of October. Kids can go trick-or-treating and there is entertainment for the whole family. The hundreds of carved, lighted pumpkins are really the most spectacular part of the event.
November
Winterfest - Seattle's annual festivities run from November to December at the Seattle Center. Winterfest features activities on five weekends including hundreds of performers, tree lighting, and holiday decor. Ice-skating, dancing, crafts, and concerts are popular activities. The festival also imports 300 international entertainers such as Appalachian cloggers, Scandinavian singers, and Tlingit tribal drummers to name just a few.
Heather Tartan Ball and Silent Auction - This ball is sponsored by the Scottish Highland Games Association and proceeds benefit their Highland Games and Clan Gathering in July, another fantastic event. The ball features pipe bands, musicians, highland dancing, country dancing, ballroom dancing, and a Silent Auction.
December
Victorian Country Christmas Festival - This unusual festival transports visitors back to the Victorian era with an entire village featuring over 530 period stores with handcrafted and specialty items. In addition to shopping, there is also a food pavilion with period food, carriage rides through the village, and twenty professional stage shows featuring music, dance, comedy and more. Other activities include pictures with Santa and the "Living Nativity," a stunning display featuring over 150 singers and dancers.
New Year's Eve - The Space Needle hosts the world's tallest structure-launched Fireworks Show with more than 2,000 pyrotechnic effects. Down below, a crowd of 50,000 people stand watching in the west coast's version of Times Square, with approximately 400,000 people watching from the surrounding neighborhoods.
Sources:
( http://seattle.eventguide.com ) (Accessed June 15, 2004)
( http://www.seattle-travel-services.com ) (Accessed June 15, 2004)
( http://www.lonelyplanet.com ) (Accessed June 15, 2004)