Seattle Festivals by Season: Street Fairs, Food and Culture

The oldest festival in the Festál series began as a celebration of a gift of 1,000 cherry trees for the U.S. Bicentennial, spent its first three years at Seward Park and has been at Seattle Center since 1979. Over a long weekend, taiko, koto and shakuhachi share the stages with kendo, judo, aikido and kyudo archery demonstrations, tea ceremonies, ikebana and kimono try-ons. On Saturday there’s even a sumo tournament.

When

A weekend in mid-April.

Good for

Families, Japanese food and culture, and kids who want to try everything.

Know before you go

Admission is free. A few workshops and the 21+ sake tastings cost extra.

For more than half a century, Folklife has filled Seattle Center over Memorial Day weekend with music, dance and food from the communities that make up the Northwest. It’s run on goodwill, with no tickets or gates. Each year has a cultural focus, plus spaces like a makers’ area with craft demos and a community kitchen sharing regional food traditions.

When

Memorial Day weekend, Friday through Monday. The 2027 festival runs May 28 to 31.

Good for

Live music all day, dancing, families, and an easy introduction to the region’s cultures.

Know before you go

Entry is free; Folklife asks for a suggested donation of $20 per person per day, which you can give at the gates or online.

The summer solstice weekend belongs to Fremont. The Fremont Arts Council’s Solstice Parade steps off on Saturday afternoon, and the fair around it runs all weekend with a craft market, food and drink, live music, more than 75 art cars to tour and a Sunday dog parade.

When

A weekend in late June, around the summer solstice. The parade is Saturday at 1 p.m.

Good for

Seattle at its most joyfully weird, people-watching, and a sunny Saturday with friends.

Know before you go

The fair runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Get to the parade route early for a spot.

Seattle has celebrated Pride for more than 50 years, since the city’s first celebration in Pioneer Square. The month builds to the Seattle Pride Parade through downtown, from 4th Avenue and Union Street to 2nd Avenue and Denny Way. Earlier in the month, Pride in the Park fills Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill with queer arts, music and performance.

When

Pride in the Park on a Saturday in early June; the parade on a Sunday in late June, late morning into the afternoon.

Good for

Celebrating with the whole city, a day on Capitol Hill, and bringing friends from out of town.

Know before you go

Reserved grandstand seats for the parade are sold on the Seattle Pride site.

Ballard has been throwing this party since 1974, and the alder-smoked salmon barbecue is still the main event. Several blocks of NW Market Street and Ballard Avenue fill with a main music stage, a beer and cocktail garden, a vendor market and kids’ areas, and the Lutefisk Eating Contest offers cash prizes to anyone brave enough. It’s put on by the Ballard Alliance, and proceeds go back into Ballard.

When

A Friday-to-Sunday weekend in July, starting with a Friday evening block party. The 2027 festival is July 16 to 18.

Good for

Salmon and live music, a free summer day out, and families.

Know before you go

Entry is free. The salmon barbecue runs while supplies last on Sunday, so go early that day.

For more than four decades, the heart of the Alaska Junction has hosted three days of live music, food, local vendors, a beverage garden and a kids’ zone. The night before it starts, Summer Fest Eve lines up with the monthly West Seattle Art Walk for street performers and extended outdoor cafe seating. Make a weekend of it in West Seattle.

When

A weekend in mid-July, Friday through Sunday, with live music until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The 2027 festival is July 9 to 11.

Good for

Live local bands, a neighborhood street-party feel, and families.

Seattle’s summer festival is really a season of events, and two anchor it. The Torchlight Parade marches along the downtown waterfront on a Saturday night in late July, free to watch. Then, as July turns to August, the Seafair Weekend Festival at Genesee Park brings hydroplane races on Lake Washington, a classic car show and the Boeing Seafair Air Show, with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flying each afternoon.

When

Torchlight Parade on a Saturday evening in late July; the Weekend Festival, Friday through Sunday, around the turn from July to August.

Good for

Blue Angels watching, a lakeside picnic, and a big night out downtown with kids.

Know before you go

The parade is free, with reserved grandstand seats for sale. The Weekend Festival is ticketed (kids under 12 free), and tickets for each summer go on sale in spring.

Seattle’s arts and music festival began at Seattle Center in 1971, paused during the pandemic and came back in 2023 under local producer New Rising Sun. The lineup mixes headliners with local artist showcases and some left-field extras, pro wrestling included, and it’s open to all ages. It’s still the traditional send-off to summer.

When

Labor Day weekend. The 2027 festival is September 4 and 5.

Good for

Live music, discovering local artists, and a last big summer weekend.

Know before you go

It’s ticketed; lineup and ticket news goes out first to the newsletter.

Fremont’s beer festival pours more than 80 seasonal beers over three days, with live music, a DJ tower, fest games, an alpine slide and a beer mile run. Sunday adds Dogtoberfest for four-legged guests. It’s hosted by the Bold Giving Foundation, so your tasting tokens go to a good cause.

When

A weekend in mid-to-late September: Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Good for

Beer lovers, a group outing, and bringing the dog on Sunday.

Know before you go

Strictly 21 and over. Tickets are sold as passes: a tasting pass with tokens and a mini mug, or a stein pass for the beer hall tent.

Volunteers held the first Day of the Dead festival in South Park in 1998, and it moved to Seattle Center in 2003. For two days the Armory fills with community altars, a cemetery display, folkloric dance, face painting, and workshops in sugar skulls, paper flowers, printmaking and tapete sand painting. It’s moving, colorful and free.

When

The weekend around November 1, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Good for

Families, hands-on crafts, and learning the tradition behind the imagery.

Know before you go

Admission is free.

Seattle Center’s holiday season runs for about five weeks and ends with a free New Year’s Eve celebration. The centerpiece is the Winter Train and Village display inside the Armory, an annual tradition for 50 years. Weekends bring performances on the Armory Stage, and ice carvers work outdoors on Saturdays.

When

Late November through December 31. The train display is open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Good for

Young kids, a free holiday outing, and a rainy-day stop before or after other Seattle Center plans.

Know before you go

The train display takes donations but doesn’t require them.

A volunteer-run nonprofit formed in 1996 to celebrate and preserve Vietnamese culture, Tết in Seattle has welcomed the Lunar New Year at Seattle Center since 1997. Expect lion dances, traditional Vietnamese food, an áo dài fashion show, live music, and a bánh tét wrapping competition. It’s the first Festál festival of the year.

When

A weekend around Lunar New Year, usually in February, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Good for

Families, Vietnamese food, and starting the new year with lion dancers.

Know before you go

Admission is free.

Want markets more than festivals? See our farmers markets guide and our pop-ups and night markets guide. Many festivals need volunteers, too; find more ways to pitch in on our Get Involved page.

Know a festival we missed? Tell us.