As of the solstice on June 20, it’ll be summer at last, the season many Seattleites pine after throughout long, gray winters and spring showers.
Suddenly, days are longer and a plethora of events pop up every weekend 一 big concerts, outdoor festivals, yoga in the park. With so many options and only so many weeks before fall equinox (Sept. 22), here are some of the area’s grandest community events to mark on your calendar.
June: Celebrating the region’s diversity
Pride Month around the Seattle area
Fifty years ago, Seattle saw its first Pride parade, an unofficial march of less than 200 people, according to Seattle Pride. Now, the organization will celebrate its five-decade anniversary with its free signature events, Pride in the Park and the Seattle Pride Parade, expected to draw the regular hundreds of thousands of participants.
Start the month off strong with Pride in the Park on June 1, from noon-7 p.m. Live performances, music, dancing, food trucks and an alcohol garden, and vendors, plus family-friendly activities like Drag Queen Storytime and a teen space will create a partylike atmosphere in Volunteer Park. Learn more at seattlepride.org/events/pride-in-the-park-2024.
There’s plenty happening around the Sound throughout June 一 including Bellevue’s Paws & Pride walk on June 1 (eastsidepridepnw.com/events.html) and Shoreline’s Pride Celebration, which brings LGBTQ+ vendors to the city’s farmers market on June 15 (st.news/shoreline-pride).
But the Emerald City’s grand finale comes on the last weekend of the month, with PrideFest June 29-30 and the Seattle Pride Parade June 30. PrideFest, which is free, is split between Capitol Hill (June 29) and Seattle Center (June 30), with multiple stages for live shows, food and drinks options and other activities creating a festival atmosphere at each. Learn more at seattlepridefest.org.
On parade day, June 30, a preshow will start at Westlake Park at 10 a.m. before the procession of over 250 groups and floats launches down Fourth Avenue at 11 a.m. Learn more at seattlepride.org/events.
Juneteenth around Seattle
Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War, became a federal holiday in 2021, following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Since then, local events have grown quickly.
Last year’s Juneteenth Week, organized by the Northwest African American Museum, drew several thousand people to the museum and the adjacent Jimi Hendrix and Judkins parks for a celebration with live music, an inflatable playground, roller-skating and more. Though a detailed schedule of this year’s Juneteenth Week hadn't been released at the time of this writing, the event series will kick off June 15 with the annual Juneteenth Skate Party and will conclude June 19 with a day of free museum admission. Learn more at naamnw.org/juneteenth.
Some 30 miles south, you’ll find the “largest Juneteenth celebrations in WA state,” according to Tacoma’s Juneteenth website. The event was attended by over 8,000 people last year. The free celebration runs 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Stewart Heights Park with live performances, over 100 vendors, educational and financial resources and a Miss Juneteenth Pageant. Learn more at juneteenthwa.com.
Other local events include the Atlantic Street Center’s Juneteenth Celebration on June 22 in Rainier Beach (atlanticstreetcenter.org/juneteenth) and Kenmore’s Juneteenth Celebration on June 19, which happens in conjunction with the city’s farmers market (kenmorewa.gov/our-city/special-events).
Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair
Rich and varied traditions play out around the world for the summer solstice each year, from midnight ocean plunges to blazing bonfires.
But here in Seattle, we like to bid winter adieuwith a parade of whimsical floats, stilt walkers, naked (but often colorfully painted) cyclists and more. The Fremont Solstice Parade will proceed through the self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe” at 1 p.m. on June 22. Learn more at fremontartscouncil.org/parade.
The parade route lands at the Fremont Fair, which will take over six blocks of the neighborhood with two stages for live music, hundreds of craft vendors, beer gardens, fair food and more. It will be open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on June 22 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on June 23. The fair is free to attend. Learn more at fremontfair.com.
July: Fourth of July (and another noteworthy parade)
One of Seattle's largest fireworks shows, Seafair 4th of July erupts over Lake Union for an estimated 40,000 onlookers each year. It generally takes months to plan the fireworks show, which is paired with a musical score, and there’s more to the festivities, too. Well before nightfall, there’ll be music, games, food trucks and beer gardens at Gas Works Park, and a DJ and food and drink options at Lake Union Park. (Check back for more updates and details at seafair.org/4th-of-july). The event is free with the option to pay for reserved seating.
While Seafair may put on the most attention-grabbing Fourth of July spectacle, there are plenty of other community celebrations, including Burien’s 4th of July Parade (st.news/burien-parade-2024), Federal Way’s Red, White & Blues Festival (itallhappenshere.org/event/red-white-blues-festival) and An Edmonds Kind of 4th, which includes a parade, food vendors and more (edmondschamber.com/events).
Another noteworthy parade closes out July: The Torchlight Parade. Over 100 entries, from dragon dancers and drill teams to marching bands and horses, will make their way through downtown on July 27, celebrating the diversity of cultures and traditions in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at seafair.org/tlp.
August: Seafair Weekend
On top of the 50th anniversary of the Pride parade, there’s another big birthday coming up this summer: 75 years of Seafair! Seafair runs nearly all summer, spanning 10 weeks and over 40 community events (look through all of them at seafair.org/community-events).
But when most people hear “Seafair” they think of Seafair Weekend, a boating event, air show and summer festival all wrapped into one, landing on Aug. 2-4 this year. From 9 a.m.-5 p.m., there’ll be live music, beer gardens and food options, a classic car show and more at Genesee Park and Playfield. Plus, watch hydroplanes zip by as they race on Lake Washington and look up to see the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and other aircraft soaring through the air.
Tickets are currently priced at $35 for one-day general admission, with child and senior discounts and other packages and passes available. Learn more at seafair.org/sfw.
Late August and September: State fairs
As August comes to a close, classic summer experiences aren’t over yet.
The Washington State Fair in Puyallup, known as the largest fair of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, stretches from Aug. 30-Sept. 22 this year.
Since opening in 1900, it's accrued many time-tested fan favorites, from Fisher scones to cute piglets, plus fair staples like live music and comedy, all sorts of exhibitions, rodeo events, fireworks, carnival rides and food vendors. This year, it’s debuting a Birthing Exhibit that will give fairgoers the chance to meet newborn calves and even name them. Learn more at thefair.com/washington-state-fair.
Corresponding with the fair is the Umpqua Bank Concert Series, offering 20 nights of live music and comedy at the fair’s Grandstand. The 2024 lineup features names like Wiz Khalifa (tickets currently go for $55-$80), Lauren Daigle ($70-$90) and the Steve Miller Band ($65-$85). Learn more at thefair.com/concerts.
Farther north, the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe runs Aug. 22-27 and Aug. 29-Sept. 2, with yet more beloved fair attractions:monster truck shows, chain saw carving, rodeo events, carnival rides, and live music from Josh Turner, Flo Rida and more. General admission is $15-$18, with child, senior and military discounts. Learn more at evergreenfair.org.
