Seafair Weekend Festival on Lake Washington

Seafair Weekend is the culmination of Seattle’s summer festival. One of Seattle’s favorite traditions at Genesee Park in south Seattle on Lake Washington. It’s an exhilarating rite of summer like nowhere else in the country.

The 3-day festival features the U.S. Navy Blue Angels highlighting the Boeing Air Show hydroplane race competitions, and pro wake boarders performing incredible stunts. Mix in food vendors, beer gardens, live music, and activities for the whole family, and you have one spectacular weekend.

Seafair Weekend includes hydroplane races on Lake Washington and an air show overhead, headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, plus wakeboard competition, food booths, entertainment, and more – photos and photo collage by Carole Cancler

2024 Seafair Weekend Information

Dates: Friday, August 2 – Sunday, August 4, 2024 from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Location: Main Gate, 4326 South Genesee Street, Seattle, WA 98118.

Seafair Weekend regular ticket prices

General Admission gets you into the fair; bring a blanket, chairs, etc. to sit along the grassy (hard, bumpy) shoreline. Pit passes are extra, which get you up close and personal to the hydroplanes and their crew. If you want to sit in the bleachers, you need to purchase Grandstand seating (unreserved) or Captain’s Club (reserved) tickets. The following list includes regular admission prices. Available Discount Seafair ticket deals are listed below.

• General Admission Friday: GATE ADMISSION is FREE on Friday.
• One-day General Admission: Saturday OR Sunday $25 (adult 13-61). Child (6-12) or Senior (62+) $15.
• 3-day GA pass: $100 includes Gate Admission & Pit Access all 3 days.
• Pit pass (Friday-Sunday): $15/per day. Not included with general admission or grandstand ticket. This is worth the bucks. Get up close to the racing action, boats, crews, and drivers.
• Grandstand seating: Includes General Admission and unreserved bleacher seat (first-come, first-served). Friday $45, Saturday OR Sunday $95.
• Captain’s Club & Pit Pass: fully furnished, tented raised pavilion equipped with an open sun deck and a catered lunch served daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 1-day and 3-day passes available $225-$1650. More info: Captain’s Club – 2024 Seafair Premium Experience — Seafair
• Blue Angels Walk Down at Boeing Field: For the first time ever, watch the blues on the flightline. GA $49. VIP $75. Blue Angels Walk Down at Boeing Field — Seafair

Seafair Weekend Discount Tickets

Here are the ways to save on admission to Seafair Weekend.

• Advanced online prices are lowest when tickets go on sale in spring. Ticket info: Seafair Tickets – 2024 General Admission and Premium Seating Passes — Seafair
• Seafair offers volunteer opportunities at Seafair Summer Fourth, Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade, and Seafair Weekend Festival featuring the Boeing Air Show and Seafair Hydroplane Races. Volunteer info: Volunteer — Seafair

More info: Seafair Weekend Festival (seafair.org)

Spirit of the Navy hydroplane at Seattle Seafair – U.S. Navy photo by 2nd Class Eric J. Rowley [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

Seafair Volunteer Opportunities

Seafair’s volunteer opportunities are endless, whether you want to volunteer for a few hours one day or for a whole weekend. Duties vary by event but may include set up, take down, hospitality, volunteer coordination and check-in, ushering, information booth, security, first aid, runners, photography, social media, and behind-the-scenes operational duties.

Do you have a special skill like carpentry, plumbing, CPR, driving a forklift, or a dive certificate? Are you a boat owner? Seafair has teams that can use your talents.

All volunteers must be registered before July 1st. More info: Volunteer — Seafair

Seafair Parking and Transportation Information

Parking and transportation options to Seafair at Genesee Park in south Seattle:

Park at Seafair (not recommended). Traffic is very congested and slow in the neighborhoods surrounding the Seafair Weekend site. So, it’s generally recommended to avoid parking at the Seafair site because it is expensive, very limited, sells out early, and you’ll spend considerable time waiting in traffic to get to and from the parking area. 

Other transportation options are summarized below.

Link Light Rail + Metro Bus #50:

• Use the Sound Transit Trip planner and take Link Light Rail to Columbia City station. Round-trip adult (19-64) fare is $4.50-$7.00 round trip, depending on distance traveled. An ORCA (myorca.com) card is recommended to facilitate transfer from Light Rail to Bus. Or use the Transit GO Ticket app or ticket machines at each station.
  • In Seattle, park at any convenient Sound Transit Link Light Rail station (parking prices vary).  
  • In north Seattle, you could park at University of Washington E17-19 & E21 lots, just south of Husky Stadium ($4/hour, $19.50/daily). Pay by phone parking is available.
  • In south Seattle, you could park at the Sea-Tac Airport General Parking Garage. Daily rate: $8/hours, $37.00/day. Reservations are available 14-120 days in advance: $47.00/day. More info: ParkSEA.org. 
• Take Metro Bus #50 from Columbia City Station to the Seafair entrance about one mile away.

More info: Seafair Weekend Festival (seafair.org)

But wait! There’s more…

• Seattle Seafair history: 1950 to present day
• Seafair signature events and community festivals
• Seafair Torchlight Parade in Seattle
• Where to see the Blue Angels for free Seafair Weekend
• Find more Cultural heritage festivals in the Puget Sound region.
• More festivals of all kinds on our big list of annual festivals, fairs, and parades.
• More free and cheap things to do every day: Greater Seattle on the Cheap event calendar.
• Still more ideas for frugal fun: Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page.

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Dolls Drill Team 2008 Seattle Chinatown Seafair Parade (cropped) photo by Joe Mabel (CC3)

Upcoming Seafair Events in the Puget Sound region

(Most Seafair events occur June-August with a few promotional and fundraising events at other times of the year. If nothing is listed below, there are no upcoming Seafair Events in our calendar…yet.)