Seafair Torchlight Parade in downtown Seattle (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Many people think that Seattle’s Seafair summer festival is Seafair Weekend in August with hydroplane races on Lake Washington and the Blue Angels flying overhead. Far from it. Seafair is a summer-long festival with several signature events as well as many community-driven celebrations throughout the Puget sound region.

In fact, some Seafair-sanctioned community events existed prior to the first Seafair Festival in 1950, while others are quite new. Find out more in our article about Seafair history and events.

U.S. Navy Blue Angels balloon in 2005 Seattle Torchlight Parade photo by U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin [public domain]

U.S. Navy Blue Angels balloon in 2005 Seattle Torchlight Parade photo by U.S. Navy Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Eli J. Medellin (public domain).

Seafair Signature Events

In addition to Seafair Weekend, Seattle hosts several family-friendly activities each year including the Pirates landing on Alki, July 4th Fireworks over Lake Union, Torchlight Parade, and Fleet Week on the Seattle Waterfront. Each of these is summarized below. Scroll down for a calendar list of all Seafair event rhoughout summer.

Milk Carton Derby CANCELLED 2024 — Seafair. A quirky celebration of creativity and boatmanship features colorful milk carton boats of all shapes and design. You don’t have to be a sailor to have fun at this event! Children, adults, families and businesses build milk carton watercraft and compete on the waters of Green Lake for prizes and bragging rights. Participants and spectators can visit interactive exhibit booths, satisfy hunger with food vendors, and meet Seafair personalities. Free to watch. Register and pay the fee to compete. Cancelled since 2022 due to construction of a new boathouse on Green Lake. We expect a return in 2025.

Seattle Seafair Pirates | Facebook. Sometime in June or July, the pirates land on Alki Beach. It’s difficult to find out exactly when as they haven’t been updating their website or social media the past few years. But when we find it, we’ll put it on our calendar (see below). More info: Destinations – Seafair Pirates

Amazon Seafair Summer Fourth over Lake Union. Watch from Gas Works Park or South Lake Union Park or other vantage points or via Live Broadcast 7/4 from 9:00 PM – 11:00 PM on KONG. More info: Where to see fireworks in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area – Greater Seattle on the Cheap

Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade Takes place the weekend before the Seafair Festival. Thousands of devoted spectators line Seattle’s 4th Avenue for the Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade. Celebrating the cultural diversity and traditions of the Pacific Northwest with 100+ luminous entries, from dragon dancers to precision drill teams and marching bands to prancing horses. It’s free to watch the parade, but to guarantee the best views, reserved seating is available for purchase. Arrive early and check out pre-parade activities like the iHeart Radio Block Parties, the Running of the Queens, and the Seafair Torchlight Run. Note: The 2025 Seafair Torchlight Parade will relocate to the downtown Seattle waterfront along the redeveloped Alaskan Way.

Seafair Fleet Week. Takes place during the week leading up to Seafair Weekend. A Seafair tradition since 1950, Seafair Fleet Week celebrates the men and women who serve our country at sea. Ninety percent of the consumer products you use every day arrive in the U.S. by way of the ocean. With 70 percent of the earth’s surface covered in water, it takes state-of-the-art technology to protect the world’s waterways. It is all powered by the best and brightest young men and women from across the United States. Come say hello – you will be impressed! Come to the Seattle waterfront to see vessels and personnel from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy. The celebration starts with the Parade of Ships through Elliot Bay, followed by a week of events where the public is invited to meet the sailors and guardsmen, enjoy free music, and take ship tours. All events are free and open to the public.

Seafair Weekend Festival from Genesee Park in south Seattle featuring US Navy’s Blue Angels headlining the Boeing Seafair Airshow and the world’s fastest racing boats competing for the HomeStreet Bank Cup. Takes place the first weekend in August. More info:

Seafair 2010 Indian Days Pow Wow, Seattle, WA photo by Joe Mabel (CC3)

Seafair Community Events

Seafair Event Calendar 2024 (seafair.org) are the very soul of Seattle’s summer long festival. These fun-filled events take place all summer long in neighborhoods throughout Seattle and around the Puget Sound region. These grassroots events demonstrate civic pride as they celebrate the traditions and diversity of her residents.

Most surprising, these community-led festivals and neighborhood parades are volunteer-run from conception and promotion to implementation and cleanup. The Seafair organization offers participating events resources and support that include event management training and event promotion, as well as operational and administrative assistance.

See below for a list of Seafair events in communities and neighborhoods in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area.
Below the community event lists, find a calendar of these and other Seafair events taking place all summer.

Seafair community events in the Puget Sound region

(Listed alphabetically by city. Seattle events are listed separately below. The datein parenthesess is the inaugural event as listed on their website.)

Burien 4th of July Parade
Covington Days Festival (1986)
Des Moines Waterland Festival (1959)
Edmonds ‘Taste Edmonds’
Getaway: Lake Chelan Pirate Fest
Issaquah Salmon Days
Kent Cornucopia Days (1972)
Kirkland Summerfest (explorekirkland.com) (2011)
Montlake Terrace ‘Tour de Terrace’ (1993)
North Bend Downtown Block Party
Renton River Days (1986)
Sammamish Parkadilly Kids’ Concert & Fair
Shoreline ‘Celebrate Shoreline’ Festival
Snohomish Kla Ha Ya Days Festival (1913)

Seafair community events in Seattle

Some of these festivals have not been held since the pandemic. We’ve posted links to the host organization and will publish event dates on our calendar list below when they become available.

(Listed alphabetically by Seattle neighborhood. The date in parentheses is the inaugural event as listed on their website.)

More Seafair Events: Seafair Event Calendar 2024 — Seafair

But wait! There’s more…

Seattle Seafair history: 1950 to present day
Seafair Torchlight Parade in Seattle
Where to see the Blue Angels for free Seafair Weekend
Tickets and information for 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.

Event calendar of free and affordable things to do

Listed below are all types of free and affordable things to do in the next 30 days.

Featured Events are listed first each day, highlighted by a photo. These are unique, popular, or annual events that we or our advertisers don’t want you to overlook.