Seattle’s 70th Celebration of Seafair!

Truly a harbinger of summer in Seattle, the Seafair is back again for it’s 70th year, a magnificent ten weeks of family fun and showing off all Seattle has to offer! Hosted by The Seafair Foundation, the festival spans all the way back to 1950 when business leaders designed Seafair as an event that would establish Seattle as the “boating capital of the world”. While Seattle has gained quite a bit more popularity over the years, the Seafair Foundation continues to put on Seafair to celebrate the diversity of our wonderful community; as well as to provide education opportunities, scholarships, and community engagement with regional programs. 

While we can’t possibly list every event happening in the ten weeks that Seafair is running, here are some events worth planning for:

• The Burien 4th of July Parade (7/4)

Entering its 90th year, the Burien Parade is one of the longest running parades in the nation! Join thousands of other spectators as amazing floats, marching bands, and the Seafair pirates, make their way down the parade route in celebration of our nation.

• Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Seafair Summer Fourth (7/4)

If one 4th of July celebration isn’t enough, there’s always more to do at Seafair. The Summer Fourth will be held in Gas Works Park and Lake Union Park- both less than 20 minutes away from Shafer Baillie Mansion! Visitors can expect live music, food vendors and a variety of entertainment such as pie eating contests and sack races, before the main fireworks event- USA Today voted this celebration as one of the best fireworks shows in the nation, choreographed to a Seafair-created musical score.

• Seafair Pirate’s Landing (7/6)

Arg, matey! Considered a signature event, the Seafair pirates will be sailing in to storm Alki Beach. This family friendly event features food and exhibit booths, as well as rides for the kiddos and contests like the “Pirate Look-Alike Contest”. 

• Milk Carton Derby (7/13)

If you have ever wanted to try your skills at building a raft that could win you the gold, then this is the event for you! This event challenges kids, adults, schools, families, and businesses to build a watercraft that can take them across Green Lake- but the catch is that they must be made exclusively from milk cartons. Come see who will float and who will sink in this historic race to the end! 

• Seattle Bon Odori (7/20-7/21)

Seeking to honor and celebrate the lives of our loved ones that have passed, the Bon Odori is a historic Japanese Buddhist tradition that has made its way to Seattle. Visitors can expect traditional Japanese food, drinks, and cultural displays, while remembering the happiness given to us by those that came before. 

• Seafair Weekend Festival (8/2-8/4)

If nothing else, this is the one to look forward to! With the most action and best sights, the Weekend Festival features events like stunt-biking, the Boeing Air Show flown by the historic Blue Angels, and the Seafair Cup, making this a thrill-seeker’s ultimate weekend.

Head on over to the Seafair website to get a full ten-week lineup. Due to our proximity of many of these events, plan your stay at Shafer Baillie Mansion. Let us provide you hot breakfast and “home away from home” amenities- such as in room Wi-Fi and high speed internet access- while you run hither and yon across Seattle celebrating and appreciating all the Seafair excitement!