Special Events in Seattle

Seattle's gloomy winter is brightened by the Lunar New Year Celebration, which takes place at the Union Station Great Hall on S. Jackson Street, on the western edge of the International District. Lion and dragon dances, martial arts demonstrations, art and craft booths and a tantalizing food court all salute this multicultural neighborhood's pan-Asian roots. The lunar calendar dictates when the celebration begins (usually in early February).

Cold, gray days inevitably lead to thoughts of spring, and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show is a harbinger of the coming season. This huge event, held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, has exhibits by practically every plant society and horticultural organization you can think of, plus florist competitions and an orchid show. This is an eagerly awaited annual pilgrimage for many Northwest gardeners. For more flowers, head to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, about 60 miles north of Seattle. The valley is one of the nation's prime suppliers of commercial spring bulbs, and it's quite a sight to see entire fields of these beauties. Festival activities run throughout April and include art exhibits, farm tours and an air show. Mother Nature, however, can't be pinned down when it comes to peak bloom time.

Since 1913, the Seattle Yacht Club has sponsored Opening Day, held the first Saturday in May. The unofficial beginning of boating season, it starts with a cannon blast as the Montlake Bridge is raised. A lively procession of watercraft--from kayaks to sailboats to yachts--then threads through the Montlake Cut between Portage and Union bays, bound for Lake Washington. Tugboat races along the downtown waterfront are the highlight of Seattle Maritime Festival in mid-May.

The University District Street Fair, also in mid-May, is the kickoff event of Seattle's festival season. University Way N.E. becomes an extravaganza of craft booths, food booths and stages for theater and live music. It's always a magnet for street performers, and the people-watching rivals the entertainment.

Memorial Day weekend brings the Northwest Folklife Festival, an ethnic and cultural showcase for music and dance, visual arts and folklore exhibits, and craft and cooking demonstrations. You can choose from a whopping 1,000 performances on 19 different stages, and it's all free. The festival takes place on the Seattle Center grounds.

Seattle's International Film Festival is one of the country's largest, bringing directors, actors and critics who participate in film forums and post-screening Q&A sessions. This is a chance to see releases from both first-time and well-known directors, as well as sneak previews, obscure foreign films, documentaries and special archival programs--not your typical multiplex fare. Many screenings take place at the Egyptian Theater on Capitol Hill. The 3-week festival runs from late May through mid-June.

Pike Place Market feels like a great big festival every day, and doubly so the first weekend in June during the Pike Place Market Street Festival. The fun includes arts, crafts, food, music, activities for kids and a "Strut Your Mutt" dog show. Just look for the street booths set up along Pike Place.

Fremont Fair takes place in mid-June. It welcomes the summer solstice in a neighborhood Seattleites fondly refer to as "the center of the universe." This is a true community celebration--one of its goals is to increase awareness of the needs of low-income residents--as well as an old-fashioned street fair, with loads of crafts, plenty of food, all kinds of live music, a parade and such offbeat events as the Briefcase Relay Race.

Seafair, Seattle's summer blowout, occurs from early July to early August. The air show provided by a squadron of U.S. Navy Blue Angels as they streak across the sky above Lake Washington is an exciting high point, but there's also the Torchlight Parade, neighborhood parades and festivals, tours of naval vessels, a beauty pageant, hydroplane races and the Milk Carton Derby, which kicks off the whole shebang. And if you're feeling particularly energetic, you can start training for Seafair's marathon, triathlon or torchlight run.

Considerably less strenuous is Bite of Seattle, a food festival held at Seattle Center in late July. More than 50 local restaurants contribute their specialties, and you can also take in an outdoor concert or view the ice-carving competition. Don't forget to bring your appetite.

Seattle also hosts Bumbershoot over the Labor Day weekend. This is one of the city's best-known events, and no less an authority than Rolling Stone proclaims it the coolest rock festival in Seattle. But Bumbershoot also spotlights the entire spectrum of arts: music, theater, dance, film, visual and literary.

Seattle ends the year with the Argosy Christmas Ship Festival, an event that occurs through most of December. Illuminated boats departing from Pier 56 cruise to various waterfront communities, where some of the Pacific Northwest's noteworthy choral groups provide appropriately seasonal musical accompaniment. It's a fine way to get into the holiday spirit.