Seafair Festival

What is interesting about the festival

Seafair is Seattle's annual summer festival featuring a wide range of water activities. Most residents associate Seafair with the Torch Parade and its accompanying run, seaplane races, and the Blue Angels team. But they are not the only ones.

Surrounded by water, Seattle is the perfect place for a summer getaway. Since 1950, the Seafair Festival has provided visitors with the opportunity to enjoy maritime entertainment. Among the 75 events you will see: Torch parade, jet ski racing, seaplane stunts. At the end, you will meet the sunset against the backdrop of the mountains.

The non-profit festival began with the celebration of the city's centenary. There were boat races and competitions. Today, the event's attendance reaches over two million people every summer, growing from ten days to ten weeks.

Seafair is a less frenzied and publicized mix of roadside musicians, food stalls, multicultural parades and pie-eating contests. The festival reflects the soul of Seattle and each of its inhabitants.

The celebration begins in early June and lasts until July.

Find out how the origin of the holiday was influenced by the ancient Indian tradition of giving gifts to fellow tribesmen in the article about the festival below.

Seafair is a popular water festival that began in August 1950 and continues to this day. The festival takes place throughout King County and includes seaplane competitions, lifeboat and steamboat races, tug of war, water skiing and swimming competitions, musical performances, diving, dancing, parades and parties.

In addition, there are: Mardi Gras, an elaborate dragon parade, Scottish highland games, a ritual burning of a boat and a symbolic coronation.

Story

The festival's roots can be traced back to the 1911 Potlatch celebration. This is how the people of Seattle originally named their first annual summer festival. This was facilitated by the erroneous belief that the Northwest Indians held potlatches in this city. For those not in the know, the potlatch is an Native American ceremony for the exchange of gifts and the destruction of excess wealth.

The festival ran from 1911 to 1914 and then revived from 1934 to 1941. World War II put an end to the holiday. After the war, there was talk of its restoration, but this did not happen for several more years.

From May 1 to May 7, 1949, flower week was declared. There was an exhibition and a themed parade. On a rainy Sunday morning, over 80,000 people took part in the procession. After some time, the restaurant owner Ralph Grossman and his employee Howard McGowan came up with the idea of holding a summer festival with a maritime theme. They shared the idea with other businessmen in Seattle and received support.

The first Seafair took place in August 1950. Hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed activities across King County, from a 25-mile bike ride on the Sammamish Coast to a parade boat ride on Lake Washington.

Spectators witnessed a police pistol shooting contest, an Elliott Bay steamboat race, Coast Guard lifeboat rides, and an operetta called The Desert.

What to look at

Seafair events epitomize the Seattle spirit and folk fun that make this unique summer festival what it is.

• Landing of the Pirates

The festival kicks off with pirates storming Alki Beach in West Seattle. Volunteer pirates fire cannons, brandish swords, and sometimes bring kids to tears. Therefore, if your child is still too small, it is better not to take him here.

• Boat derby made from cardboard boxes

Derby includes about 100 boats designed for just one person. They are built from milk cartons, wire mesh and plastic. Families register to build "milk carton boats" to compete in the derby. Awards are given for originality, quality of execution, methods of movement and speed. The event is environmentally friendly — after it the boats are dismantled and sent for recycling.

• Torch Parade

A torch parade is held on the Saturday night before Seafair's last day. It starts at 19:30 and lasts two hours. Thousands of spectators gather along 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle to watch the parade with marching bands, floats and the appearance of the water king and queen — the symbols of the festival.

• Seafair Weekend

Seafair Weekend is the culmination of the event. Seaplane races are always held on the first Sunday in August. Spectators stand along the shores of Lake Washington and watch the madness unfold.

Highlights at Seafair Weekend include jet ski racing, the Blue Angels show, the Boeing Airshow with military and vintage aircraft, and wakeboarding competitions. Live music is playing, food stalls are everywhere.