Since 1950, nothing has been more synonymous with summer in Seattle than Seafair. The annual non-profit festival spans ten weeks and touches more than two million people through 75 sanctioned events. Now in its 69th year, Seafair is committed to uniting and celebrating all of Seattle’s diverse communities by offering affordable fun and activities where differences are welcomed, and every individual feels a sense of belonging to make memories that last a lifetime.
To kick off the 2018 summer-long festival, Seafair is “Sunglassing The City” with Seafair branded sunglasses. Local celebrities, athletes, and influencers will be seen around town and on social media wearing Seafair’s sunglasses and using the hashtag #SeafairIsSummer.
All are welcome to celebrate the kickoff to Seafair and summer by picking up a free pair of sunglasses at the following locations while supplies last:
• Cupcake Royale locations All Day
• Fremont Troll 8 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm
• Space Needle 9 am
• Rachel the Pig at Pike Place 10 am
• Jimmy Hendrix Statue 11 am
• Ken Griffey Statue 12 noon
Seafair’s 2018 Royalty
Seattle’s own Sonny Sixkiller and Jody Hall will be crowned 2018’s King Neptune and Queen Alcyone, respectively. Sonny Sixkiller works with multiple non-profits, including the Renton 21 Club which helps youth and elderly in need, and was elected to the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2018. Jody Hall founded Cupcake Royale and The Goodship and uses those platforms to continually fight for marriage equality, as well as help support local farmers, restaurants and coffee shops to help make our community stronger. Seafair’s Royalty can be found at Seafair Signature Events all summer long.
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Seafair Summer Fourth
This year’s Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Seafair Summer Fourth fireworks show over Lake Union will kickoff around 10 pm with a unique water-based opening display with hundreds of white strobes floating directly on the water. The show will feature never before seen displays including Colorful Dahlias, Whirling Doremis, Silver Flying Dragons and a grand finale at 1000 feet in elevation and covering an area nearly 1500 feet across! Doors open to the SCCA Seafair Summer Fourth at 12 noon and also feature live performances by:
2:00 – 3:00 pm Exapos
3:30 – 4:30 pm Caspian Coberly Band
5:00 – 6:00 pm Tekla Waterfield
6:30 – 7:30 pm SassyBlack, City of Music @ Seafair Music Ambassador
8:00 – 9:30 pm Freddy Pink
Lucerne Milk Carton Derby Presented by Safeway – Albertsons
This year’s Lucerne Milk Carton Derby Presented by Safeway – Albertsons features a new race course that has been shifted to the south to allow for better viewing from Green Lake’s Aqua Theater. Contestants and fans viewing the races can also enjoy various food and beverage vendors including an all new beer garden. Also new this year, teams of up to 8 can sign up for the Team Challenge, where they will be given all supplies & tools and will be asked to build their boat in one hour before competing on Green Lake. 501(c)3’s and non-profits can compete in the Non Profit Category, sponsored by Capital One.
Capital One Torchlight 5K & 8K Run Presented by Swedish
New this year, the 5K and 8K race course will start and end at Westlake Center, so friends and family can cheer runner on as they run down the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade route and run on Seattle’s Viaduct one last time prior to it being torn down. Runners will receive a goodie bag, t-shirt, a medal that glows in the dark and has a built-in bottle opener as well as a drink ticket for the Torchlight Parade beer garden.
Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade
In its 69th year, the parade continues to highlight and celebrate communities from the greater Seattle’s diverse cultural landscape including Children’s Friendship Festival, Indigenouz PlaceMakerz, Sikhs of Washington and many more. 2018’s Grand Marshal of the parade is Jordan Morris, a Seattle native and forward for Seattle Sounders FC. For the first time a beer garden at Westlake Center will be available for parade fans to enjoy prior and during the Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade.
Seafair Weekend Festival
The 2018 Seafair Weekend Festival will be broadcast live on KONG 6 on Sunday, August 3rd from 3 pm to 6 pm. The coverage will feature the Boeing Air Show featuring the Blue Angels and the Albert Lee Appliance Gold Cup race featuring H1 Hydroplane racing. The Boeing Air Show will also feature the P-51 Mustang Warbird, Brad Wuersten’s Stunt Plane, the PBY Catalina, which is known as the American flying boat, Port Angeles’s US Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and many more. New this year to Seafair’s hydroplane racing is the Junior Hydro Program (J-Hydro) which features children aged 9 to 16 years of age. Children build and rig their own boat and then compete in their own J-Hydro race at Seafair Weekend. Hyperlite’s Wakeboarding demonstrations and Monster Energy’s BMX stunt riders will once again take over Seafair’s ‘South Turn.’
Planning on attending? Don’t forget to hashtag you photos on social media with #SeafairIsSummer! You can follow Seafair on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
