Seafair

History

Seafair has been an annual event in Seattle since 1950 but its roots can be traced to the 1911 Seattle Golden Potlatch Celebrations.

The 2020 schedule for Seafair was cancelled on May 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on public gatherings. The next edition of Seafair was also cancelled in April 2021, stating that "while encouraged by Governor Inslee's Phase 3 guidelines that support small and medium size events to return with limitations, Seafair leadership recognizes the guidelines will not support events the scale of a city-wide festival."

Events

Seafair begins in mid-June; since 1949, its arrival has been heralded by the Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki Beach, and the Milk Carton Derby on Green Lake, a whimsical boat race in which all the boats have been constructed out of empty milk cartons. Entries always range from those carefully shaped for speed and stability to those designed for maximum amusement. The Derby is usually associated with a variety of activities for children and families on the shores of Green Lake.

The Green Lake Aqua Theater was built in 1950, to host the Aqua Follies "swimusicals" – a water ballet, diving, dancing, and comedy show produced by Al Sheehan.

A half marathon was added in 2002, followed three years later by the full Seafair Marathon. Participants can run or walk the 21.0975 km and 42.195 km courses. If a shorter distance is more appealing, participants can run or walk a 5 km course. The 2008 Seafair Half Marathon and Seafair Marathon began at Husky Stadium, crossed the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, and ended at Bellevue, Washington's Bellevue Downtown Park. After the race, live music was performed. In 2009, the Seafair Marathon and Half Marathon were replaced with the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon.

In 2013, an Independence Day fireworks show at Lake Union known as the Seafair Summer Fourth was added. The event serves as a de facto successor to the Family Fourth fireworks event formerly held at the same site, which had been discontinued by its organizers due to a lack of funding. The event was revived under the auspices of Seafair with the financial support of local sponsors.

The Seafair Triathlon is held on the shores of Lake Washington from Seward Park. It features both Sprint – half-mile swim, 12 mi bike ride, and 5 km run – and Olympic distances. Participants can compete individually or as a team. Typically, the Seafair Triathlon is held the third weekend of July. In 2007, the Seafair Triathlon saw a record turnout of 2,200.

The Chinatown Seafair Parade occurs annually. It is organized by the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce and takes place in Seattle's Chinatown-International District. The Huayin Performing Arts Group, Chinatown Dragon Team, Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, Seattle All City Marching Band, and Dolls & Gents Drill Team and Drumline are among the local performance groups that participate. The Seafair Clowns and Pirates have also joined. The parade began in 1950: that year Seattle's Chinese American community expanded lion dances as part of Seafair's International Carnival events, started the Chinatown parade, and began sending performance groups to the Torchlight Parade.

The Torchlight festivities

The last weekend in July belongs to the Torchlight Parade and Torchlight Run. Many local organizations participate in these events, held on the streets of Downtown Seattle. The local woman who has been selected as "Miss Seafair" (prior to 1972, "Seafair Queen") plays a prominent role in the parade. It is traditionally preceded by the Torchlight Run, a short (8 km) race through the city's streets in which many participants run in costume.

Seafair Weekend

One of the most popular events of the festival is the Seafair Weekend, held traditionally the first weekend of August on Genesee Park. Seafair Weekend main events include hydroplane racing on the water and aerobatics show in the sky.

The Seafair Cup is an American Boat Racing Association unlimited hydroplane racing circuit stop at Stan Sayres Memorial Park on Lake Washington, in the Seward Park neighborhood. The races attract tens of thousands of spectators, both those standing on the public shores of the lake, and those in boats anchored to logs (known as the "Log Boom") just outside the course in the lake itself. Mercer Island High School's student-run FM radio station, KMIH 88.9 The Bridge, is the designated radio broadcast for hydroplane racing and the airshows throughout the weekend.

A tradition started in 1972, the Seafair Air Show is an aerobatics show coincidently with the days of the Seafair Cup. World-class aerobatics teams perform their aerial stunts over Lake Washington, most prominently the US Navy Blue Angels and US Army Golden Knights. Notoriously, the Blue Angels have been attending the Air Show annually since its first edition, excepting in three occasions. The aerobatics show is a slightly controversial part of Seafair, as some local residents fear an accident involving the low-flying aircraft, and some find the noise of the jet engines irritating. There was no show at Seafair in 1994 and 1995 as a result of a dispute with the FAA about whether they could safely fly over Lake Washington. In 1996 the Blue Angels flew over Elliott Bay, west of downtown Seattle, in a separate event from the hydroplane race, but this was a financial flop, and they returned to being part of the race-weekend festivities over Lake Washington in 1997. Due to government budget cuts, the Blue Angels did not perform at Seafair 2013; they were replaced by the Patriots Jet Team.

Groups

Seafair Pirates

Main article: Seafair Pirates

Another aspect of Seafair is the involvement of the Seafair Pirates, an organization that works year-round entertaining children in hospitals and performing other acts of community service including extensive fundraising. However, the pirates also usually perform loud—occasionally offensive—antics at Seafair (in an attempt to live up to their name) that cause perennial objection to their prominent involvement in the festivities. Despite this reputation, most people who enjoy Seafair see them as an essential part of the event.

Seafair Clowns

The Seafair Clowns have been part of Seafair since the 1950s, but became a nonprofit organization in 2015. The Clowns formed out of Seattle University's Graduates Club. Their stated mission is to spread joy by participating in events and performing visits. They visit nursing homes and hospitals during Seafair, while also appearing at festival events.

Critiques

Although Seafair celebrations are varied and aimed at different audiences, the Blue Angels airshow draws criticism from some residents for its glorification of war, use of fossil fuel, and impact on the climate. In 2023, about half of the respondents to a survey sent to readers of the South Seattle Emerald, a local, progressive-leaning news website for South Seattle, where the festival takes place, responded that they, "hated" Seafair. In 2025, a billboard reading "Say no to the Blue Angles," and that the airshow is "too loud," triggers "war trauma," and causes "pollution," was unveiled in the Seattle neighborhood of Rainer Beach by the group Airshow Climate Action.

References

References

1. Wafai, Yasmeen. (May 20, 2020). "Seafair cancels major summer 2020 events". The Seattle Times.
2. (April 21, 2021). "Pandemic sidelines Seafair unlimited hydroplane racing again as event moves virtual".
3. [http://www.seafair.com/about/history/decades/70s.asp History of Seafair - 1970's]
4. Batsell, Jake. (May 25, 1999). "For Seafair's 50th, Here Come The Aqua Follies, Classic Summer Shtick That Once Mesmerized Seattle". [[The Seattle Times]].
5. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2008094409_marathon06.html The Seattle Times: Rock 'n' roll run set to replace Seafair Marathon, by Jayda Evans, August 6, 2008]
6. "McGinn got heads-up, has plan to salvage Fourth of July fireworks". Seattle Times.
7. "SEAFAIR SUMMER FOURTH – KNOW BEFORE YOU GO". [[Seattle Chamber of Commerce]].
8. participants [http://www.seafair.com/events/triathlon/ Seafair Triathlon]
9. (July 28, 2022). "PICTORIAL: Chinatown Seafair Parade".
10. Wong, Marie Rose. (November 15, 2021). "The Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team: Forging a Tradition One Step at a Time".
11. "Seafair Weekend Festival".
12. (2024-01-24). "Seafair Log Boom - Seafair".
13. (2025-07-24). "KMIH 88.9 The Bridge Returns to Seafair!".
14. [http://capitolhillseattle.blogspot.com/2007/04/no-more-blue-angels-over-homes-please.html Capitol Hill Seattle blog - No More Blue Angels Over Homes Please]
15. [http://www.seafair.com/about/history/decades/90s.asp History of Seafair - 1990's]
16. (August 2019). "Seafair Weekend 2019: What You Need to Know".
17. [http://www.seafairpirates.org/SPONSORS/PressClippings/2005/050709SeaTimesSeafairhookedonitspirates/2002370228_pirates09m.html The Seattle Times: Seafair hooked on its pirates, By Victor Gonzales, July 9th, 2005]
18. (July 2, 2015). "CityStream: Seafair Clowns".
19. (December 12, 2017). "A brief history of Seafair".
20. (July 15, 2025). "Prepare for funny business! Here’s when you can meet the Seafair Clowns".
21. Davis, Mike. (2025-07-28). "The Roundup: What If I Don't Want to Say No to the Blue Angels?".
22. (2025-07-23). "Opposition to Blue Angels is revving up".
23. (2024-08-02). "Let's honor the past but bid farewell to the Blue Angels {{!}} Op-Ed".
24. (2023-08-03). "We Asked, You Answered: Sound Off on Seafair Poll Results".