all about seafair
Seafair’s mission is to create memorable experiences for the people of Puget Sound through fun, inclusive, and relevant events. We connect people with communities, and communities with memorable experiences.
What is Seafair?
Since 1950, nothing has been more synonymous with summer in Seattle than Seafair.
Before the Seahawks and Mariners called Seattle home, before the 1962 World’s Fair that gave us the iconic Space Needle, Seattle celebrated Seafair. Today, the non-profit Seafair has grown into a multi-week festival with events across the Puget Sound touching more than two million people. Times may have changed since its inception, but the core values of Seafair remains dedicated to being a volunteer-driven festival and a catalyst for creating events and experiences that celebrate the best parts of living here.
Become Involved
Seafair is the place we can come together each summer without protest or politics.
The opportunity to celebrate the best part of what it means to live here with friends, neighbors, and strangers. Participate in Seafair by coming together and celebrating our nation’s independence under the colorful artistry of the fireworks on Lake Union, going to a neighborhood parade with your family and cheer on the participants, volunteer at a community event, feel the power of the Blue Angels streaking through the sky, or experience first-hand the fastest boats in the world thunder along Lake Washington. Each event brings us together to celebrate summer in Seattle.
Business Community Support
Since its creation, Seafair has been supported by local businesses and community partnerships.
Corporate support is one of the driving forces that allows Seafair, a 501c(3) non-profit, to continue this beloved festival and produce the multi-week event each summer that thrills and entertains so many. Seafair is the iconic summer tradition that offers personalized partnership opportunities for brands that wants to connect with a passionate, diverse, and engaged audience all summer long with marketing benefits, traffic drivers, digital engagement, and targeted promotions, while engaging with fans on site.
75th anniversary celebrations
This year, we’re proud to celebrate our 75th anniversary with events such as downtown lighting, flag raising, free hydroplane museum tours, and Boeing special viewing.
our rich history
It all began as a plan to celebrate Seattle’s centennial in 1951. The Seattle area was without major league sports teams or the Seattle Center. Thirsty for national recognition and attention, Seafair was designed to attract tourists and showcase marine events in keeping with Seattle’s boast as the “boating capital of the world.”
Prominent Seattle business leaders recruited St. Paul, Minnesota’s Winter Carnival director Walter Van Camp to help produce a similar summertime event in the Emerald City. Van Camp could not wait for the centennial. He went to work in March planning a ten-day celebration for August 11 – 20, 1950. This included building the 5,500 seat Aqua Theater at Green Lake in a mere 75 days.
That first Seafair featured parades, boat races on Green Lake, amateur athletic events, royalty, and a number of community festivals. Seafair was deemed a success and the festival would grow the next summer with the addition of unlimited hydroplane racing’s Gold Cup race on Lake Washington.
As it enters its 75th year, Seafair is a multi-week festival featuring over 30 community events that reach more than two-million people. It’s about building community, creating memories, and providing affordable fun. The festival remains the fabric of our community and is made possible with the help of nearly 3,000 volunteers.
our vibrant communities
Learn more about our history or about how get involved in upcoming events in a fun, creative way. Click the links below to see more about Seafair Royalty and Seafair Family Groups.
