Set your sights on these summer festivals
By Ben McBee May 26, 2025
Summer on the Puget Sound is filled with certainties, like extra daylight for outdoor adventures or telling your friends “oh, I’ve always wanted to go to that” — the week after that happened. This year, it’s time to drop that all too common refrain and check out our favorite summer festivals in Seattle and beyond before the season runs out.
Explore our city’s rich cultural tapestry at Seattle Center Festál, a series of 25 free festivals that run through January, with celebrations including the Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival, Indigenous People Festival, BrasilFest, and Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival occurring in the summer months.
Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival.
Photo by Susan Fried, courtesy of Seattle Center
June kicks off the Emerald City’s flagship event Seafair, a more than monthlong party filled with Fourth of July fireworks, Fleet Week activities, the Blue Angels performing aerial acrobatics, hydroplane races on Lake Washington, and more.
Seafair Fourth of July celebration at Lake Union Park, with reserved seating for a front-row view of the fireworks.
Photo courtesy of Seafair
If by now you’re feeling hungry, The Taste NW is a must. More than 150 food vendors descend on the fairgrounds in Puyallup, offering a smorgasbord of local cuisine, cook-off battles, and of course, the margarita bar. Only have eyes for the pies? Rhubarb Days in downtown Sumner is a showcase of the surprisingly versatile ruby red stalk (think candles, body care, jam, syrups, lemonade, and even cocktails).
Craft Beer & Cider Tasting at The Taste Northwest.
Photo courtesy of The Fair
Raise a glass at this year’s Kirkland Uncorked, a gathering where passionate vintners share their wares with fellow wine lovers. It’s also a fundraiser for Motley Zoo Animal Rescue, so cheers to that.
Kilts are not required (but they are high fashion) at the Skagit Valley Highland Games, a convening of everything Celtic. Pile the family in the car and join the fun, which includes sheepdog demonstrations, bagpipe and dance performances, a harp tent and instrument “petting zoo,” and of course athletic competitions.
The Skagit Valley Highland Games.
Photo courtesy of Celtic Arts Foundation
To find art near (or far), visit the Seattle Art Fair or head to the Anacortes Arts Festival — now in its 64th year. Want to broaden your musical horizons and branch out from Bumbershoot? Hop on a ferry and head to Departure Fest NW, which weaves with Native storytelling in the picturesque setting of Twana Springs.
Departure Festival at Twana Springs.
Photo courtesy of Kalan Wolfe and The Shift
And if you’re ultimately just looking for a taxi to a different planet, Burien UFO Festival is the perfect place to explore our region’s extraterrestrial lore.
