This particular Chinatown International District event - which usually occurs around the time of…read morethe Moon Festival - has been around since 2006 though I've gone here starting back in 2011. Past night markets have spanned throughout King St starting from - but not including - 7th Ave all the way down to 5th Ave, spanning outwards on 5th, 6th and Maynard to the blocks touching both Weller and Jackson Streets. This year (and several other years before that) there were no fair contents on the stretch of Maynard touching Weller. Basically, there's 6 blocks of food and merchandise vendors for night market goers to enjoy, and there's less content year after year. Logistics wise, people come and go throughout the fair, though this day was particularly crowded because of two home games in both T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field occurring within the time frame of the night market. It gets very, very crowded the closer you get to the end as certain performances are scheduled within that time. I don't mind this though, since crowds where you're shoulder to shoulder with others is what night markets in this continent are all about. As with previous years after 2018 or so, the main stage is at Hing Hay Park instead of the parking lot at 6th and King close to Jolidaze and Oasis. I actually miss having the stage at its former location, but Hing Hay Park is definitely more aesthetically calming for big performances. If you want to watch performances, you should come here early to snag a spot, or hope people leave so you can get a spot where you can see better. Food wise, there's more local Seattle (or at least WA-state native) eateries than what was in this year's nonlocally diluted Bite of Seattle: - I started off getting spicy mango takoyaki from a stand very close to Bao Box (based in Covington, WA), though both stands share the same POS system to order from. Takoyaki is standard, and the spice hits hard but much later than you think. I wish I could have tasted more mango in the mango sauce, though. - The mango coconut smoothie from Mangosteen (which used to be in Chinatown) is pure heaven! It was relatively warm this year so this drink especially hit the spot. - I also got some pandan waffles from a Seattle-based stand called Dragonfly. They sell Vietnamese waffle mixes along with the waffles of those flavors themselves. I love pandan flavor on waffles, so this was a big hitter for me as well. Entertainment wise, I'm divided on this since I'm considering years of attending this event. The lion dances from Mak Fai are always fun to see year after year, and though I missed this year's Apex Diabolo performance in person I'm sure they were really mesmerizing to watch as they always are. Honestly, I would much prefer watching the dancing competitions from The Beacon back then instead of the K-pop random dance play event this year, both of which occur as the last performance of this event. I did, however, have some fun at the variety show and got to listen to some awesome local API artists sing their hearts out; it makes me miss more of the singing that used to take up slightly more time slots on entertainment in past years. Unlike the Bite of Seattle, I'm down to come back here year after year regardless of the lack of changes with the vendors. There's a ton of local eats, merch booths are very interesting, and we still have an eclectic set of performances to boot. This event isn't something worth staying the whole duration for, but you can enjoy yourself and the crowds very easily here.

Looking for summer fun, entertainment, eats, and getting smoked out by all the grilled eats?!…read more.. come to the ID during this festival! My friend and I were eager to try all the sweet and savory eats while being entertained by the on stage pop locking / breakdancing. Be prepared for the crowds! The space is limited to a few blocks leaving little room to move about and few places to find refuge. Wonderful smells from all the eats offers temptations, whilst the smoke from the grilled eats literally 'crowds' you :0/ thankfully industrial fans were about Overall a great experience! Hopefully next festival will offer more areas to escape

Seattle Center Winterfest is a "can't miss" during the holiday season, especially if you have kids…read more Kick off your holiday season at this annual wintertime celebration. The annual event, held the day after Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, will include lots of free and affordable, activities and entertainment for the whole family. See a miniature Winter Train and Village inside the Amory (and get a chance to work the controls!), visit the Winterfest Ice Rink, see ice sculpting demonstrations and live performances on the weekends. What a fun place to get in the holiday spirits. It's definitely a fun outing to check out.

5 stars all the way for this Seattle hometown tradition! I've been going to Winterfest since I was…read morelittle and the school took us for holiday field trips! It's changed a bit over the years but the same feeling of celebration and just plain holiday joy still permeate the festival. Located in and around the renamed Centerhouse (now called the Armory in memorial to its earlier days) at Seattle Center - Winterfest is easy to get to and has lots of parking options. Food options: everything in the Armory building food court. Entertainment options: lots of music and dance groups through out the festival. There is a main stage inside and a schedule published online. Mainly a mix of students and cultural heritage groups. There is a big ice skating rink outside and an ice sculpting contest. Lots of beautiful decorations, giant Christmas trees all around, holiday lights and stars speckled bunting hanging from the ceiling. Though the big draw for us every year are the trains! There is a huge winter village setup in the middle of the building with several model trains. My favorite this year was the carousel - such a pretty piece in the winter village! They were having electrical issues on the day we went so the trains weren't running temporarily. But the village was still lit up and animated otherwise. Lots of fun and pretty to look at. No doubt hours and hours of hard work go into this train village- amazing! Winterfest is open to all and free! Great community event that we love going to every year!

It's Not Just For Stoners' Anymore :)…read more SITREP Nowadays, if it's mi mamasita's birthday, it's time for HEMPFEST! I always get a kick spending a week or so with my mom back in Seattle! THE SETUP I always have fun here with the music and DJ'ing, with the food, with the people, and with the energy. THE PARKING Okay. Let's deal with the bad stuff first. PARKING SUCKS. And if that's not bad enough, the fact that it's in a rather remote location on the sound at both the Elliot Bay and Myrtle Edwards parks makes it's a CONSIDERABLE HIKE to get to in the first place. THE AMENITIES & HYGIENE STANDARDS Okay. Not terrible, but consider the crowd this attracts: Hippies. Alternative Rockers. Punks. Gypsies. Free Spirits. Free Spirited Alternative Punk Hippies That Don't Bath. You get the idea. And since this is outdoors, in August, and it's hot, and people are moving around, and DANCING, AND SWEATING, you can get some pretty pungeant aromas. FUN Still, there is so much to see, so much to do, so much to eat, so much music to listen to, so many vendors to check out. And it's IN Seattle. I usually have to travel hundreds of miles away to be in a big group of smelly people with smelly paraphenalia. However, with Hempfest there is the extreme convenience of all THAT.... coming to YOU! MUSIC Grab a schedule, check out the bandstands, and enjoy the music. Also check out the tents because that is where some of the best DJs hang out. I really enjoyed my first time I ever went to Hempfest precisely because of the DJs. This is where I saw some really talented individuals introduce to the whole concept of "POWER MIXING" - using no more than a 30-second / 1 min segment of a song before moving on to the next track, but in a seamless stream of musical-construction that built beautiful musical pieces. These guys did it really well too. DON'T WORRY, MARYJANE! Though public perception may be otherwise, there is significant relegation of smoking at these events, and if you find it, it will be mainly on the perimeter and/or on the waterfront itself on the rocks. SECOND FUNNIEST MOMENT I couldn't stop my mom in time from buying and eating a brownie from the fairy princess gal. She was impossible to deal with the rest of the afternoon with her goofiness. This was the first time I took her. She's learned her lesson and been a good girl the 2-3 other times we've been together. THE FUNNIEST MOMENT This was just too sublime. A group of skater dudes were mosing through the asphalt path, between gaggles of giggling girls and some families with their screaming kids. Getting *bumped around* accidentally is going to happen. A small packet of *something* dislodged itself from a pocket of one of the guys. Perched on the side of the grassy rise were 4 police on horses overlooking the path, the groups of people, and the crew of skater dudes. I happened to be close enough to see it was a baggy of joints. I'm sure these 4 Horsemen of the Seattle Apocalypse noted that too. EVERYONE froze when the joints hit the ground. Then the mounted policeman who appeared to be the most senior of the group nonplussed just said to the skater dude, "You dropped something, son." After a pregnant pause, the dude picked up his baggy, waved and the police, and said, "Thank you!" THE LOWDOWN I LOVE THIS FESTIVAL! [Survey Question - "Good for Kids?" Uh. I'm saying "YES".]

Seattle Hempfest is the world's largest annual cannabis festival, drawing in hundreds of thousands…read moreeach and every year. The 3 day festival occurs during the second to last weekend of every August across Olympic Sculpture Park, Myrtle Edwards Park, and Centennial Park...Spread along the Seattle Waterfront....The event was founded in 1991, self described as a "humble gathering of stoners," by 500 Mary Jane enthusiasts congregating to advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana. It was truly a civil struggle to establish such reform and cannabis culture throughout it's 27 year lifetime.... as 60 people were cited for illegal marijuana use in 1997 while attending. The following year, about 20 were arrested for the same offense. Since then, local authorities have gradually looked the other way... which is what prompted peak attendance in 2008 to grow to over 310,000 people....2008 was the first Hempfest I personally attended, and I've been to every one since. Until about 2014, the festival was more of a celebration exercising local liberal NW behaviors to freely consume weed. It focused on the theme of social justice activists working to bring cannabis knowledge to the world at large ....Unfortunately over the last couple of years following recreational legalization, Seattle Hempfest has become a business avenue focusing exclusively on making as much profit as possible. It's apparent that money has become the focal point, superseding it's original purpose to expand knowledge and to educate...Vendor booths range from $1,000-2,000....staff members heckle attendees for 10 dollar donations at the entrances, while scolding with derision if you choose not to 'donate.' They also used to be pet friendly, but have decided to harass any and all attendees with even service animal verification. Yet they couldn't care less about people bringing babies and small children around other event goers smoking. Security also now yells and harass people who smoke blunts or joints, yet are okay with people smoking from recently purchased pipes and bongs from vendor booths....I wonder why that is.....Overall, I feel that Hempfest has taken a turn for the worst- falling into the hands of greedy businessmen while regressing back to strict social confinements and politics.........Consequently, the turnout has diminished noticeably....This year's attendance was abysmal to say the least.... "Sponsorship is the best way to maximize your vending and information display presence. Show you are a strong Hempfest-supporting brand to all our audiences, from the masses at the festival to our year-round online community and the larger markets Hempfest licensed events reach. Pricing ranges from $1,500 to $30,000 for full packages. This includes premium vending placements, information displays in a range of print and online media, and additional exposure opportunities that are only available exclusively to our sponsors. This includes banners on our stages and/or logos on all our collateral materials." On a positive note....peep this vid..!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJcHjj2awT0

Each year, I catch the tail end of this festival due to scheduling. This time, I actually made it…read moreto enjoy some of the festivities. The festival showcases performances by children and their ethnic heritages. Dancing, singing, and other musical performances are scheduled. Aside from the performances, about half of Fisher Plaza at Seattle Center is set up with tables representing a wide variety of cultures. A fun thing for the kids is a "passport" that they carry with them to get stamps to enter a raffle. There are tons of arts and crafts as well as costumes for kids to dress up in. Although we didn't partake in any food, here was a section set up. I'm not sure how much anything cost but it seemed like a decent showing. Overall, a good volunteer run festival that happens on an annual basis.

This Festival rocks! Take your kids out of school, come at night or choose a time to come on…read moreSaturday from 10am - 5pm!

Super friendly people! Everybody with the best attitude to meet others and have a good time…read more I know these events are very joyful and I always like them! Maybe after going to Santacon it wasn't that big as I was expecting :( We weren't that many this year and we were all over the place. It was until 3pm that we fill one place.

I think this year has been one of the largest groups for BunnyCon and as you know, it will only get…read moremore word of mouth and popularity. There are already people signing up for next years event. BunnyCon is the Bunny Bar Hop that you've seen in previous years hosted by David LeClair. I have attended many of his meet up events in the past and he shows that he has years of event experience by the amount of people he can manage and yield as well as communicate and coordinate with the local bars in the area. Because there was such a great turnout of over 1,500 people for this years event, many bars that were on the listed hop areas were overwhelmed with bunnies. I felt it was a successful event and because it is Seattle; many bars were available to take the overflow of bunnies from neighboring restaurants that were on the list. Entertainment was fun and tastefully presented as well as the control of crowd. Even though Sakura-con was going on, parking was still to be had and there were no messy situations (that I know of). Everyone seemed to be respectful and wanting to just have clean fun. I attended from 3pm to midnight and followed the rules to stay fed, hydrated, and well full of energetic fun. Because this is a large festival, the experience is what you make of it. There are all possible options and venues available to choose from as well the whole geographic area of downtown Seattle at your fingertips. it could be as exciting or as boring as you wanted since it was up to you to go further from or closer to the action of BunnyCon as your legs could take you (in case you needed a break from the crowd). Good times. I am a fan! Thanks for the event and memories through the Seattle rain.

Over 300 booths of all sorts of handmade arts and crafts! An entire block and a good portion of the…read morefirst floor of the parking garage behind the Bellevue Square is filled with exhibitors. A smaller section of booths are also located down the road by the Bellevue Collection. Plus there are plenty of other activities: - Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) offers free admission along with a KIDSfair consisting of mini hands-on projects. - Bellevue Square hosts performances at a BAMboozle Stage outside of Macy's and at a Sound & Movement Stage inside at the center court. - Chalk It Up on the road outside of BAM is reserved for free-style art. - Food vendors are available to purchase meals, snacks, or drinks. It's a great annual event to spend an afternoon at, especially if you are a fan of art!

Since the 1940s, BAM ARTSfair has been celebrating the connection between community and the world…read moreof art, craft, and design. Devoted to bringing some of the nation's most talented artists, the Fair features thousands of original artworks, including painting, sculpture, fashion, and jewelry. With over 300 exhibiting artists, both emerging and well-known, BAM ARTSfair is one the region's largest gatherings and a unique opportunity to acquire art directly from the makers. The Fair also features live music, artist demonstrations, community art projects, KIDSfair, and complimentary admission to BAM. The BAM ARTSfair is an annual, summertime events that attracts locals and tourists. They were so many booths/tents to look at. They all had different types & styles to look at. I also loves looking at the photography they had, beautiful pictures from all over. I haven't purchased any for myself because it's too expensive. Anyway, I love the ARTSFAIR! Recommend and will return next year.

What an incredible experience and well worth the trip from Alaska!…read more We have friends and family that have been traveling to the Flower & Garden Festival for several years and we finally had the opportunity to attend in Feb 2019! We already had some insider information, so it helped us a bit. We stayed a mere two blocks away, bought a ticket package in advance and so glad we did. The week days were definitely better for less crowds and there is soooo much to take in. Booths galore, food, bees, bugs, gardening, decor, classes and the completions; it's was absolutely wonderful and we are looking forward to going back in 2020! Out of all the spectators and vendors, we only found a single person in a foul mood and we quickly moved on from him! It was such a great atmosphere and dare I say difficult to take it all in. It was awesome. It was a great break from the snow, excellent prep for spring and had us craving landscaping and gardening from the moment we arrived. We personally chose to make the first day a 'look not buy' day. We took flyers and business cards back to our room in the evening; taking out time to look things up online and discuss what we loved and couldn't live without. If you're traveling from out of town, I highly recommend traveling with an empty suitcase. We put our smaller carry-on luggage inside our larger cases and came back with boxes, checked baggage and a carry-on each!

The NWFGS is an annual pilgrimage for us. Rain or shine we are there. Actually I don't remember…read moreanything but rain since the show is in the winter. We make a day of it and head to the "Big City" for some flower and garden fun. The exhibits are plentiful as well as the vendors. We always spend a small fortune buying what have you's for the upcoming gardening season. If you have a step counter device you will definitely get your steps in perusing all the booths and garden exhibits. I don't find pricing is any cheaper at the show but the convenience of having everything you can possibly imagine for gardening under one roof makes up for it. We always walk through then go back and start buying as we start the exit process. It's about 3.5 hours in total. We always incorporate a trip to the Public Market because no trip to the 206 is complete without it. It's just a short walk there and back from whatever parking garage you find around Pike and 6th. We always like going there even though it's jammed with people. I get the seafood cocktails from random seafood stands. Good stuff. We always buy some kind of fresh bread or produce to bring home to "the sticks" as well. I have to say this was the first time in recent memory I wasn't forced to walk through a cloud of someone's pot smoke walking down the street. That was nice. All in all our trip to the 206 was pretty good. Hoo-Yahh Seattle!

If you are looking for a free holiday event to do in downtown Seattle this is worth checking out…read more It's inside, warm and dry. I would not come here solely for this event, but I would add it on to something you are already doing in Seattle. If you come on Sunday you might be able to score free street parking, but this is challenging. There is a Starbucks inside, places to sit and a bathroom. I have seen much bigger and impressive displays in other cities, but I am certain people worked hard to make these happen. We waited in a long line, but it was a good chance to visit and socialize with our group. You do stand the whole time so beware for those that this is difficult for. When you finally get to the entrance there were some people passing out free candy canes. This year there are only a few houses, but 2 of them are fantastic and photo worthy. The theme is this year is "Toy Shop Time Machine". It supports Breakthrough T1D. You can certainly take your time looking at the gingerbread houses and take photos and videos, but the actual time needed to walk thru is very small, its the line waiting that takes forever.

While the gingerbread creations are amazing, and awe-inspiring, the lines can be long. Too long for…read morethe quick visit, to be honest. But the young employees handing out mini candy canes are kind and full of smiles.