They weren't able to handle logistics. Waited 1 hr 20 to catch return bus then have to wait…read moreanother 50 for water taxi. Spent 4 hrs commuting to attend festival for 2 hrs

Really a great local fest. The whole community comes together. There are so many events it's hard…read moreto keep track. The friday night beer garden was fantastic this year with rocking until late at night. The parade is like the Fremont Solstice parade without the pretentious nudists. I love watching all my neighbors marching through the street with pride. I was a little underwhelmed by the vendors this year. Not a lot of good arts and crafts and a lot of cheap, carnival style junk. Some good food though. The booth with the Seafood Cocktail was great as were the pastrami sandwich and Gyros booths. Makes me really proud that I moved to Vashon.

First Reviewed: 11/27/15 Bucket List: check!…read more This event is an American Icon. Our first time here and it was a wonderful experience. It gets really crowded but we got there at 8:15 (start of parade is 9am) and was lucky enough to get good spots to watch the parade. We watch it from Pine St. & 5th Ave. The Macy's Parade is just a fantastic start for the holidays, it's fun, exciting, and entertaining. Many put this on bucket list but I would say put it on your annual traditions list. Expect huge crowds and dress warm as you will standing in the normally cold timeframe. 31° Farenheit was the temperature throughout the parade. Go super early if you want a great view. Some of the floats were definitely very beautiful and colorful. Definitely a must see if you are in SEATTLE for thanksgiving. Plus at the end of the parade you will get to see the big man himself... Santa! When it comes to location and route. The Macy's Holiday Parade commences at 9 AM on the corner of 7th Ave. and Pine St., and will then travel west down Pine to 5th Ave., south on 5th to University St., west on University to 4th Ave. and then north on 4th before concluding at the front of Macy's Department Store at approximately 11 AM. I'd highly recommend anyone who hasn't gone to the parade to definitely go. USEFUL TIPS: * Aim to get a spot near the beginning of the parade route. * Bring snacks & beverages * If your impatient and or dislike crowds, don't go! * Make sure you know where you can go to the restroom, especially if you have kids. * Get there early (I cannot stress this enough)! The parade is worth seeing.

Oodalalee is a concert series being held at Pier 62, with a regular set of musicians, such as…read moreHermanos Guitierrez, Silversun Pickups, etc. They've installed a stage and have food vendors towards the water. It's easy to get to. You can park downtown, or hoof it from the Westlake Light Rail Station. Lots of steps down to the venue, so be prepared for a hike on your way back! We went to see Silversun Pickups, mostly on a lark, since I wanted to check out the venue. It's a really cool place for a concert. The biggest drawback was that there's no shade, so on hot summer months it can be a bit distressing. Definitely bring a hat! Also, food options are hit or miss. We arrived for the headliner, mostly missing the opener. When we arrived only one of the food trucks was open (the other two were already closed), and there was no water to be found! We had to by a canned beverage, empty its contents, and fill at a water station to get water. That was not okay, and it seemed the organizers really should have been prepared for the crowd, especially on a hot day. We enjoyed the music and the venue, despite some of the complications. Audio quality was good and not too loud. They were able to accommodate a large crowd reasonably well. I'd consider coming back.

First time attending the Jubilee, and with so many other options in Seattle to choose from, this…read morewas a pretty fun venue. The local shops all had booths out with info that I might not otherwise get. Stopped into some new restaurants for cocktails and tried out their fares Lots of fun!

Each year for the 4th of July CWB holds its annual Wooden Boat Festival. What a pleasure!…read more There is so much to do and see. It is in a pleasant area, with a wide open view of the water and a large field. Music. Educational opportunities. Boat rides. Boat-building contests. Tugboats. Beer garden. Activities for kids. Lots of happy people, sharing their love of boats. This year complications with volunteer scheduling - management is going to look into it- led me to NOT volunteer and instead enjoy the festival as a general public person. While I los tsoem of the camarderie of being a volunteer, I had mor etiem to walk onto boats and hang out. This year people could be treated to seeing the Adventuress, the Zodiac and also the Virginia v! These are such classics! Go next year. Volunteer or no, but GO!

There were some street parking that costed $1 per an hour from 8AM to 11AM and $1.50 per an hour…read morefrom 11AM to 6PM. Great place to visit a lot of venue in one place. Also great to roam around. They conveniently have the monorail in the Seattle Center.

I've attended a few events here, the most recent being the Carnival of Cocktails on March 8, 2025…read more It was a fantastic experience with a great selection of drinks and small bites. I also appreciated that the event took place in two different venues--the Exhibition Hall and the Fisher Pavilion. Walking between them, I enjoyed the stroll and the views. Overall, I've had good experiences with events here. Parking options include paid street parking nearby or the parking garage across the street.

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

The Arab Festival is sponsored by the Arab Center of Washington. It is a two day event at the…read moreArmory of the Seattle Center. Hours are from 11:15 am - 6:00 pm There are cultural presentations including Dancing, fashion, cooking demonstrations, traditional and non-traditional music including DJs, etc. There were booths with some sponsors, a children's craft table, high school crafts workshop, backgammon workshop, and others. The movies Witness Bahrain Home in Time for War Art of Resilience Hip Hop is Bigger than Occupation There are lectures at the event, and for the 2015 event there was... Poetry Doing business in the Middle East Mediterranean diet Travel Storytelling Henna Arab music Arab authors Fruit Cosmetology (hair) There were also countries represented, which was very interesting. The Saudi, Egyptian, Libyan and Moroccan exhibits were nice and their staff was very polite. Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan and a few others were present as well. Sorry I can't remember them all. There was also an art gallery. Artists include Samia El-Mosilmany Mohammed Aoun Ismail Koloud Trapolsi Umm Aminah Some of the music included DJ Dana Dub Tarik Bentlemsani Naseem Band Ghassan Shakir The Oud solo George Safmdak Trio The food was in another building and it was a good mix. I wish more people would have had tea! The food was represented by Petra Mediterranean Bistro Mamnoon Ishtar Beyti Kitchen Al-Kahwa The lady from Craft Arab was both interesting and funny! The woman at the Emirates booth I spoke to was so polite, kind and full of information. Vendors Emirates Zip Realty Dish Reach media A Crafty Arab Palestine Children's Relief Fund HennaDervish Network of Arab American Professionals Arab Center of Washington Rachel Corrie Foundation Faux Filigree Guidance Residential ACW Education booth Palestinian Heritage Group Palestine Solidarity Comm. Seattle Palestine Information Project Palestine Teaching Trunk LoveMEnation The American Near East Refugee Aid Egyptian handmade Tentmaking Morocco Off the Beaten Track Skyline Properties Southwest Youth and Family Services Cune Press Mazen's TV Receivers Seattle Police Dept. Arab Alliance Chamber of Commerce of WA Miss Bans Overall a very interesting day and a good way to experience Arab culture and make some new friends. Thanks Arab Center of Washington for a great time!