One of the great traditions every summer in Seattle since 1950 is Seafair weekend.  This event is truly one that makes Seattle unique as a city with live music, food, and of course aerobatic performances in the blue skies of August.  Starting on Thursday August 3rd and ending on August 6th, events for everyone in the family to enjoy one of the best weekends in Seattle.  The Boeing Seafair air show with the Albert Lee Appliance cup are just some of the events to see at the most popular spot to view the show at Genessee Park on Lake Washington.  There will also be a kid’s zone with characters like princess Elsa and Spider-Man for selfie moments and face painting that is a tradition in any fair.

The history of Seafair began as a way to celebrate Seattle’s centennial year of  1951-52 and put the city of Seattle on the map with the rest of the country.  Since it was known as the boating capital of the world, Seafiar was designed to attract tourists.  Seattle city leaders hired Walter Van Camp to produce the event and he built a 5,500 seat Aqua Theatre in 75 days  to showcase marine events in Greenlake where it was originally hosted.  A swimusical” known as the Aqua Follies took place in the aqua arena with a diving show performed by skilled divers who could dive from treacherous heights as well as comedy skits, amateur athletic events and boat races on Green Lake.  Since it was a great success, the city decided to continue the event and it grew.  The following year the hydroplane racing Gold Cup was added on Lake Washington and shaped the event.  Staples in the event like the Blue Angels and the Bon Odori performance are the oldest running performances in Seafair history.  It grew to such a grand scale that Bob Hope and Bing Crosby attended Seafair in 1958 as honorary Grand Marshals in the Seafair Grande Parade.  Now, in its 68th year, it is a festival that proudly features 75 events that is observed by over 2 million people.  This year’s event had more than 3,000 volunteers to make it happen and it will continue to grow.  The festival is something that marks the glorious summer days of Seattle that we treasure and creates community within this growing city. So, don’t miss the excitement and enjoy the weekend with friends and family.