BAM Arts Fair and Seafair – It’s Summer in Seattle

courtesy flickr/pveland

You know it’s summer in the Northwest when it’s time for the BAM Arts Fair and Seafair.

The BAM Arts Fair is the largest juried arts and crafts festival in the Northwest. Located at the west side of Bellevue Square, you’ll find 300+ artists featuring everything from nationally known artists to local one-of-a-kind arts and crafts designers. Don’t miss the Kids Fair, food trucks and exhibitions. (visit bellevuearts.org for more information)

The weekend of the BAM Arts Fair also signals the start of Seafair. Events kick off with the Alaska Airlines/Seafair Torchlight Parade on Saturday July 29th. The parade starts at 3:00 PM  this year (earlier than in the past) at Seattle Center with endless entertainment and of course the Seafair Pirates. The Boeing Air Show runs August 4th – 6th (seafair.org/seafairairshow). The Blue Angels arrive mid week. Watch the skies starting Thursday for their practice runs across the Puget Sound region in preparation for the big show on Sunday. (You’ll hear them before you see them.) Seafair wouldn’t be complete without the hydroplane races on Lake Washington – practice runs Friday and Saturday with races on Sunday. Whether you’re on the lakeshore at Genesee Park, on a boat rafted to the log boom or have a front row seat on your own deck, enjoy this Seattle summer tradition. Wrapping up Seafair is Fleet Week August 1st – 6th on the Seattle waterfront (seafair.org/fleetweek). There’s a parade of ships through Elliot Bay, ship tours and the opportunity to meet sailors and guardsmen.

So many summer traditions in the coming weeks . . . and still a month until Labor Day.