Every summer, Seattle transforms. Hydroplanes tear across Lake Washington at over 220 mph. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels split the sky in tight formation overhead. Thousands of boats crowd the Log Boom. For three months, the city doesn’t just host a festival; it lives one. That festival is Seafair.
If you’re new to Seattle or simply haven’t made it out yet, this guide covers everything:
Seafair launched in 1950 as a 10-day water festival, organized by a committee of local businessmen to commemorate Seattle’s centennial. The first event kicked off on Friday, August 11, 1950, with a blast of whistles and the arrival of King Neptune I.
The hydroplane connection came almost immediately. That same year, Seattleites Stan Sayres and Ted Jones won the Gold Cup, the ultimate trophy, with a boat called “Slo-mo-shun IV.” Gold Cup rules at the time required the winners to host the following year’s competition, so in 1951, the city became home to the national race, beginning the annual hydroplane tradition at Seafair.
A Seafair cult emerged soon after, fueled by the feats of the U.S. Navy’s daredevil pilots known as the Blue Angels. Over the decades, piston-powered boats gave way to turbine-powered H1 Unlimiteds, and what started as a 10-day civic celebration expanded into a summer-long institution.
Today, Seafair spans nearly the entire summer, bringing neighborhoods, waterfront crowds, and longtime traditions together into one citywide celebration.
This festival runs for roughly 10 weeks, building toward its peak on the last weekend of July:
The season’s athletic centerpiece takes place at Seward Park. Competitors swim, bike, and run through one of the most scenic settings on the shores of Lake Washington.
Amazon sponsors a full-day, family-friendly celebration at Lake Union Park, set against the backdrop of the city skyline. Fireworks cap the evening.
The Alaska Airlines Seafair Torchlight Parade lights up the revitalized waterfront after thousands of runners take to the streets for the Kaiser Permanente Seafair Torchlight Run. This parade has marked the unofficial start of Seafair weekend for generations of residents.
The main event. Three days at Genesee Park on Lake Washington, where the Boeing Seafair Air Show, the Apollo Mechanical Cup Hydroplane Races, the Log Boom, food vendors, and live entertainment all converge.
The Blue Angels are the undisputed centerpiece of the air show. The Boeing Seafair Air Show features the U.S. Navy Blue Angels alongside other performers, all taking to the skies above Lake Washington. The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team also performs, delivering precision jumps visible from the shoreline and from boats on the water.
For many attendees, watching fighter jets conduct low passes over the lake, with the Cascades in the background, ranks among the most striking sights Seattle has to offer.
The hydroplanes race at more than 220 mph and remain visible from numerous spots along Lake Washington’s shores. Multiple boat classes compete across the weekend, with the Apollo Mechanical Cup serving as the top prize. Seafair Weekend has over 70 years of history hosting this race, making it one of the longest-running major motorsport events in the United States.
One of Seafair’s most distinctive traditions, the Log Boom is a floating party zone on Lake Washington where private and chartered boats moor together to watch the races and air show from the water. This tradition of a floating grandstand is part of the celebrations’ DNA, rooted in the blend of aquatic power and aerial spectacle that defined Seafair from its earliest years.
Windermere sponsors free entry on opening day. No ticket is needed to get in and experience the event series’ grounds, watch early air show performances, and stake out a spot along the waterfront.
Tickets for the main race days are required and available through the official Seafair Weekend Festival Tickets portal. Buying in advance is strongly recommended; Saturday and Sunday sell out well before the weekend arrives.
VIP cabanas, grandstand seating, and Log Boom boat passes are all available. These options put you closer to the action and include dedicated viewing areas during both the races and the air show.
Other cities have summer festivals. This one has Seafair, and the distinction matters. It comprises dozens of sanctioned events, including neighborhood parades, cultural celebrations, the Seafair Pirates, a royal court, Fleet Week on the waterfront, and the grand finale, Seafair Weekend. Community volunteers run much of it. Neighborhood groups organize their own parades and events under the Seafair umbrella, meaning this tradition connects local identity to a citywide spectacle in a way that few events anywhere manage.
After 75 years, Seafair remains one of the few events that still pulls nearly every part of the city into the same shared summer tradition.
