One of the most remarkable things about visiting Seattle is the sheer number of things that take place throughout the year. In fact, it is rare to visit the city when there is not at least one or two Seattle events taking place that will entertain and excite you during your stay. From citywide celebrations that involve the whole population of Seattle to some extent through to much smaller festivities that take over particular neighborhoods, you are sure to find something going on to interest you during your stay.
Perhaps the biggest event of the year is Labor Day at the end of summer. This long weekend traditionally marks the end of the main outdoor season, and you will find that many people from Seattle take the opportunity of the day off to go out into the mountains in order to experience the beauty and peace that can be found a short distance away from the city.
During the summer the Seattle events calendar includes a number of music festivals, including one dedicated to the late Kurt Cobain – the singer of Nirvana, and one of the city’s most famous sons. People travel to the city from all over the world in order to celebrate his music, and the pop festival featuring bands that follow in the Nirvana tradition is a real highlight of the year.
Of course Seattle also has a number of festivals dedicated to high culture, and the Paul Allen funded Frank Gehry designed art center at the university hosts a major Classical music festival each spring that attracts the best performers from all over the world to play in the distinctive building.
Thanks to the large Chinese population of Seattle, the city is a great place to be in early spring for Chinese New Year. There are always plenty of dragon dances going on and firecrackers going off in the streets as the local population get into the spirit of the celebration and welcome the New Year with a cavalcade of dance and other exciting activities.
Of course, of all the Seattle events, Independence Day weekend around the 4th of July is the most widely celebrated, and thanks to the passion that the locals have for their country, is always a very colorful occasion with plenty of fireworks being launched over the bay.