This summer, Seattle’s new waterfront invites you to step into something historic.
After decades of dreaming, planning, and community input, Waterfront Park is coming to life–not just as a park, but as a civic space shaped by culture, community, and care. From May through September, Friends of Waterfront Park will host over 270 free public events as part of a season-long celebration leading up to the much-anticipated Grand Opening Celebration in late summer 2025.
Once a highway, now a gathering place—this 20-acre reimagined shoreline is Seattle’s boldest investment in public space since the 1962 World’s Fair. And we’ve designed every moment of this season to reflect the creativity, diversity, and stories of the people who call this city home.
When the stories on stage mirror the ones in our neighborhoods, something shifts. You feel it. You feel seen. You feel like you belong. Welcome to your Waterfront Park. We can’t wait to meet you here.
A Season Full of Celebration
It all kicks off Saturday, May 31, with the Meet Me at Waterfront Park 5K and Community Celebration, presented by Brooks Running. Run, walk, or roll across your new park and help set the tone for a season of movement, memory-making, and joy.
All summer long, Spotlight at Waterfront Park brings weekly performances that are windows into the soul of the city. Creatives are showcased through music, dance, and storytelling curated by partners like Black and Loud Fest, Daybreak Star, Brasil in Motion, and The Residency.
Beyond weekly performances, the season is also marked by cultural festivals and highlights that celebrate identity, honor resilience, and create space for communities to gather in joy, pride, and remembrance:
- Indigiqueer Festival (June 27), a celebration of Two-Spirit, Queer, and Trans Indigenous creativity and resilience.
- Seattle Disability Arts Festival (July 12), honoring Disability Pride Month with music, dance, and beautifully decorated mobility devices.
- Africatown Soul on the Water (August 16), a community gathering presented by Africatown, lifting up Seattle’s Black heritage through food, music, and connection.
- Salmon Homecoming (September 20), a cherished tradition rooted in Coast Salish culture and environmental stewardship.
In a city that’s still growing into itself, these moments remind us this public space can be a place of healing, reflection, and deep belonging.
Sweet Native Expressions owner Shelly Price posing in front of Promenade Pop-Up kiosk.
Markets That Reflect Our City
Markets have always been at the heart of city life–places where stories are traded alongside handmade goods, where culture is woven into every transaction. This summer, Waterfront Park continues that tradition with vibrant marketplaces that reflect the spirit of Seattle.
New this year, Friends has partnered with Northwest Marketplaces to launch the Waterfront Park Market–a gathering of local artists, small businesses, and community makers. Set along the promenade, this open-air market offers more than just goods; it offers connection. The market will run Thursdays through Sundays, and with over 30 local vendors—80% of which are BIPOC or LGBTQ-owned. It’s a living tapestry of Seattle’s creativity, care, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Also taking place on Park Promenade is our Community Market Vending Program. This year, the program will feature two culturally specific markets: Black Night Market in June and a Latinx-led market with Aqui Mercado in July. Lastly, you’ll find lunch-hour food trucks with rotating vendors—a perfect reason to grab a tasty meal and find a comfortable seat at the park.
Whether you’re browsing hand-printed textiles or sharing a meal with friends, these markets are reminders: public space can nourish more than just the body. It can nourish belonging.
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- Kids play basketball during Hoops on the Pier events at Pier 62.
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- Wellness participant in a moment during a massage class. Photo by Jo Cosme.
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- Yoga participants on Pier 62. Photo by Graeme Aegerter
Art, Wellness and Play
Art installations and placemaking projects will be popping up all season long, from new pieces at Railroad Way to a large-scale Indigenous Art Takeover this fall. An immersive projection experience is also in the works for winter.
If you’re looking to stretch, sweat, or just reset by the water, you’ll find plenty of options. Weekly yoga with Mother Yoga, sound baths, and Sunday Zumba classes and Earth Gym sessions offer something for everyone.
Rooted in Place
For those drawn to the stories beneath their steps, monthly in-person tours with historian Jennifer Ott and naturalist David B. Williams explore the past, present, and future of this shoreline. These aren’t just tours—they’re invitations to listen. To learn. To see the shoreline as a living archive of transformation, memory, and Indigenous stewardship.
Pier 62, Photo by Erik Holsather
It all leads to the Grand Opening Celebration
Every concert, every market, every quiet moment this summer is part of a larger arc. It all builds toward the official Grand Opening of Waterfront Park later this year when Pier 58 is completed and the full 20-acre vision is realized. But the heart of this season is already here – in every gathering, every connection, every story told by the water.
To see the full calendar, plan your visit, or learn how to get involved, visit: www.waterfrontparkseattle.org/events
We hope to meet you at Waterfront Park.
Free community programming is made possible with generous support from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and 4Culture.
Waterfront Park’s Grand Opening Season is presented by the Gates Foundation.
Music programming at Waterfront Park is powered by Amazon.
Arts and community programming at Waterfront Park is powered by the Port of Seattle.
The Meet Me at Waterfront Park 5K is presented by Brooks Running. Additional sponsors for the 5K include the Gates Foundation, WeWork, Amazon and the Port of Seattle.