When the Nisqually earthquake rattled Seattle and the broader region in 2001, it set in motion a comprehensive effort to reimagine our waterfront and remove a massive 1950’s highway that divided our downtown.
After decades of advocacy by the community, Friends, and civic leaders, boring machine breakdowns that delayed the new HW 99 tunnel, and a massive fundraising effort, Waterfront Park has been fully come to life. All 20 acres of new public space, stretching from Belltown to Pioneer Square, wouldn’t have been possible without collective care by locals and an audacious vision for an amazing urban park.
During Waterfront Park’s Grand Opening Season in 2025, we welcomed over 2.4 million unique visitors to our hundreds of free events, art activations, vendor markets and more, while generating $2.7 million in revenue for these small businesses and artists. The numbers are growing. It’s becoming a beloved public space. This what local/ city leaders and Friends envisioned and our work continues.
A public space becomes beloved when people, nature, joy, wonder and connection to community is at the heart of the experience. Our work at Friends is driven by the commitments in our Cultural Master Plan, a document created alongside hundreds of community partners, who helped us map guidelines to foster inclusivity, belonging, and cultural vibrancy throughout Friends’ work. This is the foundation of our free programming to be enjoyed by all, and is what makes this new civic gathering space reflective of the beauty of Seattle and our community.
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- The best seat in the house. Families taking in Waterfront Park’s Grand Opening Celebration. Photo by Brandon Patoc.
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- Play in the city hits different at Pier 58. Children taking on the Jellyfish Playground during the Pier 58 opening. Photo by Jo Cosme
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- Neighbors finding their spot at Waterfront Park’s Grand Opening Celebration. Photo by Brandon Patoc.
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- Culture, color and community at the Salish Steps. A lion dance performance during Spotlight at Waterfront Park. Photo by Jo Cosme.
As a nonprofit, your support helps make that intentional focus on connection, belonging, and community possible. We invite you to invest in this transformative vision of a welcoming waterfront today with a gift of any size, ensuring it can be enjoyed by many generations to come.
Whether you walk along promenade after work to decompress, enjoy a coffee with a view from Overlook Walk on a cloudy weekend, or take in a free performance or recreation class on Pier 62: Waterfront Park is our city’s new front porch. Be part of it by sustaining this work.
Our goal for our spring campaign is to have 100 people join our growing community of supporters by April 30. Can we count on your support today?