The Seattle Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade are total zany, wacky goofiness. Lately I’ve been reading about a lot of great parties around the world, from the Ft. Lauderdale Great American Beach Party to the Night of Radishes in Oaxaca to three really unusual festivals in Mali, so I want to share one of my favorites.
The Seattle event takes place each June. The event is usually preceded by the local edition of the World Naked Bike Ride, followed by the Solstice Parade and then the fair.
What can you expect if you decide to visit and take part in the festivities? Read on for some images from previous events!
Images from the Solstice Parade
The best way to communicate the craziness of this event is to show it, with a photo gallery of shots I took during the event a few years back. Click the pics to enlarge them.
Details About the Seattle Solstice Parade and Fremont Fair
The Solstice Parade was founded in 1989. It serves as the opening event for the Fremont Fair each June. The parade typically ends in Gas Works Park, where the celebration continues.
The parade has as its guideline a set of rules: “No written words, signage or recognizable logos; no motorized vehicles (except wheelchairs); no live animals (except guide animals); and no functional weapons.”
In 2019, the Fair took place on June 22-23. The event is usually around the same time each year. This is a fantastic event if you want to see the offbeat side of Seattle and just have some goofy fun.
UPDATE: The 2022 Fremont Solstice Parade takes place on Saturday, June 18 at 2 pm. The parade route runs from the intersection of Leary Way NW and NW 36th Street, and runs down NW 36th St to Evanston Ave N. The fair will run on both June 18 and 19.
The Fremont Fair has grown dramatically and now features several local sponsors and a weekend full of events. There’s live music, a craft market, a dog parade, and a whole lot of food trucks and beer vendors. Summer in Seattle is definitely the best time to visit, and this event sort of serves as a way to kickoff the summer.
Have you attended the Seattle Solstice Parade & Fremont Fair? Or a similar event somewhere else in the world?
the picture with the caption “giantwalking pasta” is actually the flying speghetti monster. the prophet of the mock-religion. the people walking with it are its pirate deciples. just fyi 🙂
Aah, good to know the rest of the details, thanks!
This is an amazing festival with great cars and other characters. Thanks for the mention of my article on Fort Lauderdale. I need to do that within articles I post too. That is great.
Eileen
No problem!