Seattle Center Festál presents free cultural festivals on weekends throughout the year. Each event highlights the distinct cultures and common threads of ethnic communities in the Puget Sound region through traditional and contemporary art, music, foods, youth activities, workshops and more.
Festal was founded in 1997, though the origins of the program date back to the 1962 World’s Fair exhibits that showcased international cultures. In 1988, then Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and Seattle Center Director Virginia Anderson encouraged development of a series of cultural festivals, with 11 festivals presented in the inaugural year.
These free cultural festivals are presented by Seattle Center and the generous support by the City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, and many other businesses sponsors.
More info: http://seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/festal
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2021 Virtual Festal events via Seattle Center
In 2020 Virtual Festál was launched to hold space for community to gather in face of the loss, isolation and uncertainty brought on by the worldwide pandemic. Motivation arose from a love of culture and the need to celebrate the beauty of our humanity during these challenging times. It was a manifestation of the collective resilience, brilliance and commitment of the Festál producers, volunteers and loyal community sponsors. Virtual Festál offered new ways of celebrating traditions and cultural expressions, offering food, music, dance, art, language and history to digitally connect with our greater Seattle community, and now, a global community. For 2021 Seattle Center invites you to join Festál online.
- February 5-21, 2021 Tet In Seattle – Vietnamese Lunar New Year
- March 13 & 17, 2021 Irish Festival Seattle
- March 21, 2021 French Fest: A Celebration Of French-Speaking Cultures
- April 9-11, 2021 Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival
- May 2, 2021 Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration
- May 8, 2021 Seattle Chinese Culture & Arts Festival
- May 15, 2021 Spirit Of Africa
- Memorial Day Weekend: Northwest Folklife Festival
- June 5-6, 2021 Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival
- June 12, 2021 Indigenous People Festival
- June 26, 2021 Seattle Iranian Festival
- July 10, 2021 Polish Festival Seattle
- July 17-18, 2021 Festival Sundiata Presents Black Arts Fest
- August 12-15, 2021 Seattle Arab Festival
- August 22, 2021 Brasilfest
- August 28-29, 2021 Tibet Fest
- September 12, 2021 Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
- September 18-19, 2021 Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias
- September 25-26, 2021 The Italian Festival
- October 3, 2021 Croatiafest
- October 9-10, 2021 Turkfest
- October 12-15, 2021 Indigenous People Festival
- October 23, 2021 Diwali: Lights Of India
- October 30-31, 2021 Dia De Muertos Festival Seattle
- November 6, 2021 Hmong New Year Celebration
More info: http://www.seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/festal
Upcoming festivals, fairs, & parades
Upcoming fairs and festivals on our calendar.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Monday, October 18, 2021
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Thursday, October 21, 2021
Friday, October 22, 2021
Saturday, October 23, 2021
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Monday, October 25, 2021
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Friday, October 29, 2021
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Monday, November 1, 2021
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Friday, November 5, 2021
Friday, November 12, 2021
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Friday, November 19, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2021
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Friday, December 3, 2021
Saturday, December 4, 2021
Sunday, December 5, 2021
Friday, December 10, 2021
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Sunday, December 12, 2021
But wait, there’s more!
- Find more Cultural heritage festivals in the Puget Sound region.
- More festivals of all kinds on our big list of annual festivals, fairs, and parades.
- And here’s a list of 101+ always free things to do for fun.
- More free and cheap things to do every day: Greater Seattle on the Cheap event calendar.
- Still more ideas for frugal fun: Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page.
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