Seattle’s long-running summer festival Seafair has been an annual tradition for over 75 years. The first Seafair celebration took place in August 1950 and featured parades, boat races, Fleet Week, a royal court, pirates, a new Aqua Theater on Green Lake with synchronized swimming performances by the Aqua Follies, and various community festivals. In following years new annual traditions were added, such as the Milk Carton Derby, the Blue Angels Air Show, the Indian Days Powwow, and the Seafair Triathlon, among others.
Although Seafair is produced by a private organization and is not sponsored or coordinated by the City of Seattle, the support and cooperation of city agencies and officials have consistently been integral to the success of this long-standing regional celebration. Over the years, the city has provided Seafair and local participating community clubs with the use of park properties, engineering assistance, and use of city streets. In addition, city departments and elected officials have participated in Seafair parades since its earliest years.
The archives holds materials helping to document how Seafair has evolved and grown, including brochures, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and lots of great photos of parades, races, and more. Some of our favorites include pictures of Seattle City Light’s amazingly creative floats from the 1950s and 60s – here’s just a small sampling!
Today, Seafair continues to be a popular summer tradition with a variety of community celebrations that draw thousands of people from Seattle and beyond.
Be sure to check out our Seafair virtual collection to browse a selection of digitized materials – including photos, moving images, audio recordings, and documents – documenting the annual event through the years.