Free Summer Fun this weekend

Can you believe we are already at the last weekend of July? There's been so much summer fun happening that the time is flying by! 

SeaFair continues to ramp up and one of the hallmark events is this Saturday, the Torchlight Parade! According to the event's website the parade has returned to its roots with a nighttime start and a new parade route. The new route goes along the Seattle Waterfront, starting at 7:30! There will be a pre parade run and spectators can start lining up starting at 6 pm. It's free and open to the public!

Also along the waterfront, Pier 58 is re-opening and there is a celebration today from 4-8! The pier adds around 50,000 square feet of park space, with a family friendly focus, including the new marine-themed playground and the elevated lawn space. The opening celebration is free and open to the public and you are encouraged to dance, play and come dressed in marine-themed attire! Plus local mascots will be in attendance! Learn more right here 

The Bellevue Arts Festival Weekend is here and it highlights over 350 artists using over 20 different artistic mediums, including the traditional painting, jewelry  and printmaking, but also newer forms like 3D Mixed Media. There will also be plenty of food vendors, family friendly activities, live music and special programing at the Bellevue Art Museum! More details can be found right here

If you want to see all the great food that Seattle has to offer, then the Seattle Center is where you will want to be as Bite of Seattle is here and I bet you can smell the food already! Over 300 food and retail vendors will be take over the center serving up tasty dishes from around the world, and while you enjoy your food, you can watch 3 days of live music! There will be beer and wine gardens, cider tasting, they'll have just about anything you can think of when it comes to the world of food! Bite of Seattle is free to attend, but you will be paying for your food. More information can be found here. 

There are a couple of free movies this weekend, the Rocky Horror Picture Show is being shown at Cal Anderson Park tonight as part of the Center City Cinema program. Ratatouille is being shown at the Mural Amphitheater and for both movies you are encouraged to bring your own chairs and blankets, and movies will start when the sun goes down. The Northwest Film Forum is also hosting the Children's Film Festival Seattle throughout the weekend, day passes and weekend passes are available. 

Over in Renton, enjoy a weekend on the river for Renton River Days! There will be a drone show and concert, a parade, tons of summer fun for you and the family, plus there will be the all ages chalk art competition and the Rubber Ducky Derby on Sunday! Get the full schedule and more details right here. 

If you are looking for free fun to do with the family this weekend that involves getting outside, there will be a beach shore stroll along Olympic Sculpture Park today from 10-1, with the lowest tide at around 11:52 am. Naturalists will be there to answer questions and show you how much is happening along our shores. Also this weekend is a bicycle weekend here in Seattle, that means a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motor vehicles from 10 am Saturday-6 pm Sunday, giving you a perfect route for a weekend ride along the water.

How are you enjoying the summer? Remember to plan ahead for traffic and to let me know about the cool stuff going on in your neighborhood by emailing me, paulh@kiroradio.com 

Stories and features from the news staff of KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.