Take in Seattle’s vibrant Folklife Festival or a serene hike in the mountains, and honor fallen military members with Memorial Day tributes this weekend.
SEATTLE — Memorial Day Weekend is often thought of as the unofficial start to summertime, even if the first day of summer is still a month away.
This weekend, enjoy Seattle’s iconic Folklife Festival, browse books in Ballard or head out to the mountains to enjoy partly sunny skies and temperatures around 70 degrees. But on Monday, several opportunities are available to honor the reason for the long weekend.
Here are five things to do in western Washington this weekend:
Memorial Day ceremonies: Various locations across western Washington will host events to mourn and honor military members who died while serving the United States. The Washington state capitol will host a Memorial Day Ceremony at the rotunda of the Legislative Building from 10:30 a.m. to noon on May 25; other locations include Kent, Seattle and SeaTac. Across the nation, a moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time.
Bonus event: Enjoy free admission to any National Parks on Monday, May 25.
Northwest Folklife Festival: May 22-25 — The 55th annual Northwest Folklife Festival takes place at Seattle Center, highlighting the region’s arts scene and different cultures. This year is the nonprofit’s final installation of its Cultural Focus series, titled Ubuntu, which is an African philosophy under the common phrase “I am because we are,” according to the website. For information and a schedule of events, visit nwfolklife.org.
Ballard Book Crawl: May 22-24 — Book lovers, head to Ballard this weekend! The first-ever book crawl takes place over three days and includes stops at five local bookstores (Ballard Books, The Ink Drinker, Secret Garden, Swoon City and Twice Sold Tales). Each store offers exclusive deals and activities.
Juan de Fuca Festival: May 22-24 — The top music event in Port Angeles takes place this weekend with the 34th annual Juan de Fuca Festival. Enjoy more than 70 performers across five stages, a street fair, food booths and beverages, a Kids Zone and more. For more information and a line up, visit jffa.org/festival.
Head out for a hike: Beginning May 23 — King County Metro begins its Trailhead Direct routes to the Issaquah Alps and Mount Si this weekend. The seasonal service operates on weekends and some holidays, including Memorial Day, departing from stops in Seattle and Bellevue. To plan your route, visit trailheaddirect.org.
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