10 Things to Do in Seattle in June

Between Lake Washington and Pudget Sound, Seattle is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in the United States. Regardless of the time of year, there is plenty to see and do in Seattle. This is a city accompanied by large skyscrapers as well as the imposing Mount Rainier, where you can make fantastic excursions.

All this scenery will be your greatest companion in this amazingly vibrant and young city as you walk around and breathe in the greenery in early summer. Plus, it's the best time of the year to visit since it's not yet high season, so prices aren't as high and you won't have to walk through the summer tourist crowds. Are you up for ten things to do in the city in June?

Attend and share in the diversity at America's fourth largest Pride parade with over 500,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Seattle Pride Parade welcomes you to its incredible annual gathering to commemorate, embrace, remember, honor and celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community and its history of struggle and recognition.

Marvel at the parade of floats from local groups, while being dazzled by the amount of colors and vibrant music in downtown Seattle.

All this with an amazing cold local beer in hand. Here many people from the community take the opportunity to sell their crafts and artwork in which you can collaborate with a local artist and support their artistic and artisanal work.

Don't forget that this day besides being a huge party, also has the purpose of claiming and demanding more rights and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in the country and in the world. In addition, the activity is totally free and the march usually starts at 1st Ave, but the route may change from year to year, so it is best to check it before leaving.

Think the blues is only important in the southern United States? Well, Seattle will surprise you at the Gorge Blues & Brews Festival Music.

For two days you can enjoy live American blues music on the amazing stages provided by the festival while sampling the amazing craft beers and wines it has to offer.

One of the uniqueness of the event is that it has the possibility of camping style lodging. It is a beautiful place to camp because of its extraordinary sunsets and its comfortable option to stay in its cabins or tent spaces. Going there is one of the best excursions you can do from Seattle.

Apart from camping, the festival also offers hotel options near the fairgrounds, called Skamania, with transportation included.

The festival gives you several ticket options. The cheapest price for one day is around 5 € and includes a glass so you can taste the offer of beers and wines.

The most expensive ticket is around 70 € and includes a lot of stuff. Are you going to pass it up? The best option from Seattle is to rent a car and take Highway 14 East to Stevenson.

Practical information

• Location: Skamania Fairgrounds is located at 710 SW Rock Creek Dr, Stevenson, 98648.
• When: Fourth week in June
• Price: Tickets range from $5 to $70
• Hours: 6:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Seattle's ethnic inclusion has had its annual event, since 1980, at the Sundiata Festival by presenting, in the month of June, the Black Arts Fest, part of the Seattle Center Festival series.

It is an activity that takes place in collaboration with the Sundiata African American Cultural Association (SAACA) and is not to be missed if you want to meet, eat and dance to the rhythm of Africa, along with the African American descent.

You can also take advantage of this activity and stroll through downtown Seattle, a site not to be missed if you spend at least two days in the city.

The festival is named in honor of King Sundiata Keita, also known as Mansa: King of Kings of the Malian Empire, a state that was important at the time for its economic and cultural system. This event promotes the promotion and integration of these incredible cultures and their heritage.

That's why you won't stop marveling at the cultural and artistic acts while you fill your stomach and heart with its amazing gastronomy.

The best thing is that if you go to this festival with your family or friends there are activities for all tastes and colors: local entertainment, to meet the public figures of the city; photographic encounters to learn about the historical record of Seattle and African and African-American societies; more than 60 commercial booths for you to indulge yourself and contribute to the local economy; historical exhibitions, art, dance and music at all hours.

After this festival you will feel like you not only went to Seattle, but took a trip to African shores.

To get to the festival in ten minutes, you can use the monorail to the Seattle Center station if you take it at the Westlake. In addition, there are numerous bus routes that make their respective stops in downtown Seattle, including Metro routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 13, 13, 24, 29, 31 and 33. All of these stops are just minutes from the festival.

Practical Information

• Location: Seattle Center 305 Harrison St, 98109 - When: third weekend of June - Price: free, although there are particular events that are paid - Schedule: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm

If your thing is to have extreme experiences in your travels and you love the rock culture of the United States then you can't miss the Northwest Terror Fest festival.

I'm not lying when I tell you that this festival is pure catharsis of people from all over. Here you will see the best local bands, accompanied by iconic metal and heavy rock bands like Ludicra, Repulsion, Suffocation or Windhand.

The international and local extreme rock scene is concentrated in the historic venues of Neumos and Barboza where they have witnessed the best performances of the rock culture of the northwest of the country.

As you can imagine, this festival has age restrictions for the public, but if you are of age and don't have children then get ready for the incredible pogos that form inside the venues.

The festival has the advantage of offering different ticket deals depending on whether you want to attend three, two or just one day or the type of experience you want to experience inside the concerts held in the venues. You can enjoy from 75 €, up to 220 € and live an unimaginable extreme experience.

Keep in mind that tickets sell out quickly because the venues have a maximum capacity of 200 people each. And if you are worried about transportation, don't worry, because the Neumos and Barboza venues are just a few meters away from the Capitol Hill light rail station (Link).

Practical Info

• Location: Pike Street, 98122. Near Capitol Hill Link station - When: last week of June - Price: Tickets range from $75 to $220 - Hours: 6:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Do you like fairs? In the 1950s at the Lake Wilderness Lodge in Gaffney, near Seattle, a group of citizens needed to raise funds to buy a truck for the county. So they decided to hold a fair to raise the money. It went so well that it is still being held today under the name Maple Valley Days.

Nothing like going and enjoying a good home festival in the United States. The best food you can taste while listening to live music from the local favorites. It is a festival for all families, so it is among the things you can do with kids in Seattle and its surroundings.

You can also have fun at its various events and competitions. The festival features a beautiful parade along with the best colorful carnival Seattle has to offer. The art is present so you can walk around and enjoy a nice afternoon with your family.

Maple Valley Days is the event of a non-profit organization where all the people involved are volunteers who want to support the community.

You can participate in this amazing event and support the local economy of Maple Valley, a small city within the urban area of Seattle. The festival is free and the best bus routes to Lake Wilderness Park are 168 and 907.

Practical Information

• Location: Lake Wilderness Park. 22500 SE 248th Street. Maple Valley, 98038
• When: Second weekend in June
• Price: Free
• Hours: 12:00 noon - 6:30 p.m.

The Seattle Iranian Festival belongs to the Seattle Center Festál, the same institution that organizes the Sundiata Festival.

In addition, this festival is organized together with the Iranian American Community Alliance (IACA). It is a festival that celebrates Iranian culture and tradition and its contribution to the world.

Inclusion and diversity come together under one roof to enjoy this beautiful culture through its art. Poetry will accompany you in the magnificent bazaar they organize while you enjoy their delicious food, predominantly Persian. I suggest you try the Iranian pastries, there is nothing that compares to their desserts.

In this festival you can even learn to dance with Iranian dance groups while you marvel at their rhythms and the exquisite Persian music they offer. Are you going with your children? Well, the festival has a space for kids to enjoy different children's events.

All you have to do is taste their incredible teas, while you learn about this historic civilization and its rich history. Admission is completely free and the bus stop that leaves you two minutes walk away is Republican St & 1st Ave N, with lines 1, 2, 8, 13, 32 and D.

Practical information

• Location: Seattle Center Armory. 305 Harrison St, 98109.
• When: third weekend in June
• Price: free
• Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.

The Kent International Festival is a space to celebrate the cultural diversity that breathes the community of Kent, a city that is part of the same county as Seattle.

Different cultures and identities are concentrated within a community where respect and tolerance prevail.

Get involved in all the fun activities for the day of the festival. There are talks and cultural programs from different latitudes that are perfect for tourists. You can learn Hindi words in workshops organized by locals from India. Also, taste and learn how to prepare Pakistani cuisine. While having fun you will travel the world without leaving Seattle.

Origami is also present and art exhibitions are part of the landscape that surrounds the festival. As is obvious, fun and food are not lacking in this celebration.

The festival is free admission, but I invite you to support social foundations at the designated booths. You can support the Kent community with your contribution, in addition to having a great time.

To get to the ShoWare Center, where the event takes place, I recommend using bus lines 150, 161, 165 or 183.

Practical information

• Location: ShoWare Center. 625 West James Street, Kent, Kent, 98032
• When: Third Saturday in June
• Price: free
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Head to the Burke Museum, home of the only dinosaur fossil discovery in Washington State and enjoy a full day of DinoFest. The festival will guarantee fun and knowledge as you enter the ancient world of dinosaurs.

Here you can witness the latest research and paleological innovations from the Burke's researchers and museologists. The fossil collection is impressive as it features hundreds of different species from the dinosaur era.

This is one of the ideal places to do 10 Things to Do in Seattle with KidsThe museum's active laboratory, where hundreds of researchers excavate new finds in real time, is one of the best places to learn about the different methodologies used to excavate and discover these incredible fossils.

For all this, Seattle ended up being a reference city in the discovery of dinosaur fossils and ancient animals, along with microfossils that tell the life and decline of these incredible creatures that lived on the planet hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The museum has different activities and dynamics where children will be the protagonists of history and knowledge. If you are a student, the entrance is free, but the general admission has prices that vary between 14 € and 20 €.

The closest Link station to the museum is U District, on Burke Museum Street. If you walk 3 minutes you will find the museum.

Practical Information

• Location: 4300 15th Ave NE. - When: first Saturday in June - Price: you can go without paying at the museum, but for most adults the entrance fee is between 14 ¤ and 20 ¤ - Hours: from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The HONK! Fest West is a four-day festival dedicated to the recovery of public spaces in the city through street music.

Come and vibrate to the rhythm of the city with this festival that takes place in various parts of the city to get people moving and make the most of getting to know the streets of Seattle that are less attended by the cultural or artistic guild.

The festival is totally free and has the participation of different national and international bands and musical groups with the support of the communities of the city and where they are held directly.

The sites are not known for being in the tourist guides of the city or are little frequented by the residents themselves, so it is an incredible way to get to know the deep and alternative Seattle.

All genres are present in this festival so there will always be something for you. Be sure to boost your energy with this festival that is self-organized and supported by donations.

The inhabitants of these neighborhoods take advantage of the festival to open businesses and food places so that the community economy grows, so if you want to meet a deep Seattle that wants to integrate, this is the opportunity.

Practical Information

• Location: each year the different locations for the festival are random, but it is held in different communities that are not frequented by the city's tourism.

• When: the first week of June, from Thursday to Sunday - Price: free - Hours: Thursday from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m.; Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Take advantage of your stay in Seattle and enjoy the longest day of the year along with one of the most beautiful sunsets in the incredible bonsai forest offered by the Pacific Bonsai Museum.

Most amazing of all, you'll be able to admire that forest while listening to a ukulele player and watching plein air painters doing their work. It's definitely one of the best things to do in Seattle during the summer.

On this day only, the museum is open until 9 p.m. for the public to stroll through its beautiful art galleries, bonsai gardens and lush forest. It's the perfect day to get out your professional camera or take pictures with that special someone on your trip.

The longest day of the year can't be complete without music being present. Stay with the image of the sunset light reflecting on the greenery of the unique bonsai trees housed in the museum as you learn about them from the various museum guides.

The concert of relaxing music will accompany your coffee or wine while you walk or just rest.

The museum is free to visit, but most likely you will be asked to make a donation for the maintenance of its facilities with an average symbolic cost of 12 €. The best option is to take bus lines 181, 182, 402, 500 or 501.

Practical information

• Location: Pacific Bonsai Museum at 2515 S 336th Street, Federal Way, WA 98001 - When: on the day of the summer solstice which is usually between June 20th - Price: free, but you can always collaborate with the museum with an approximate amount of 12 ¤ - Hours: from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

In June it is very hot and therefore, walking all the time around the city can become extremely tiring. Add to that the constant rainfall in Seattle during this month.

Seattle does not have the best transportation system, so I recommend that you do most of your activities on the regular bus lines, unless you decide to rent a car.

You could also take advantage and ride one of the best tourist buses in the city, which will help you not to be so exposed to the sun and rain.

That does not mean that the buses are the only system. The city also has Sound Transit's Link Light Rail, a metro area light rail system with two lines, the Central Link and the Tacoma Link.

Additionally, there is a monorail along the city's Fifth Avenue that has just two stations, but if it matches your route it can be great, as well as being very iconic for taking the best photos.

June is a good month for you to tour Seattle, even though it is hot. It is characterized by dry weather as it does not rain as much as the rest of the year. This allows you to enjoy your trip without the constant rain that will leave you at the hotel without being able to enjoy the sights or the sweltering heat of August.

The temperature is pleasant and cool enough to walk around during the day and at night. They can reach up to 23°C, while the minimum temperature is recorded at 15°C, which gives an average of 19°C. Being so far north, June has a hot but very pleasant climate.

An interesting fact that the city can offer you is the length of the day. The sun starts to rise in the city at 04:11 and sets at 20:09. This will allow you to enjoy more of the day visiting its tourist sites and capture the best sunrises and sunsets with your camera. All in all, June is a great time to visit Seattle.