10 Things to Do in Seattle in Spring

With about half of the days of the year raining, this city is characterized for being a very humid destination. However, a window of dry weather begins in the spring and ends in summer, ideal for touring and enjoying the many attractions that Seattle has to offer, with the added benefit of less tourism.

Take advantage of this season to visit its national parks, ride your bike, attend a festival and even witness how many flowers and large mammals that were dormant in the winter make their appearance.

A great way to experience springtime joy in Seattle is at the Moisture Festival.

This is the world's largest comedy and variety event where, for four weeks, a variety of shows feature trapeze artists, jugglers, musicians, magicians, comedians and other performers.

The acts presented are short (lasting less than 15 minutes) and are accompanied by spectacular live music. It's quite possibly one of the best kid-friendly activities in Seattle.

The main venue for the festival is Hale's Palladiumat Hale's Brewery Warehouse. Other shows are presented at Broadway Performance Hall on Capitol Hill.

The magic of the festival is that you never know what the next show will be. And with talent as strange as it is amazing, this genre stays fresh and full of excitement.

Practical Info

• Where: Hale's Palladium (4301 Leary Way NW) and Broadway Performance Hall (1625 Broadway).
• Price: variable (from 11 euros, depending on age and show)
• When: 4 weeks in the spring season. It is recommended to check the official website for more details.

During the spring, Seattle hosts one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the country: the U District Street Fair.

The fair is a community venue showcasing local talent in the arts and crafts. It is held in Seattle's U District, an area that is one of the most dynamic in the city due to its variety of restaurants, movie theaters, concert halls, stores and the University of Washington's student village .

This event, which takes place in May, was born as a call for social justice and, to this day, year after year it commemorates unity, cooperation and the need for new perspectives in the community in the face of the various issues that threaten well-being and peace.

In addition to the numerous stalls selling products of all kinds, the space in which it is held is filled with musical performances, from jazz to brass bands.

If you want to eat there, you won't have any problems either, as there are usually a large number of food trucks and other food stalls.

Practical information

• Where: The festival takes place at 4516 University Way in the U District. Seattle, WA 98105
• Price: free
• When: 2 days. Usually in the second half of May

In March, during the celebration of the Irish patron saint, St. Patrick, a festival is held where the culture and traditions of the land of shamrock are proudly displayed.

Ireland is one of several countries that are part of Seattle's multiculturalism. Since the mid-1800s, people arrived from the island to inhabit the port and, today, nearly one million Seattleites claim Irish roots.

The festival celebrates the country's cultural and artistic heritage with traditional music, dancing, Gaelic games, workshops, audiovisual productions, exhibits and much more.

It is organized by the Irish Heritage Club (IHC) and is one of the most important events of Seattle Irish Week.

So...if you visit the city around St. Patrick's Day, take advantage of these events to learn more about Irish culture.

Practical Information

• Where: at the Seattle Center. 305 Harrison St.
• Price: free
• When: 2 days (weekend) around St. Patrick's Day.

In the spring months, much of Seattle's vegetation begins to awaken from the cold winter and flowers such as cherry trees and tulips show the best of this transformation.

For this reason, I recommend visiting parks, botanical gardens and even a festival where flowers are the protagonists.

• Cherry blossoms: Between the months of March and April, the blossoms of these trees make their appearance, starting with pink bulbs that soon burst into pink or white flowers. This spectacle can be seen on many of Seattle's streets and parks, but the ones that get all the attention are the flowering trees located on the campus of the University of Washington, which opens to the public during these dates so that no one misses it.
• Tulips: Another beautiful sight are the tulips. Every year between April and May, these flowers star in a festival in Skagit Valley, located north of Seattle, about a two-hour drive. This festival, encompasses several tulip growing fields, each with its own unique appeal and amenities to offer, such as tuliptown.

In both cases, if you want to avoid the crowds, it's best to visit during the week.

The spring months are among the best months for outdoor festivals in Seattle, and a popular one to check out is the Northwest Folklife Festival.

It takes place the weekend before Memorial Day at the Seattle Center, a city space with monuments, gardens, museums and, which also hosts various cultural events throughout the year.

Since its inception several decades ago, the Northwest Folklife Festival has been a community space celebrating the art, traditions and knowledge that make up the rich cultural heritage of this Pacific Northwest region.

Each year, this event brings together local arts and crafts vendors and more than 5,000 performers on dozens of stages, which, by the way, are open to street musicians who want to showcase their talent.

As a community-organized and coordinated festival, it is a free event that is supported by donations and has been a national success story for many years.

Give yourself the opportunity to experience and participate in this festival and get to know Seattle up close and personal with its people.

Practical Information

• Where: The festival is held at the Seattle Center. 305 Harrison St
• Price: free
• When: the weekend before Memorial Day (last Monday in May)

Taking a boat tour of Seattle is a highly recommended activity in the spring, as the city's haze will have dispersed. You will be able to get better views in the distance and you won't have to worry about ending up soaked while watching from the deck.

This type of tour allows you to get another perspective of the city and its surroundings, its buildings, parks and natural beauties such as the great Mount Rainier.

The particular cruise tour I recommend lasts 1 hour and is priced at about 31 euros. The boat sails along the bay just enough to get the best views of all these and other places from the waters of the Pacific.

If you want to save, you should buy the Seattle City Pass that, for a price from 108 euros, allows you to book the tour with this cruise among others, such as the Pop Art Museum, the Space Needle or the Seattle Aquarium.

In the month of May, Seattle celebrates its maritime activity through the Seattle Maritime Festival, which invites the public to learn more about the maritime industry, one of the industries that has contributed the most to the development of the city's port since its origins.

At this festival you can enjoy everything from tugboat races to boat tours...to interactive exhibits and other mostly free activities.

Want to learn how welding is done on the big ships? See remote-controlled boat maneuvers?...build boats? The festival is for the whole family and the little ones will have access to different activities about life on the high seas.

And the food is not to be missed. At the festival you will find different options to taste seafood and other dishes of North American cuisine mainly. In fact, it can be considered a great complement to the gastronomic tours of Seattle.

Practical information

• Where: Most of the activities take place at Pier 66, although exhibitions are also presented at Pier 62 and 63. Tugboat races are held at Piers 57 to 86.
• Price: most events are free of charge
• When: 2 to 3 days in the month of May

During the spring much of the winter snow has melted and flows through the rivers and streams, making them faster, deeper and even noisier. Contemplating this rebirth of the rivers in areas with waterfalls is a wonderful opportunity and, very close to Seattle, you can do it at Snoqualmie Falls.

The waterfall of these falls has an estimated height of 83 meters and it is precisely in the spring when you can see the greatest flow fall from above.

Snoqualmie Falls is one of the most popular natural attractions in Washington State, receiving more than one million visitors annually. The various observation decks surrounding the falls, which you can access by foot or car, allow for exceptional views for photography.

In addition to the viewpoints, in this place you will find a huge amusement park, as well as trails for low/medium difficulty routes, a hotel, restaurants and even a spa.

You will find several tours to visit Snoqualmie from Seattle, with the advantage that you only have to travel 50 kilometers to get to the falls.

One of the tours that I recommend takes you to this natural spectacle and, in addition, makes a tour of different attractions in Seattle, such as Kerry Park or the Fremont Troll (usual attractions of the tour) for a price from 71 euros. The tour lasts 4 hours and is well worth it.

Pike Place Market is like the spirit of Seattle. It is a market where traditional commerce is combined with street music and shows of all kinds, making it a cultural space of the city par excellence.

It is so famous that it is even a common destination for guided tours of Seattle and, if you visit in spring, you will find many flowers, events and other attractions. Here is some more information.

• Yellow daffodils: under the striking market clock, these beautiful flowers are the clearest sign that winter is gone. They are so prized that they are even celebrated on a special day at the beginning of spring. Find the perfect scented gift for that special someone and don't be left without taking advantage of the flowers they give away at the market entrance.
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: May is the month Pike Place Market celebrates the businesses in the market that belong to this community, so I invite you to tour, discover and support their initiatives.
• Theater: That's right! A unique feature of Pike Place Market is its theater. The space called "Can Can" has a capacity of 120 people. The plays performed here combine dancing, singing, acrobatics, cabaret and comedy. Visiting in May during the Mother 's Day celebrations is an ideal option to experience a unique night of entertainment.

Since markets are where the culture of a place is cooked, they are an excellent place to sample regional dishes.

The Pike Place is especially ideal to do so because of the culinary options offered (regional and international) and the freshness of its ingredients (especially seafood).

If you feel like trying and tasting but don't quite know where to start, I recommend taking a culinary tour to learn about the various recipes prepared at the market and discover the stories behind each one along with their creators.

The colorful springtime scenery, combined with a marked decrease in rainfall and fairly free-flowing traffic, make this season an excellent option for touring the Emerald City by bicycle.

Bicycling is so much a part of Seattle's culture that it has been rated one of the most bike-friendly cities in the U.S.

Bicycling is not just for locals. Tourism also joins this network and takes advantage of the infrastructure to get to know the city. If you feel like pedaling through most of its neighborhoods, I recommend that you book one of the tours offered in the city.

At the beginning of spring (March and part of April), Seattle has not yet said goodbye to winter. The rain is still present and the temperature is cool (minimum of 4°C and maximum of 12°C degrees Celsius on average), so if you visit during these first weeks, I advise you to bring a thick coat and waterproof clothing.

As the weeks progress, the weather becomes quite tolerable for most people, although it is still advisable to bring a light coat and waterproof clothing, especially if you go to the mountains. The weather alternates between cool, cloudy days and warm days with bright sunshine.

Seattle in spring combines two advantages: the weather and the influx of tourists. In these months you will find one of the best times to take tours without a lot of people waiting to see what you are seeing.

You'll save time, get photos without strangers on the scene, and you'll also save money, because when tourism slows down, costs for lodging and other services also become more affordable.