Another great season lies ahead for downtown (Center City) parks with arts, concerts, festivals and random acts of urban fun. Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and partners will host a variety of free events and activities at downtown (Center City) parks this summer. Download the 2019 Center City Parks Summer Schedule here, or see the event calendar online at http://www.seattle.gov/parks/downtown.
Offerings include Tuesday Brews and Tunes at Freeway Park, outdoor movies at Cascade Playground, and tai chi classes at Hing Hay Park. Hardly a summer day will pass without art, music, or community activities taking place in several downtown parks at once.
In addition to events and activities, we also have park concierges available in many downtown parks with games such as table tennis, giant chess, and cornhole so that community members can play in the park. Park concierges also have brochures, maps, and information to help the public plan their visits. Buskers, including musicians and performers, are also helping to enliven our downtown parks. Follow our Busker Program Facebook page here for updates on performance locations.
Once seen as bland and not very welcoming, downtown parks are undergoing a renaissance thanks to a collaboration between SPR and downtown community partners whose missions overlap with SPR’s.
The downtown partnership model began as a one-year trial in 2015, with the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) taking on the programming and activation of Westlake Park. The success of that pilot led to the relationship being extended to include Occidental Square Park and to continue for another 5 years. Additional partnerships were also developed with the Freeway Park Association, InterIm Community Development Association, YMCA, Friends of Waterfront Seattle, and Friends of Denny Park. So far, SPR and partners are activating 13 downtown parks with summer events. Working together, SPR and its “Urban Parks Partners” combine efforts and investment to enliven our downtown parks and provide free and welcoming activities for all.