Parkways Seattle Parks and Recreation

Live music concerts, food trucks, weekly chess tournaments, art activities, games and more!

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and partners are proud to present a variety of free activities happening at City Hall Park (450 3rd Ave.) throughout the summer, including live music concerts, weekly chess tournaments, art activities, and games. Multiple food trucks will also be available in the park on weekdays starting Tuesday, July 9. 

Dilling Way, which borders the southeast area of the park, will be closed through the end of October to provide more space for these activation activities.

City Hall Park summer activities schedule:

• Park concierges and games are available weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Buskers perform from 12 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.
• Food trucks will be available beginning Tuesday, July 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays.
• Live music concerts, presented by SPR and the Downtown Seattle Association,will take place on Tuesdays beginning July 9 through the end of August from 12 to 1 p.m. Buskers will perform after these concerts until 6 p.m.
• Painting in the Park will take place on Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m. beginning July 11 through the end of August. Community members are invited to stop by and paint a small canvas for FREE and take it home with them.
• Weekly chess tournaments will take place on Fridays at 12 p.m. through September 6.

To see more events happening at downtown Seattle parks, download the Center City Parks Summer Schedule here, or see the event calendar online at www.seattle.gov/parks/downtown.

Fall registration opens August 6. Plan your program enrollment now!

Fall is not far away, and we are excited to announce that the Seattle Parks and Recreation fall program brochures have arrived! From preschool programs and licensed school-age care to citywide athletics, pool programs, and community center classes, we offer something for everyone.

Click on the links below to browse through the brochures:

Southeast Community Centers

Northeast Community Centers

Southwest Community Centers

Northwest Community Centers

Lifelong Recreation

In the words of tidying up expert Marie Kondo, does it spark joy? If it doesn’t for you, it might for someone else! Clear your clutter and join your neighbors for a community swap meet. Buy, sell or donate your unwanted goods. Light refreshments provided. FREE admission. Rent a table for $10, proceeds benefit Rainbow Recreation.

For more information or to reserve a table, call 206-615-0619 or email cheryl.brown@seattle.gov.

Presented by Rainbow Recreation, programs for LGBTQ+ adults 50+ and allies.

Free program at Jefferson Community Center for adults every Saturday this summer

Join us for summer fun at the Jefferson Great Night Program located at Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. South. The Great Night Program is designed for adults ages 18 and up. The program offers free drop-in programs every Saturday night from 7 p.m. to midnight. The Great Night Program focuses on job and life skills, health and fitness, and education and employment readiness opportunities. Questions? Call 206-684-7481.

2019 Great Night summer schedule:

Saturday, June 29:

• Zumba: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Volleyball: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Martial Arts Bootcamp: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Basketball: 9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 6:

• Zumba: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Women’s Self Defense Class: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• CPR and AED Training: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
• Volleyball: 7 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
• African Dance: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fitness Bootcamp: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Breakdance: 9 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament: 9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 13:

• Zumba: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Women’s Self Defense: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Healthy Cooking Kitchen: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Volleyball: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• African Dance: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Financial Credit Repair Workshop: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fitness Bootcamp: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Breakdance:  9 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• Basketball: 9 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.

Saturday, July 20:

• Zumba: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Healthy Cooking Kitchen: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Women’s Self Defense: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Volleyball: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• African Dance: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fitness Bootcamp: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Breakdance: 9 p.m. – 11 p.m.
• Basketball: 9 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.

Saturday, July 27:

• Healthy Cooking Kitchen: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Women’s Self Defense: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• African Dance: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Fitness Bootcamp: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Basketball: 9 p.m. – 11:45 p.m.

*Schedule and programs subject to change*

Community invited to kickoff event on Saturday, June 29 at Highland Park

This summer, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Human Services Department, and United Way of King County are partnering to host a drop-in summer program offering free meals and recreation activities. Recreation activities are open for kids and teens ages 1 to 18 and may include arts, crafts, board games, and organized recreational games. A free lunch and snacks will be offered to youth ages 1 to 18.

Click here to see a schedule of special program events and activities:

Schedule

The program will run daily from July 1 through August 23 from 10a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, rain or shine at 18 park sites across Seattle.

Kickoff event on Saturday, June 29:

The community is invited to attend a free kickoff event on Saturday, June 29 at Highland Park (1100 SW Cloverdale St.) from noon to 3 p.m. The event will include free meals for kids and parents/guardians. Several fun activity stations will be set up in the park, including craft stations, outdoor activities such as relay races and an obstacle course, and field games such as giant Jenga and Connect Four.

2019 Summer Meals and Recreation Activities locations:

• Beacon Hill Playground: 1902 13th Ave. S
• Beer Sheva Park: 8650 55th Ave. S
• EC Hughes Playground: 7907 30th Ave. SW
• Georgetown Park: 750 S Homer St.
• Greenwood Park: 602 N 87th St.
• Highland Park: 1100 SW Cloverdale St.
• Judkins Playground: 2150 S Norman St.
• Lakewood Playground: 5013 S Angeline St.
• Lakeridge Playground: 10145 Rainier Ave. S
• Little Brook Park: 140th and 32nd Ave. NE
• Madrona Playground: 3211 E Spring St.
• Maplewood Playfield: 4801 Corson Ave. S
• North Acres Park: 12718 1st Ave. NE
• Othello Playground: 4351 S Othello St.
• Peppi’s Playground: 3233 E Spruce St.
• Powell Barnett Park: 352 MLK Jr. Way
• Pratt Park: 1800 S Main St.
• Roxhill Park: 2850 SW Roxbury St.

For questions or more information about the program, please contact Connor Durham, Seattle Parks and Recreation, at 206-615-0303 or connor.durham@seattle.gov.

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. 

Many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed for Independence Day or on special holiday schedules. Some facilities may be open, but have limited operations. Please call in advance.

These facilities and services will have CLOSURES:

• Community centers
• Teen life centers
• Environmental learning centers
• Indoor swimming pools
• Green Lake Small Craft Center
• Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center (some limited activities for registered programs only will be open)

These facilities are OPEN:

• Golf courses
• Boat ramps
• Beaches
• Lowery C. “Pop” Mounger Pool
• Colman Pool
• Wading pools*
• Sprayparks*

*Wading Pools and Spraypark schedules are subject to change. Check http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/spray-parks-and-wading-pools for detailed schedule information and updates.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Wednesday, July 3 and Thursday, July 4  to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 8:30 p.m. and most will be turned off at either 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., depending on the field.

The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including players of soccer, football, baseball, Ultimate Frisbee and lacrosse.     

The fields will be monitored by security from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Lights at the following fields will be turned off at 11 p.m.:

• Bobby Morris at Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave
• Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
• Garfield #1, E Cherry St & 23rd Ave
• Genesee Upper and Lower Playfield, 4316 S Genesee St.
• Georgetown Playfield, 750 S Homer St.
• Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
• Interbay Athletic Complex, 3027 17th Ave W
• Jefferson Playfield, 4165 16th Ave. S
• Lower Woodland Playfield #2 and #7, 5201 Green Lake Way North
• Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SW
• Washington Park Playfield, 2500 Lake Washington Blvd. E
• West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35^th Ave. SW

Lights at the following fields will turned off at 10 p.m.:

• Loyal Heights Playfield, 2101 NW 77th St
• Mickey Merriam Athletic field complex, Magnuson #5 (Rugby), #6, #7, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E.
• Miller Playfield, 330 19th Ave. E

Lights will turned off at the following grass fields at 11 p.m.

• Ballard Playfield, 2644 NW 60th St.
• Rainier Playfield, 3700 S Alaska St.
• W Queen Anne Playfield, 150 W Blaine St.

Seattle Parks and Recreation, Atlantic Street Center, and Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute are proud to present the annual Teen Summer Musical, Uncle Willy’s Chocolate Factory.

The summer musical is an opportunity for local teens to perform on the big stage while learning the business side of theater operations. It allows them to connect, communicate and exchange ideas with youth from other backgrounds and cultures. Summer musical participants earn a stipend for rehearsals and performance during this 9-week summer program. The teen summer musical theater experience is just one more way to captivate our youth while they are in the “hope stage” of their development into young adults.

The program, which attracts dozens of teens of color, provides an introduction to the world of theater. Through workshops and collaborative practices, the participants develop self-discipline, self-confidence and self-motivation, character traits essential to becoming emotionally healthy, contributing members of our community.

A staff of professional artists develop the talents and skills of some 60 youth who spend nine hours together Monday through Friday for 9 weeks for acting, dance and vocal training and hands-on work with the technical aspects of theater – costume, lighting and set design.

Most past Teen Summer Musical productions have been adaptations of fairy tales whose roles have traditionally been played by Caucasian actors. But here, stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella, Snow White and Peter Pan morph into modern tales that reflect modern experiences. The revisions reflect a look through a true racial equity lens, which allows the youth to relate to the theatrical piece.

The results speak for themselves in a full stage performance mounted in a major theater, with a full professional production team.

2019 performances will take place at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., August 22 through 25.

Show times                                  Matinee                                Evening

Thursday, August 22                         —                                         7 p.m.

Friday, August 23                            Noon                                      7 p.m.

Saturday, August 24                         1                                           7 p.m.

Sunday, August 25                          3 p.m.                                          —

Ticket information

$18 for youth (ages 4-17) and seniors (62+); $23 for adults. Patrons under the age of 3 are permitted without a ticket.

Tickets are available here: https://www.seattlesymphony.org/concerttickets/calendar/2018-2019/benaroyahall/uncle-willys-chocolate-factory

The play is an adaptation of the book Charlie and the Chocolate by Roald Dahl. Adapted and directed by Isiah Anderson, Jr. Music directed by Michelle Lang and choreography by Tyrone “Koach T” Crosby.

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Teen Summer Musical is sponsored in part by Lyft, Banner Bank, Regal, Popeye’s, Swedish Hospital, Woodland Park Players, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and New Seasons Market.