Arts in Parks supports new and established festivals or events that promote arts and cultural participation, celebrate diversity, build community connections, and activate parks through arts and culture.

See below for Arts in Parks events taking place in May.

All events are FREE.

Sunday, May 15, 2022: Sundaes Outside, a day festival geared towards BIPOC (all are welcome) to build community through outdoor recreation, art, and conversation.

When: 1pm to 6pm, Sunday, May 15

Where: Beer Sheva Park, 8650 55th Ave. S

By: Golden Bricks, LLC

Saturday, May 28, 2022: The annual Eritrean Independence Day Celebration. A multi-generational celebration of Eritrean 31st Independence with cultural music, dance, poetry, sport, food, and more.

When: 12pm to 8pm, Saturday, May 28

Where: Seward Park, 5898 Lake Washington Blvd.

By: Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle

The Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Thursday, May 12, 2022 on the Board’s draft recommendations for funding for the Seattle Park District’s next six-year cycle (2023-2028). The meeting will be held virtually.  

Since the last week of March 2022, the Board has been conducting a process to review and prioritize 41 proposals funded by the Park District designed to provide clean, safe and welcoming parks, enhance access, services and recreation programs; and invest in the future. Three Board subcommittees met several times during the month of April to make their recommendations, which were summarized in a draft report by Board Co-Chairs Marlon Herrera and Jessica Farmer. 

The Seattle Park District was approved by Seattle voters in August 2014. The first six-year cycle of Park District-funded projects and programs began in 2015. 

PUBLIC HEARING DETAILS  

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners will hold the public hearing on Thursday, May 12 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Information on how to join the meeting will be at this site. 

To view the Board’s draft funding recommendations and for more information on this topic, click here.

WRITTEN COMMENTS  

Please send written comments to PDPlanning@seattle.gov. 

The Trust for Public Land has ranked Seattle in the top 10 cities nationwide in its 2022 ParkScore index. The Trust analyzed the 100 largest U.S. cities and used mapping technology and demographic data to determine how well each city is meeting the need for parks. Points were awarded for five characteristics of an effective park system: access, investment, acreage, amenities, and equity.  

Seattle’s ParkScore stats included:

• Percent of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park: 99%
• Park land as % of city area: 13 %
• Spending per resident: $325

To view Seattle’s entire scorecard, go here.

Other cities on the top 10 list include:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. St. Paul, MN
3. Arlington, VA
4. Cincinnati, OH
5. Minneapolis, MN
6. Chicago, IL
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Irvine, CA
9. Seattle, WA
10. New York, NY

Bicycle “Sundays” are back and will take place over the course of several weekends this summer, from Friday evening to Monday morning!

On scheduled weekends from May to September, a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motorized vehicles from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday. Seattle Parks and Recreation invites everyone in the community to bike, jog or stroll along the boulevard between the Seward Park entrance and Mount Baker Park’s beach during these times.

Local access: People driving to homes along the boulevard because they live there, are visiting, or making deliveries are allowed from the nearest cross street.

Parking lots are open and will be accessible from the nearest cross street (see parking details and map below).

The 2022 event dates are:

May 20-23; 27-31

June 10-13; 24-27

July 1-5; 15-18

August 12-15; 19-22

September 2-6; 16-19

Seattle parks with free parking near the Bicycle Sunday route include:

• Colman Park, 1800 Lake Washington Blvd. S
• Mount Baker Park Beach, 2521 Lake Park Dr. S
• Stan Sayres Memorial Park, 3803 Lake Washington Blvd. S
• Adams St Boat Launch, 4200 Lake Washington Blvd. S
• Ferdinand St Boat Launch, 5018 Lake Washington Blvd. S
• Seward Park,5900 Lake Washington Blvd. S

Map of bike route and parking access:

Translated material

Amharic
Somali
Tagalog
Vietnamese
Chinese
Spanish
Korean

Many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day.

These facilities and services are CLOSED:

• Community centers and teen centers
• Environmental learning centers
• Indoor swimming pools
• Green Lake Small Craft Center
• Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center
• Amy Yee Tennis Center
• Seattle Japanese Garden and Volunteer Park Conservatory (closed regularly on Mondays)

These facilities are OPEN on regular schedules:

• Parks
• Boat ramps
• Interbay, Jackson Park, Jefferson Park and West Seattle golf courses

Seattle Parks and Recreation will be offering early registration for after school care programs for the 2022-2023 school year starting Tuesday, April 26 through Monday, May 9 at noon. Those in our current program will have the opportunity to register during this time – online, over the phone or in person. Registration will open to all Tuesday, May 10th at noon.　

Due to staffing shortages and uncertainty of hiring to fill vacancies in childcare programs, Fall school-age care program capacity will be significantly reduced. All families that qualify for our early registration opportunity may not get a slot. We encourage you to add your child to the wait list. As staff are hired we will increase capacities, first offering additional slots to children on the wait list.

After School 2022-2023 Information　

• $25 one- time registration fee (non-refundable)　
• $37.90 Daily Value; Monthly Fee will vary dependent on the actual number of program days per month.　
• Registration is available in monthly units for care from 2:30-6pm for M/W/F or T/Th or Mon-Fri
• Dates: Wed, Sep 7, 2022 though Thur, Jun 22, 2023　
• Excluded dates – City of Seattle observed holidays and Seattle Public School breaks　

After School Program Description:　

Our licensed childcare programs are ready to provide fun, engaging, supportive & safe (including COVID-19 safety) opportunities after school and during school breaks. We strive to build a sense of community while recognizing and celebrating each individual’s achievement, creativity and original thinking. Our dedicated staff work daily to create a welcoming environment that honors diversity through offering fun and active experiences in arts & culture, sports & games, outdoor play and more.

Enrollment forms must be completed and immunization record uploaded through our online forms system, ePACT, prior to your child(ren) attending. You will receive an email after completing your registration with instructions. Paper forms can be found at www.seattle.gov/parks/find/childcare-and-preschool. If you have a child with medical or special needs, additional paperwork is required and available for download through ePACT. For children with special needs, we may request you meet with our staff, at least two weeks prior to the start of program, to ensure we are best prepared to support your child’s success. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the community center.

NOTES: 1) Our fee structure has changed. Monthly fees are now based on the actual number of afterschool program days/month rather than averaged over the 10-month school year. 2) Seattle Public Schools is considering changes to school start times for the 2022-23 school year. This may impact our afterschool program offerings and fees.

After School Program Locations:

Programs will be viewable online Monday, April 25.  Contact your childcare location with questions.

• Alki Community Center 49222　
• Ballard Community Center 49962　
• Bitter Lake CC @ Broadview-Thomson K-8 49254　
• Hiawatha CC @ Genesee Hill ES 49367　
• Hiawatha CC @ Lafayette ES 49368　
• High Point Community Center 49956　
• Jefferson Community Center 49964　
• Magnolia CC @ Blaine K-8 49393　
• Meadowbrook CC @ John Rogers ES 49383　
• Montlake CC @ McGilvra ES 49196　
• Northgate Community Center 49223　
• Rainier Beach Community Center 49375　
• Rainier CC @ John Muir ES 49220　
• Ravenna-Eckstein CC @ Thornton Creek ES 49190　
• Ravenna-Eckstein CC @ Wedgwood ES 49189　
• Van Asselt Community Center 49200　

Click to read Seattle Parks and Recreation’s 2022-2024 Action Plan Executive Summary and Detailed Action Plan, a roadmap for short-term implementation of priorities in SPR’s 2020-2032 Strategic Plan.

Background

In 2018-2019, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) connected with community and partners on a strategic planning process to seek input on our challenges, successes, who we are serving, and who we are missing. The result of this two-year planning effort is SPR’s 2020-2032 Strategic Plan. 

After release of the Strategic Plan in March 2020, SPR paused implementation efforts to pivot toward joining the region-wide emergency pandemic response. Since that time, Seattle has experienced dramatic disruption: a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, a reckoning with our racist past and present, economic downturn, and increasing impacts of climate change.  

To support the community in response to these crises, in 2021 SPR engaged  with communities we serve about how their needs have shifted to help shape our short-term budget priorities and operations. We sought to refine our understanding of community needs and priorities, particularly for communities who were disproportionately impacted by these crises. We connected with community through:

• An online open house and survey – including translated options 
• SPR leadership listening sessions with community organizations  
• Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners listening sessions with other City Boards and Commissions 
• In-person outreach and conversations – including in-language – at popular parks and community events  
• A mix of connections with participants in our programs, visitors to our facilities, at existing outreach events for capital projects, and more!  

2022-2024 Action Plan

The outcome of this planning effort is SPR’s 2022-2024 Action Plan, which identifies areas of focus and specific implementation steps that advance many of the long-range strategic priorities outlined in the 2020-2032 Strategic Plan. SPR plans to revisit and update the annual benchmarks in this Action Plan each year, and report on accomplishments as part of our annual reporting process.

Read the Action Plan Executive Summary and Detailed Action Plan.

It’s time for SPR and ARC’s 4^th Annual Fund the Fun breakfast next Thursday morning, April 28^th, and we invite you to join us and celebrate together.

Every year we’ve raised funds for youth sports and recreation scholarships. This year more than any other, we need to make sure all kids have access to recreation and sports programs to get them healthy and strong again. Scholarships will go to the highest equity priority communities in our city this summer.

We’re also honored to announce the keynote speaker for this year’sbreakfast: Fred Rivera, the Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President and General Counsel!

Seats to this free breakfast are going fast, so click here to register for Fund the Fun today. You won’t want to miss Fred’s inspiring keynote.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) has launched a survey to gather community feedback on priorities for the next Park District six-year budget.  

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners (BPRC) is charged with holding public meetings and making recommendations to the Superintendent of SPR for each six-year cycle of the Park District.  

Starting in late March 2022, the BPRC is launching a public process to consider potential investments for Park District Cycle 2 (2023-2028), both at full board meetings and through more in-depth subcommittee discussions. 

On Thursday, April 14th at 6:30 pm the BPRC will hold a virtual community conversation about the next six-year Park District funding plan. This will be a facilitated question and answer session.  Questions may be submitted ahead of time at here or during the meeting. The BPRC will take as many submitted questions as they can during this meeting.

An official public hearing on the BPRC’s funding recommendation will be held on Thursday, May 12 at 6:30 pm. More information will be available closer to the date here.

In 2014, Seattle voters approved the Seattle Park District providing Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) with funds to increase investment in maintenance, recreation affordability, park development, and supporting community programs. 

The first six-year cycle of the Seattle Park District spanned 2015-2020. More information about accomplishments and lessons learned throughout Cycle 1 is available in the Cycle-End Report and associated Appendices. 

In 2020, planning for Cycle 2 of the Seattle Park District was delayed twice due to uncertainties associated with the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic impacts. The City Council acting as the Park District Board passed annual budgets for the Park District in 2021 and 2022

If you’ve visited Green Lake Park recently, you may have noticed some new signage announcing “Pedestrian Use Only – No Wheels” on the inner loop.  

This long-term temporary use restriction, which restricts all bicycles and other wheeled uses from the Green Lake Park inner loop (strollers and mobility devices are allowed), is intended to create more space for path users on this high use trail and to provide more time for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to complete their design process and coordinate the construction timeline for creating a complete outer loop around Green Lake with protected access for bikers and pedestrians. More information about the Green Lake Outer Loop project is available here.    

As part of its outreach on the outer loop project, SDOT launched an online survey to gather community feedback and to better understand community values, what is working, and what could be different about getting around Green Lake. Their survey included a series of questions on the inner loop (see questions 10, 11, 12). A summary of feedback from 4,534 total responses can be found here. 

The Board of Park Commissioners held a public hearing and vote on this long-term temporary use restriction on October 28, 2021. The Board will revisit this topic, hear an update on SDOT’s work, and provide advice to the Superintendent about potential paths forward at an upcoming public meeting this summer, likely in June (see upcoming meeting agendas here). 

Want to provide feedback? 

Feedback on this issue is encouraged! Community members can send comments about the inner loop to PKS_Info@seattle.gov, attend the Board of Park Commissioners meeting on this topic this summer, or attend any of our monthly Board meetings (even if Green Lake is not on the agenda) to provide feedback during the Public Comment section.  

Feedback on SDOT’s outer loop project can be directed to GreenLakeOuterLoop@seattle.gov.