Tips

Family Friendly: Seattle 4th of July

Updated for 2025

As a mom living in Seattle proper, I know it can be tough to figure out the best family friendly Seattle 4th of July plans. In this skimmable blog post, I have some handy tips for attending the event, as well as provide a list of alternative Fourth of July festivities. No matter where you are in the Greater Seattle area, you can join in on the fun! I’ve even added related but not quite “4th of July” fun lower on the list, so there’s great additional summer fun to add to your bucketlist.

If you want to add a joyful, playful and connected family portrait session, click here to learn more!

Seattle 4th of July Tradition: Seafair

Seafair Summer Fourth: This quintessential Seattle event offers a full day of family-friendly activities at Lake Union Park, culminating in a spectacular fireworks display. Enjoy live music, delicious food vendors, and a vibrant atmosphere perfect for creating lasting memories. This year the 4th of July is on a Friday, hip hip hurray for 3 day weekends!

Fireworks will go off at 10:15 PM.

Where to see the fireworks:

Map of Gas Works Park
  • Gas Works Park: This iconic park offers a stunning panorama of the Seattle skyline and Elliott Bay. Arrive early to snag a prime spot on the grassy expanse and enjoy live music, food trucks, and a festive atmosphere before the main event. (Location: 2101 N Basin St, Seattle, WA 98103 | Admission: Free)
  • July 4, 2025 3 PM – 11 PM
Map of Lake Union Park
  • Lake Union Park: Lake Union Park provides a spectacular setting to watch the annual fireworks show with all your friends and family. This setting on the south end of Lake Union features a darker sky view facing north, creating a spectacular array of color booming across the water. Make sure you avoid being behind the Museum of History & Industry.(Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 | Admission: Free) More info here.
  • July 4, 2025 6 PM – 11 PM

Planning Tips:

  • Early Arrival: Popular spots can get crowded quickly. Aim to arrive early to secure your viewing spot, especially at Gas Works Park and Kerry Park.
  • Parking: Be prepared for limited parking options near popular viewing areas. Consider public transportation, ride-sharing, or carpooling. I take my son and I in on bikes and bike home, makes things MUCH faster even though there’s still significant traffic.
  • Comfy Seating: Bring a blanket or folding chairs for seating, and don’t forget layers as evenings can get cooler.
  • Festive Fun: Pack snacks, drinks, and maybe even some glow sticks for the kids.

What to Pack:

  • Tickets or Cash (if applicable): Double-check if your viewing area requires a ticket or has concessions you might want to purchase.
  • Sunscreen & Hats: Sun protection is important, even in the evening.
  • Water Bottles: Stay hydrated, especially with all the excitement! Consider reusable bottles to reduce waste.
  • Snacks: Pack plenty of kid-friendly snacks like crackers, fruit pouches, and granola bars to keep little tummies happy.
  • Wipes & Diapers (if applicable): Be prepared for any bathroom emergencies.
  • First-Aid Kit: Pack a small first-aid kit with bandaids, antiseptic wipes, and any medications your child might need.
  • Flashlight: A small flashlight can be helpful for navigating after dark, especially if you leave before the crowds thin out.
  • Blanket or Folding Chairs: A comfortable spot to sit is key, especially for tired little legs.
  • Glow Sticks & Noisemakers: These festive items add to the fun and excitement of the fireworks show.
  • Bubbles: A great distraction for younger kids who might get impatient waiting for the fireworks to start.
  • Books or Activity Books: Pack some quiet activities for downtime before or after the show.
  • Change of Clothes (Optional): Consider packing an extra layer or a change of clothes for spills or unexpected dips in temperature.
  • Bug Spray: If you’re concerned about mosquitos or other insects, pack bug spray suitable for children.

No matter where you choose to watch, Seattle’s 4th of July fireworks display promises to be a dazzling spectacle. So gather your loved ones, find your perfect spot, and get ready to celebrate Independence Day in style! Here are two PAID alternatives to the free festivities:

Fourth of July Cruise on Lake Union

Argosy Cruises, Lake Union, Kirkland

The masses packed into Gas Works will seem like peons compared to those who wisely purchase a ticket to board an Argosy Cruises party boat. Cruises depart from Lake Union and Kirkland, respectively, and keep the good vibes going with a full-service bar and a front-row view of the fireworks. The 21+ boats are all sold out. But there’s still room for all-ages passengers. 

Fireworks party in Seattle

July 2025

Downtown (0.6 miles S)

A ticket to 4th of July includes a drink ticket, food and drink for sale, games and activities, and unobstructed views of sunset at 9:10 p.m. and fireworks above Lake Union at 10:20 p.m. from atop the Columbia Center at Sky View Observatory, 700 4th Ave. in Seattle. Must be age 14+.

Looking for a little more “action”? Here are some amazing parades, which I know my son LOVES.


Parades

July 4, 2025

Watch a patriotic Fourth of July parade with marching bands, drill teams, and classic cars.

Bellevue Family Fourth

Bellevue

10201 NE Fourth St.

July 4, 2025

The Bellevue Family 4th returns to Bellevue Downtown Park, bringing the Eastside’s largest Independence Day celebration to life. Enjoy an evening filled with live music, family entertainment, fun activities, and a spectacular fireworks display lighting up the Bellevue skyline. A special thanks to the City of Bellevue for co-producing this unforgettable event. We can’t wait to see you there!

The park is at 10201 NE Fourth St. Visitors are encouraged to think locally and walk, bike, take light rail, the bus or carpool there. 

An Edmonds Kind of Fourth

Edmonds – July 4, 2025

4th of July 5K & 1K Family Run 9:30am

Children’s Parade: 11:30am FREE to join! Register at the Ace Hardware parking lot between 9:30am-11:15am. Strollers, wagons & other non-motorized wheeled “vehicles” are YES, OK. No animals or pets. 550 5th Ave S. (Please DO NOT park in the Ace Hardware lot)

Main Parade: 12:00pm

Auburn Fourth of July Festival

Auburn

Friday, July 4, 2025
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Les Gove Park, 910 Ninth Street SE

FREE (purchase wristband for $10 unlimited activities)

Celebrate our country’s birthday at Les Gove Park. The event includes entertainment on two stages, a variety of craft artists, a car show, inflatable rides, euro-bungee trampolines, train rides and other fun activities for children. The event also offers a rock climbing wall, mini golf, bocce, food concessions, and so much more! Come see for yourself, this naturally shaded park and spray park will keep you cool during the afternoon.

Wristband sales begin at 10:00 AM.  You can purchase a wristband for $10 for unlimited activities which include all inflatable rides, cyclone swing, bungee trampolines, rock wall, train rides, mini golf, laser tag and balloon art.

Leashed, licensed and well-behaved pets welcome.

Tacoma Summer Blast

Ruston Waterfront

Tacoma’s 4th of July celebration is back! Head to the Ruston Way Waterfront where you’ll enjoy a full day of live music, food, entertainment, and craft vendors. The fun begins at noon and ends with spectacular fireworks over Puget Sound.

The celebration takes place at Dune Peninsula and Cummings Park on Ruston Way with over 150 vendors, 2 stages and a 20-minute firework display. The fireworks display can be seen from Dune Peninsula Park in the north, along Ruston Way Waterfront, and stretching to Jack Hyde Park in the south.

The Emerald Queen Casino fireworks show is presented by the City of Tacoma.

Kids Zone at Cummings Park

Entertainment created especially for kids will be bursting from the Kids Zone at Cummings Park all day long!

Burn off energy with a bounce house, inflatable obstacle course and basketball, and other interactive games. Cool off with shaved ice and Italian sodas, available for purchase from Entertainment Masters. Get creative with make-and-take crafts like sand art and canvas painting, or get your face painted and have a photo shoot at the selfie station.

Meet some of your favorite costumed characters and serenade your friends and family at the karaoke booth!

Red White and Blues Festival

Federal Way

1095 S. 324th Street, Federal Way, WA 98003

July 4 @ 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Free

Event begins at 4:00 PM

Fireworks at 10:15 PM

Join us at Celebration Park in Federal Way on July 4th for the Red, White & Blues Festival! Enjoy live music, food vendors, and family fun all day. The main stage lights up at 4:00 PM with diverse performers.  Bring lawn chairs and blankets for comfort. Admission and parking are free for all. Let’s celebrate America together!

  • FREE Parking! (First Come First Serve)
  • FREE Admission
  • Live Music & Main Stage Entertainment
  • Food Vendors
  • Games & Crafts for Families
  • Kid’s Parade
  • Inflatables

Red White and Kaboom

Puyallup

Thursday, July 3, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 10:30 PM

Fireworks at 10 PM

Join us for a full day of fun at the Gold and Teal Lots of the Washington State Fair, culminating in a professional fireworks display! Start by grabbing your Gold Lot vehicle pass [ PURCHASE HERE ], then make your way over to the Teal Lot for live music, a car show (courtesy of Cruise Puyallup), a beer garden, delicious food trucks, 5K by All Things Fun Sports!, and a fun-filled kids’ corner!

RWK Kids’ Corner: Enjoy balloon artists, face painting, crafts, corn hole & more!

Down Home Fourth of July

Issaquah

July 4, 2025 11 AM – 2 PM

*pending more info*

Down Home 4th July event is the City of Issaquah’s annual celebration of Independence Day. This FREE event offers family friendly activities for the entire community including: the Kids ‘n Pets Parade, Memorial Field festivities, Live Music, Petting Zoo, Bouncy Houses, Balloon Artist, Photo Booth, Fire Truck, Police Cruiser, Kiss a Unicorn, Down Home Gnome Scavenger Hunt, Service Vendor Booths, Senior Center Quiet Zone, Entertainment Stage, and Watermelon Eating Contest and more. This year the event and parade will feature a 4th of July themed Costume Contest! This is a Downtown Issaquah Association (DIA) event with support from the City of Issaquah, and DIA partners.

Everett’s Fourth of July

Everett

Legion Memorial Park

Hosted by the City of Everett, there’s live music, adult bevvies, food trucks, and kid-friendly entertainment. 

Everett’s iconic Thunder on the Bay fireworks show is a 20-minute show set to launch over the Snohomish River and Port Gardner Bay. With Everett being a waterfront city, there are a bunch of great places to watch the fireworks. 

Grand Old Fourth of July

  • Pancake Breakfast, benefiting the Bainbridge High School Boosters Club, begins at 7 a.m.
  • Street Fair is held from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. in the Town & Country parking lot, on Bjune and Brien streets and in Waterfront Park
  • Parade begins at 1 p.m.

Family entertainment includes the popular Valentine’s Performing Pigs, Alley Oop, pony rides, bouncy house, Big Purple Slide, miniature golf, the Kitsap Mounted Posse, and more.

The Parade begins at 1 p.m. As in years past, we expect thousands of people to line the one-mile parade route to watch this wonderful small-town event unfold. Parade applications for non-profits, neighborhood groups and commercial enterprises and/or politicians are available from the website below.

The Classic Car Show will again be held. Last year, more than 80 vehicles participated and we expect a similar number this year. Each car must apply.

Music and entertainment will be at the Town & Country parking lot stage and Watefront Park.

Shuttle Busses will run every fifteen minutes from 9:30 AM to 6 PM from the following locations:

  • Kitsap Bank parking lot
  • First Baptist Church (Madison & HWY 305),
  • Ace Hardware parking lot

Sort of related Summer events…

Concerts in Seattle  FREE

July 2025 (undated)

Seattle area

Redmond Derby Days  FREE

July 11 – 12, 2025

Redmond (15 miles NE)

Redmond Derby Days has craft vendors, carnival rides, a beer/wine garden, entertainment, a bike race at Marymoor (Fri. 7 p.m.), a pancake breakfast (Sat.), a kids’ bike parade (Sat. 10 a.m.), a grand parade (Sat. 11 a.m.), and a lighted drone show (Sat. 10 p.m.) at Redmond City Hall Campus, 15670 NE 85th St. in Redmond. Additional vendors at Redmond Town Center. Schedule.

Everett street fair  FREE

July 11 – 12, 2025

Everett (29 miles N)

Salty Sea Days features live music, a beer garden, and family-friendly activities, centered around 2900 Wetmore Ave. in Everett. Friday (4 to 10 p.m.) & Saturday (noon to 10 p.m.).

Ballard seafood festival  FREE

July 11 – 13, 2025

Ballard (5.4 miles NW)

Eat seafood and more, visit the beer garden, watch live music, and browse arts & crafts (Sat. & Sun.) at Ballard SeafoodFest on NW Market St. and on Ballard Ave. NW. Festi-Bowl skateboarding festival is Saturday at Ballard Commons Park, 5701 22nd Ave. NW in Seattle.

West Seattle festival  FREE

July 11 – 13, 2025

West Seattle (5.6 miles SW)grounds map

Kent family festival  FREE

July 11 – 13, 2025

Kent (20 miles S)

Kent Cornucopia Days is a street fair with food vendors, a kids’ zone, a car show (Sat. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), a 5K run (Sat. 9 a.m.), and a parade on 4th Avenue (Sun. 1 p.m.). The main entertainment stage is at Town Square Plaza, 115 2nd Ave. N in Kent.

West Seattle Summer Fest is a neighborhood street fair with arts and crafts, two stages of live music, local food, a beer garden, and a kids’ zone at West Seattle Junction, 4210 SW Oregon St. in Seattle.

Sand castle competition  FREE

July 16 – 20, 2025

Long Beach (173 miles SW)

See incredible sand sculptures built by competing teams at the Pacific Ocean during Sandsations at Bolstad Beach Approach, Bolstad Ave. W in Long Beach. It also has sand lessons, live music, vendors, kites, and a Saturday awards ceremony. Schedule.

King County Fair

July 17 – 20, 2025

Enumclaw (43 miles SE)

The King County Fair offers food, beer/wine, music, carnival rides, vendors, entertainment, demonstrations, 4H animals, and a rodeo (Fri. 6 p.m.) at Enumclaw Expo Center, 45224 284th Ave. SE in Enumclaw.

Lavender festival  FREE

July 18 – 20, 2025

Sequim (68 miles NW via ferry)

Sequim Lavender Festival offers farm visits that may have a fee, a farmer’s market at the Civic Center, a dance (7 p.m. Sat.), and a free street fair with live music and 145 food & craft vendors at Carrie Blake Park, 202 N Blake Ave. in Sequim.

Snohomish festival  FREE

July 18 – 19, 2025

Snohomish (29 miles NE)

Kla Ha Ya Days begins Friday with a kids’ fair (3 to 7 p.m.). Saturday includes a pancake breakfast and a parade (10 a.m.). Saturday & Sunday have entertainment, a street fair, and a beer garden.

Vashon strawberry festival  FREE

July 19 – 20, 2025 (a few events Fri.)

Vashon (18 miles SW via ferry)

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival has a zany parade on Saturday at 11 a.m. (preceded by kids at 10:45 a.m.), live music, a beverage garden, carnival rides, and vendors. The main stage is located at Vashon Village, 17205 Vashon Hwy SW in Vashon.

Festival in Lakewood  FREE

July 19, 2025

Lakewood (41 miles S)

SummerFest has 100 vendors, 25 food trucks, a beer garden, live music, motocross, classic cars (until 4 p.m.), fire dancers (8:45 p.m.), a drone show (9:45 p.m.), and a balloon glow (dusk) at Fort Steilacoom Park, 8714 87th Ave. SW in Lakewood. Schedule.

Parade in West Seattle  FREE

July 19, 2025 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

West Seattle (5.9 miles SW)

West Seattle Grand Parade includes pirates, clowns, marching bands, drill teams, floats, and pageantry heading south on California Avenue SW (from Lander Street to Edmunds Street). Watch runners in the Float Dodger 5K just before the parade.

Renaissance fair

July 19 – Aug. 17, 2025

Snohomish (33 miles NE)

Mingle with medieval knights, jesters, and peasants at the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire, which has entertainment, craft & food vendors, plus alehouses for adults at Meadow Wood Equestrian Center, 18601 Sky Meadows Lane in Snohomish. Also open Fri. & Sat. evenings beginning July 18. No pets.

video

Movies at Seattle Center  FREE

July 2025 (undated)

Seattle Center (0.8 miles NW)

The 2025 Movie line-up will be announced in May.  Stay tuned!

Watch movies on a 40-foot screen with captions at Movies at the Mural on the lawn at Mural Amphitheater, 305 Harrison St. in Seattle. Bring low-back chairs, blankets, or bean bags. Begins at dusk, roughly 9 p.m.

Seattle 4th of July Fireworks on Lake Union