10 Things to Do in Seattle in Spring

With about half the days of the year rained out, Seattle is a very wet destination. However, a window of dry weather begins in spring and ends in summer, ideal for touring and enjoying Seattle's many attractions, with the added bonus of fewer tourists.

Take advantage of this season to visit its national parks, go biking, attend a festival and even witness the many flowers and large mammals that were dormant during the winter make an appearance.

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

The world's largest comedy and variety event, the four-week festival showcases a variety of shows featuring trapeze artists, jugglers, musicians, magicians, comedians and other performers.

The acts performed are short (lasting less than 15 minutes) and are accompanied by spectacular live music. It is quite possibly one of the best children's 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 exciting.

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. Please 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 space showcasing local talent in the arts and crafts. It takes place in Seattle's U District, an area that is one of the most vibrant in the city with its variety of restaurants, cinemas, concert venues, shops and the University of Washington 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 diverse issues that threaten well-being and peace.

In addition to the numerous stalls selling all kinds of products, 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 on display.

Ireland is one of several countries that are part of Seattle's multiculturalism. Since the mid-1800s, people from the island came 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, exhibitions and much more.

It is organised 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 flower festival.

• 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 it is the flowering trees on the University of Washington campus that steal the show, which is open to the public during this time of year for all to see.
• Tulips: Another beautiful sight are the tulips. Each year between April and May, these flowers are the centrepiece of a festival in Skagit Valley, located north of Seattle, about a two-hour drive from Seattle. This festival encompasses several tulip 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's held the weekend before Memorial Day at the Seattle Center, a city venue with monuments, gardens, museums and cultural events throughout the year.

Since its inception decades ago, the Northwest Folklife Festival has been a community venue celebrating the art, traditions and lore that make up the rich cultural heritage of the Pacific Northwest.

Each year, the 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 talents.

As a community-organised and coordinated festival, it is a free, donation-driven event that 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 takes place 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'll be able to get better views from a distance and you won't have to worry about getting soaked as you watch from the deck.

This type of tour gives you 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 costs about 31 euros. The boat sails around 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 money, you can buy the Seattle City Pass which, for a price starting at 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 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 manoeuvres?... 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 try seafood and other dishes, mainly from North American cuisine. 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 held 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 May

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

The waterfall at Snoqualmie Falls is an estimated 83 metres high and it is in the spring that you will see the greatest flow from the top of the falls.

Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington State 's most popular natural attractions , receiving more than one million visitors annually. The various viewing platforms surrounding the falls, which you can access by foot or car, allow for exceptional photo opportunities.

In addition to the viewing platforms, there is a huge amusement park, as well as low/medium difficulty trails, a hotel, restaurants and even a spa.

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

One of the tours I recommend takes you to this natural spectacle, and also takes you on a tour of various attractions around Seattle, such as Kerry Park or the Fremont Troll (regular attractions on the tour) for a price starting at 71 euros. The tour lasts 4 hours and is well worth it.

Pike Place Market is like the spirit of Seattle. It's a market where traditional commerce combines with street music and entertainment of all kinds, making it a quintessential Seattle cultural venue.

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

• Yellow daffodils: Under the striking market clock, these beautiful flowers are the clearest sign that winter is gone. They are so highly 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 miss out on 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.
• Theatre: A unique feature of Pike Place Market is its theatre. The space called "Can Can" has a capacity of 120 people. The plays performed here combine dancing, singing, acrobatics, cabaret and comedy. A visit 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 up, they are an excellent place to sample local dishes.

The Pike Place is especially ideal for doing so because of the culinary options on offer (regional and international) and the freshness of the ingredients (especially seafood).

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

The colourful 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 bike.

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

Cycling is not just for locals. Tourism also joins the network and takes advantage of the infrastructure to get to know the city. If you feel like cycling through many of the city's neighbourhoods, I recommend 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. Rain is still present and the temperature is cool (low of 4°C and high of 12°C on average), so if you're visiting during these early weeks, bring a heavy coat and waterproof clothing.

As the weeks progress, the weather becomes more tolerable for most people, although it's still advisable to bring a light coat and waterproofs, especially if you're going to the mountains. The weather alternates between cool, cloudy days and warm days with bright sunshine.

Seattle in the spring combines two advantages: the weather and the tourist crowds. In these months you'll find one of the best times to take tours without a lot of people waiting to see what you're seeing.

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