LIFESTYLE

Where to celebrate the Fourth of July in western Washington

Jul 3, 2025, 5:03 AM

fireworks Gas Works Fourth of July western Washington...

Fireworks over South Lake Union. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr Creative Commons)

It’s time for one of the biggest weekends of the summer, the Fourth of July.

There are events across the region to celebrate, including the Seafair 4th of July celebration and Tacoma’s 4th of July Summer Blast.

Gas Works Park and Lake Union Park will be where you want to be for the best views and all the fun for Seafair’s celebration. Both will feature All-American games like sack racing, water balloon tosses, and plenty more. Plus, there will be food and live music to enjoy as you soak up the sun all day long.

The fireworks celebration will take place at roughly 10:20 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m., and no admission will be allowed after 9 p.m. At Tacoma’s Summer Blast, you will find over 150 vendors, multiple stages with live music, a kids zone, food and drinks, plus a fireworks show to close out the day. The fun gets started at Ruston Way Waterfront at noon.

Fourth of July fireworks in western Washington

There will also be a firework shows in Arlington at Quake Park, Bellevue at the Downtown Park, in Everett at Port Gardner Bay, Federal Way at Celebration Park, plus there are also parades going on in West Seattle, Everette, Edmonds, Arlington, Bothell, and more. Some, like Bothell, West Seattle, and Edmonds, even have a kids’ parade kicking off the events. Events12 has a good list of where and when to find the parades from across the region.

There will also be a naturalization ceremony on Friday at the Seattle Center, where 500 people will become American citizens. This begins at noon

It’s time for Pioneer Square Fest in none other than Pioneer Square. According to the event’s website, Pioneer Square Fest is a two-day celebration of music, art, and local culture. You will be able to dance the weekend away with over 20 live bands across five event stages on Saturday while enjoying the market of over 80 street vendors. There will also be food and drink specials at local businesses and all sorts of art to enjoy. In order to check out the music and some of the experiences of the festival, you’ll need to buy a wristband, but the market is open to the general public, no ticket required.

It’s also a busy sports weekend with the Mariners at home all weekend, taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, with promos going on throughout the series. Plus, the Sounders are taking on the Columbus Crew on Sunday at 2 PM.

How are you celebrating Independence Day and the rest of your summer? Let me know at paulh@kiroradio.com.

sign up for the 425 Magazine newsletter

Lifestyle

South Sound Business...

South Sound Business

WSECU Names New CEO After Nationwide Search

Originally published on South Sound Business. Olympia-based credit union WSECU has named Harry Zhu as its next president and CEO. He will succeed Gary Swindler, who is retiring next month after 37 years with the company, which has locations across Washington. Previously, Zhu spent 13 years with Alliant Credit Union, where he held several senior […]

1 hour ago

James A. Gambrell, a former chef at Dollywood, touches the Dolly Parton statue in downtown Seviervi...

Associated Press

How Dolly Parton’s love of the Great Smoky Mountains helped transform her hometown

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton didn’t just sing lovingly about her Tennessee mountain home. She spent her life elevating an often-overlooked region to showcase what long inspired her music and sparked a tourism boom that forever changed those living against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains. And it is because of that deep […]

4 hours ago

425 Magazine...

425

Rick Steves Purchases Historic Edmonds Theater

Originally published on 425. The Edmonds-based travel guide, writer, and philanthropist Rick Steves announced earlier this week that he had purchased the Edmonds Theater. The single-screen venue is more than a century old and shows new releases, hosts repertory screenings, and puts on events. Currently, the theater’s main attraction is “The Odyssey,” and, from Aug. […]

7 hours ago

425 Business...

425 Business

WESCU Names New CEO After Nationwide Search

Originally published on 425 Business. Olympia-based credit union WSECU has named Harry Zhu as its next president and CEO. He will succeed Gary Swindler, who is retiring next month after 37 years with the company, which has locations across Washington. Previously, Zhu spent 13 years with Alliant Credit Union, where he held several senior leadership […]

8 hours ago

A Gideon Bible sits on a table in Phoenix, Sunday Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)Credit...

Associated Press

For over 100 years, travelers have checked into US motel rooms and found the Gideon Bible

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — “Rocky Raccoon checked into his room, only to find Gideon’s Bible.” Paul McCartney explained those famous lines in the song by The Beatles, saying these Bibles “were in every hotel in America.” He’d never seen something like that in England. For more than a century, countless have found it in the […]

9 hours ago

Sound Sound...

South Sound

Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center Opens Doors to Patients

Originally published on South Sound. Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital has treated its first patients at its newly expanded Outpatient Center in Tacoma. The recent opening of the expansion marks the final part of the new, 250,000-square-foot pediatric hospital. The outpatient facility has 85 exam rooms, 10 infusion bays, three sedation rooms, two X-ray units, and […]

10 hours ago

Where to celebrate the Fourth of July in western Washington