Grab your calendars. Here’s our round up of every community fair and festival in the South Sound for the summer of 2019!
We’ll also have these listed in our summer guide, and we’ll include as many as possible in our calendar, too! For now, I hope this inspires some playdates and helps you plan around your favorites. Do let me know if I missed one! While our goal is always to be the best resource around, we have also provided links so you can double check details before you head out. And, finally, note that this list is of day long or multi day festivals. We will have separate posts with info. on outdoor movies and concerts, parks events, and more!
June
Auburn Kids Day – June 25th 11:00am-4:00pm
This FREE festival includes live entertainment, inflatable rides, arts, crafts, over 100 activity booths, large vehicle and equipment display, food concessions and more! Some attractions may have a small fee. Leashed, licensed and well-behaved pets welcome. One of our favorite kid friendly events of the whole year! Don’t miss it!
Yelm Prairie Days Parade – Saturday June 29th 9:30am
July
Note-Due to space issues most fireworks displays and events specific to the 4th of July/Independence Day are in a separate guide (we’re updating that now).
Wings and Wheels at the Tacoma Narrows Airport, Gig Harbor – June 30th-July 1st Your plane lovers will love this event with a car show, live music and aerial demonstrations. You can also view the aircraft on the ground.
Fireworks at Emerald Downs – Tuesday, July 3rd. Celebrate the 4th early at the races!
Our Fireworks Spectacular is a summer tradition.Bring out the family and enjoy the races and afterwards look up in the sky! Admission $9 for adults, children 17 and under, always free admission.
For grandstand seat tickets call 253-288-7711 beginning at 9 AM on Tuesday, June 19. Limit of 10 tickets per call. Might want to come out early and map out a good spot to see the terrific show. Gates open at 9:30 AM.
Tacoma Freedom Fair – 2018 details still TBA In the past this event has been on the 4th and featured a full day with a firework spectacular, Freedom Fair Air Show, and fun on Ruston Way with an airshow, food, vendors, exhibits, rides.
Family Fun Night at Fort Nisqually – Friday July 12, 6:00pm-9:00pm. Bring a picnic dinner to the Fort, and join in games, dancing, and relay races with the Fort’s re-enactors. There will be ice cream and lemonade on hand while supplies last!
Art on the Ave Street Festival– Sunday, July 14 This festival celebrates the art of Tacoma and has traditionally included booths, kids’ zone, entertainment and more!
Kent Cornucopia Days July 12-14. South King county’s largest family festival features a street fair, parade, entertainment, and more.
Pacific Days – Friday-Sunday, July 12-14. Music, parade, food trucks, vendors, and more family fun.
SummerFest in Lakewood – Saturday, July 13, 11:00am-11:00pm. FREE all day festival with activities, food, entertainment, car show, Kids’ Zone and more! Free outdoor movie in the evening, too!
Capital Lakefair, Lacey – Wednesday-Sunday, July 17-21. Enjoy a parade, fireworks, and rides.
Vashon Island Strawberry Festival – Friday-Sunday, July 19-21. Take a ferry to Vashon for the Grand parade, car show, children’s activities and more. Several music stages, vendor booths, alternative carnival, local artists, and street dances are all part of the fun. Be sure to read up on road detour and transportation information.
Sequim Lavender Festival – Friday-Sunday, July 19-21 Drive over to the largest lavender event in North America, where you can also enjoy food, live entertainment, a street fair, and farm tours.
Covington Days – Saturday and Sunday, July 20 and 21. This official SeaFair event includes a parade, carnival, and kids’ activities.
Gig Harbor Summer Arts Festival – July 20 and 21 Saturday, times TBA. Art on display on the waterfront. In the past there have also been children’s activities, food, and vendors.
Renton River Days – Friday-Sunday, July 26-28. An annual multi-day family festival featuring events and activities for kids, arts and crafts, reception, food, and live entertainment.
Enumclaw Street Fair – Date TBA This street fair includes a family fun zone with rides and games, live music, craft vendors, family activities, basketball tournament, farmer’s market, and more!
Highland Games, Enumclaw – July 26-28 Get your kilt on at this celebration of all things Scottish.
Ethnic Fest in Wright Park July 27-28 Family friendly celebration of cultures and community
August
Thurston County Fair, Lacey – July 31-August 4th If you like your fairs more on the old-fashioned/rural side, this is a good one for you!
Kite Festival at Chambers Creek – NO Kite Festival this year, but it will return in 2020
Proctor Arts Fest – Saturday August 3 Head to old town for arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, kids’ crafts, and more at this family friendly event.
Renaissance Faire, Bonney Lake – Saturdays/Sundays, August 3-4 ,10-11, 17-18. Take a trip back to Medieval times at the Faire! Experience pirates, faeries, and a royal masquerade, all with live entertainment!
Pierce County Fair, Graham – Thursday-Sunday, August 8-11 This small fair has lots of animals on display and is an annual celebration of rural life.
Frederickson Community Festival – Saturday, August 10, 9:00am-3:00pm. The annual Freddie Fest features a car show, chili cook-off, and local vendors.
AuburnFest, Auburn
Held at Les Gove park, there will be live entertainment, a car show, literary fair plus lots of free kid’s activities.
Washington State International Kite Festival, Long Beach – August 19th-25th If you plan to take a trip to the ocean this summer, time it for the Kite Festival and enjoy this week long celebration and competition of all things kite flying.
Bonney Lake Days – August 16th and 17th This festival is VERY family friendly with a Kids Zone, vendors, and more.
Kitsap County Fair & Stampede, Bremerton– Wednesday-Sunday, August 21st-25th Kids will get a kick out of this event that features a carnival, extreme bulls, stampede and destruction derby.
Milton Days– August 17 Events and activities TBA.
End of August/September-Labor Day Weekend
Harbor Days in Olympia Olympia Harbor Days August 30th-September 1st
This family friendly festival celebrates the return of the vintage tugboats of the Puget Sound to the beautiful waterfront in Olympia. The kids (and curious adults) can climb aboard the tugs on Saturday and older kids might like to hop aboard a historic steamship or tall ship to watch the World’s Largest Vintage Tugboat Races on Sunday. Kids’ activities, food, more
Washington State Fair/Puyallup Fair – Puyallup. August 30-September 22 This is the BIG ONE with lots of food, animals, and rides! We’ll have more detailed fair going guides closer to opening weekend.
Bremerton Blackberry Festival – August 31-September 2nd This family friendly festival happens right at Bremerton’s waterfront, with lots of food, live entertainment and kids activities.
Roy Rodeo – Saturday/Sunday, June 1-2 and August 31-September 1 If you’re a rodeo fan, this is a fun one! There will be a variety of events, including bareback riding, steer wrestling, a clown act and more! Cash only at the souvenir booth, food booth, and beer/wine garden.
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Looking for more summer fun? Be sure to check out our South Sound Summer Guide!
You are so awesome!! Thank you for this!
Thank you SO MUCH for this list. New to the area so this helps immensely.
You are amazing!! Just filled in my calendar with all kind of fun stuff..:)
Looking forward to hear about u-pick berries places and Ethnic Festival in Tacoma.. Thanks again!:)
ethnic fest is at wright park in tacoma on july 29-30…. https://www.ethnicfest.org/
Thank you so much for helping us plan our Summer and weekends! Great job! Have a great Summer yourselves!!