Fremont Solstice Fair

It’s the best festival that occurs in the Fremont neighborhood every year. On Saturday is when everyone tends to go because of the traditional naked bike ride! It’s a fun event to take tourists to because if that doesn’t say Seattle then I don’t know what it does! And on Saturday night is when famous artists come out to perform, which you will need to get separate tickets to. If you have to do everything with your dog like me, then go the following Sunday for the dog parade. There are plenty of vendors to check out and food stands, in addition to the Red Hook Brewery beer garden.

I must say, I’ve never seen such a site as the Solstice Fair. It seems this gathering gave all comers carte blanche to let it all hang out… Sometimes very literally.
Arts and crafts, street performers, excellent food trucks, and lots of great music made this a great weekend experience.
As someone who lives literally 300 feet from the parade route, my only complaint would be the traffic. It was a bear to get home or going out over this weekend. Best to just stay local and enjoy the festivities. Lesson learned for next year.

This is my 2^nd year coming to Fremont Solstice Fair. Its been about the same both years, I think this year was a little more unique especially with the nakedness and hairyness. But its ok, I dont mind it. Whatever.
Fremont isnt the biggest area but during the fair, there’s all kinds of street vendors, food vendors, drink stands, some family friendly games for kids, restaurants & bars open up their doors and offer specials, beer gardens, performance stages, also some VIP-​ish places hosted by a particular liquor brand and all that all that!
Its nice to walk around and check things out for a few hours and grab some food and sit over by the water.
Definitely dont drive here, take the bus… actually walking or riding your bike is the easiest way in & out of here.

My very favorite street fair in the Seattle area! Has a real hippie feeling. They have a summer solstice parade. But you must not mind seeing lots of naked people with lots of body paint. If you’re kind of a prudish person this is not the place you want to be! This is more for free spirits who want to just let it all hang out once a year in an unconventional way and just have fun! Lots of food vendors. Typical street fair food. Lots of interesting commercial vendors. The prices are very reasonable. I like the uniqueness of this street fair and look forward to it all year. If you are a free spirit this is the place for you to come!

It’s the place you want to be on the second weekend of June in Seattle.
Freaks everywhere, but that’s Fremont normally. Every summer the annual The Fremont Fair & The Summer Solstice parade lets us celebrate the arrival of summer. Or what THE GODS grant us for summer.
Every form of life shows up (Vendors, freaks, geek’s and locals) to gather in celebration & decadence! This gathering has something for everyone from voyeurism, drinking, shopping, protesting or watching the parade it’s very entertaining for all!
Should you be coming for the parade, I’d arrive early to secure a location. The benefit is a front row view of freak show central the naked cyclists who kick off the parade.
See ya in 2015!

Moving to Fremont from Memphis, TN during the Summer Solstice Fest was a shocker. I was happy to learn that this was not the norm, but the overall flavor of Fremont. My first summer experience was confusing, frustrating and just overwhelming.
Three years later I am a Summer Solstice pro. I have hence moved out of Fremont, but I know that if I was a good seat for the parade, then I need to arrive early. I do not bother driving, I take the bus to the Fremont bridge or to the Aurora Bridge and then just walk across… easy!
I have learned to pack a lunch and to just throw it into my backpack along with plenty of water, a hat and sun block.
I leave my camera at home, because it is all about the experience.

The food options were your typical overpriced options you would find at a fair. I didn’t see the food trucks that were away from the main part of the fair until after I ate a bad plate of nachos.
Lots of booths selling arts and crafts. Several booths had water available for our puppy which was nice.
The parade was interesting, good to see once. Not for kids though! There is a lot of naked people on bikes to start off the parade.
Some of the floats were cool, a lot of them confusing.

I typically attend the Fremont Fair on Sunday. That way, I can spend Saturday focused on the Solstice Parade because honestly, it’s a bit too much for me to handle all in one day.
I go to the Fremont Fair each year and again, Sunday always seems like a different vibe to me. Although there still are remnants of naked folk, it’s a lot less compared to Saturday (if that’s a concern for you; I don’t care).
Vendors — There are some of the vendors that participate in Fremont Sunday Market but there are tons more who just come in for the fair. Everything from leather goods to pillows to bubbles, there’s a wide range of amusement for everyone.
Location — I like that the Fair spreads out over a few streets. That allows for people to move around a bit better. Also, one of my favorite things to do is walk a little further down the water to have a little peace and quiet under the shade while I watch the boats go by.
Transportation — I’ve heard a lot of complaints about this. Honestly, a little research goes a long way. If you’re looking to park right at the Fair, good luck. However, if you even drive by a week before to get an idea of where to park (if driving) then you’re much better off. In terms of buses, this year was kind of a problem on Saturday with the Rock N’ Roll Marathon in the Morning then the Parade in the afternoon. I kept recommending that folks bike in (great path, except a little dicey with walkers) or use one of the MANY car options. People said taxis wouldn’t go down there. Okay. Try Über, car2go, Sidecar, Lyft, etc. Bottom line — I’ve been to the fair on Saturday and Sunday — GO ON SUNDAY. If you’re going to the Solstice Parade, try a location further down the road (it goes all the way to Gas Works, you don’t have to be at the beginning to enjoy yourself).
Food — The typical fair food pervades the Fair. Each year, there may be a food truck or two but really, it’s the usual suspects you find at most fairs. I usually don’t eat there.
Toilets — Honey Buckets are onsite and remember that some locations are busier than others. Have a look when you get there if you have to use them. You can try businesses but they are all fairly busy as well.
One of my favorite things about the Fair are the cars. A car with dentures on them? Awesome. How about one with magnets? Equally awesome. It’s fun to look at how others express their creativity with their wheels.
There is a kids slide and some other minimal kids activities. I don’t recommend these. They are overpriced and really, you would do better to take your kid for drop in at Pump It Up.
Go on Sunday. That is all.

OK… any other year, I have been the last 6 years, and I would give this a 5 star rating but this year was full of disappointment. First, the traffic getting there was a nightmare! Thank goodness for my Waze app or I would probably still be stuck in it today. Then once parked and walking over to the fair there were just SO many people! You had to push your way though everyone to make head way anywhere.
Since we were hungry we decided to try out some of the street food. $ 7.00 for a corn dog! Umm… no thanks. There are many restaurants in the area will give me a way better deal for my money. I don’t know how the street food vendors justify charging as much as they do when we are not a captive audience. We can go into any restaurant in the area and eat more for a lot less. Plus I can get a beer with my meal and not have to stand in a «Beer Garden».
The kicker to all of this was the parade. I would have loved to have seen it but people were standing 8 – 9 people deep on all sections and both sides of the road. The worst part was people that got there hours earlier and were literally having a picnic on the side of the road, their blanket taking up the whole curb for about a 5×5 space. Really?! This should NOT be allowed at all.
All in all I can only attribute all of the bad this year to them switching the parade from 10am to 3pm. It brought out the looky loos who otherwise would still be sleeping at 10am on the other years. Otherwise, everything else was as great as ever. Fun vendors selling some funky cool stuff, great street performers, and the art cars are always entertaining. So will I be back next year? Of course! I just hope they either move the parade back to 10am or I make a friend who lives there so I can stay the night on Friday and party all day with them while watching the parade from a balcony like some of the other lucky people on the parade route.

The Fremont Fair is a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare.
No, I am not one. But I certainly don’t like being trapped amongst a herd of people when I am simply just trying to get down the street. This what you can anticipate if you attend the immensely popular Fremont Solstice Parade.
This year’s version was filled with inconvenience. There was a ton of construction just about everywhere I went. Downtown and South Lake Union specifically. And why do you have to close 520 so often in the summer? Why can’t the DOT do this work during the part of the year in which we could care less?
The traffic to Fremont was terrible. Because the parade route is where Metro and cars usually come through, the Fremont Bridge was closed off to traffic. Traffic had to divert elsewhere which made it really slow getting here. The bus I took was basically crawling on Westlake.
Being a late arrival to Fremont, it was pretty difficult finding a good spot to watch the parade. Caught a few glimpses of some interesting floats and parade marchers. The parade in my opinion is the best part of the Fremont Fair.
The other attractions however are not worth really venturing to. All I could see really was just tons of vendors selling their wares like the usual Sunday Market in Fremont. While other neighborhoods like West Seattle and Ballard holds events similar to the one in Fremont, I feel like neighborhood businesses are more involved with it.
In summary, if you can deal with the crowds then the parade is worth attending for its quirky factor. But I find that there are better Seattle neighborhood fairs than this one. I feel that if you take the parade out of the equation, it is lacking in local flavor.

Local food and art! «Fair» prices, but worth every penny!
I have a blast every year.

We were surprised at the crowd (or lack thereof) on the day we went. It was nice to be able to walk around without being packed like sardines. It was also nice to sit on the banks of the waterway while we had lunch.
The booths that were there sometimes didnt make sense. Why are there so many home improvement booths at an arts fair? HOw many people come to a festival to buy a new roof or windows?
The vendor selection for the arts was a bit disappointing. A lot of women’s clothing and jewelry and not much else. I really was hoping for more artwork. But a decent way to spend a few hours on a nice day.

I don’t understand why people are complaining about the Fair being crowded, loud and a little dirty. That comes with the territory of any street fair and you know what you’re getting yourself into. If that’s not your cup of tea, then avoid Fremont for the weekend. Problem solved, no more complaints.
Personally, I had a blast. The Fair only happens once a year, and it’s a very Seattle sort of event, so it’s worth putting up with crowds for. Yes, there are naked people on bikes, hippies selling organic granola and Burners soliciting money so they can get to the playa. There are also lots of awesome vendors selling anything from pottery to jewelry to clothing to journals made out of old books, a huge food court with loads of options, a beer garden, several music stages and an art car show. There was a ton of vendors this year, most of whom stayed around into the early evening, so even though we overslept and missed the parade, we still had plenty of time to wander the streets and people-​watch. It’s good times, and haters to the left.

There are a lot of naked people here. If that’s your thing, cool. I just want you to know.
Its ok as far as Seattle festivals go. Not the best or the worst. But you know, naked people on bikes… not really my thing.

This festival/​street fair is one not to be missed if In seattle during summer solstice.
Lots of street vendors and live music set in fremont which is a fun, funky, youthful part of the city. Plenty of entertainment for adults, not too sure about kids… there are a lot of beer gardens and drinking is abound at this festival. It is celebrating summer after all.

We went late in the day, when it was easy to find parking and the only naked people remaining were the ones that shouldn’ta been in the first place, natch, but that made for bearable crowds and a nice stroll thru a sea of white tents full of arty t-​shirts, pet rocks, and zumba skirts. Best thing about it was the art cars, with their silver babies, floppy dsks and elvi memorabilia. A fun mess.

Fremont Fair is really something you experience once, unless you’re a combination someone who hates driving, eats organically, gets a kick out of tarot, spends $ 30 on a sarong (seriously, if you live in Seattle, you will never wear it), was once or continues to be a hippie. Lots of free-​thinkers, spiritual and calm people, so the vibe is cool. It’s just not my first choice of things to do on a sunny weekend in Seattle.

I live in Fremont and this past weekend I wanted to shoot myself every time I had to go outside.
I like a drunken debauched street festival as much as the next person but the Fremont Fair has turned from a friendly happy fun place into something scary, obnoxious and a little sad.
First off I couldn’t park by my own apartment all weekend which was annoying. Not as annoying as trying to squeeze my little car down streets where others had illegally double-​parked when they themselves couldn’t find parking. Not as annoying as the really f — ed up bleeding girl dressed like Tinkerbell who wouldn’t leave us alone at Ballroom on Saturday and then fell on her face on our table a few minutes later.
Oh and someone got stabbed on Sunday night. I mean, I really can’t be too surprised since I was ready for violence by the end of the weekend too.
Maybe I’m just bitter. Fremont I love you and I love your naked bicycle tradition but this is all getting to be a little much.

Sigh. These events, i.e. anything that attract swaths of people, always play out so much better in my mind. Why do I continue to torture myself by going?
I know this, and this type of event is «some people’s bag» or «right up their alley.» For me, though, the crowds, the lack of personal space, the noise, and the lack of calmness gets me to feeling hectic and tired.
Objectively, here’s what you can expect – lots of vendors, selling things from hats, clothes, jewelry, stuff to live greener, food. We missed the parade, but did get to see some of the naked bike riders – very cool-​if everyone paraded around naked, nakedness would be so much less taboo, and we’d probably be less schizophrenic about sex.
If you like crowds, go, go, go. If you don’t like crowds, my advice is no, no, no!

I look forward to the Fremont fair w/​Solstice Parade every year although it does not change much year to year and can get claustrophobicly crowded on Sat. But it still is the best buck you’ll ever spend for a good cause to people watch and shop for local art.
It reminds me of the ol May Day Festivals I used to attend in Minneapolis for Spring. There just is something about a yearly tradition like this one. Since living in Seattle, now I feel like summer cannot arrive until Naked Solstice Bicycles, & paper mache floats pass by. oh and of course, many fair foods consumed.
Let your freak flag fly! People dress however they want here and there’s always Beer gardens, bands, Art Cars, Super Slide, Art vendors, Naked painted people, chalk drawing, Ballard Brothers Salmon, corn on a stick and free sample booths. (Which BTW the samples were in full force, samples of Theo chocolate, Cliff, Starbucks and Kashi bags.)
I always try to buy some art and that was made easy this year since «I Heart Rummage» set up shop this year too. Cool stuff. Tip: Go on Sunday for less crowds.
See you next year, I wouldn’t miss it!