Did you know parades were originally a chance for rulers to display their military might and authority?
Eventually they became associated with festivals and holidays. People used them for a chance to socialize, witness a spectacle, and have fun (as they still do).
They say the original Macy’s Day Parade (1924) was the first to use blatant advertising. I would argue the aforementioned rulers were using it for their own “advertising” long before that. But I degress…
Here’s a whole list of free Seattle-area fun, month by month. With this many to choose from, you’ll need those picnic blankets and candy buckets on stand by!
Free Seattle: Parades
March
April
May
- Ballard Syttende Mai (Norway Constitution Day) Parade
- Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day Boat Parade
- West Seattle Bee Festival Parade
June
- Fremont Solstice Parade Verses its predecessors, this parade actually bans advertising. You also may notice something else missing: clothing.
- Seattle Pride Parade
July
- Wallingford Family Parade
- “Crown of Queen Anne” Children’s Parade
- Greenwood Seafair Parade
- Chinatown Seafair Parade
- Seafair Torchlight Parade
- White Center Jubilee Days Parade
- West Seattle Grand Parade
August
November
For more free Seattle fun, try one of these adventures:
- Arboretum
- Golden Gardens
- Olympic Sculpture Park
- Green Lake
- Gasworks Park
- Bayview-Kinnear Park
- Ballard Splash Park
- Tulip Festival
- San Juan Islands
Have your own tips for free things to do in and around Seattle … or your city? Please share!
My Castle Heart Publications 
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