This issue is built around one idea Seatt get outside, and there's something in it fo
Seafair anchors the issue as the city's sig August 4 through 26 with roots going bac history, from King Neptune's Court and th early lineup of legendary acts to today's B Torchlight Parade, hydroplane races, and
Alongside Seafair, the issue rounds up a August.There's free yoga and Zumba at exercises for people stuck at a computer nod to its Bainbridge Island origin story in Korea Expo & Festival at Pier 62, a Korea capped with a live K-Pop finale.
Green Lake gets its own feature as Seatt 2.8-mile trail, kayaking and paddleboardi and breweries. A trivia section and a Milk from 1987 round out the nostalgia angle. feature on a law firm office redesign
BLUEPRIN NEWS
Looking for a reason to get outside, meet new people, and have some fun after work?
Head to Waterfront Park at Pier 62 for free, all-levels Yoga and Zumba classes, no experience or equipment needed. Seattle Center also gets in on the action with its Workout Wednesdays series, rotating free Zumba, Pilates, and Yoga sessions right in the heart of the city; perfect for an after-work sweat session or a fun mid-week reset.
For anyone chasing a runner's high, the Green Lake loop is the city's unofficial track. It's flat, shaded, and almost always busy with joggers, walkers, and the occasional group run that anyone can join. When the sun sets, Gas Works Park turns into an evening favorite for community fitness meetups, with the skyline as a backdrop.
Pickleball was invented right here in Seattle back in the summer of 1965, when three Bainbridge Island dads (Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum) turned an old badminton court, ping-pong paddles, and a plastic ball into a game anyone could play Today it's one of America's fastest-growing sports, and Washington leads the way with more than 2,200 courts statewide, including hundreds in the Seattle area alone.
Part of pickleball's appeal is that anyone can play: kids, retirees, competitive athletes, and total beginners all enjoy it together It's easy to learn, affordable, great exercise, and highly social. Many parks, YMCAs, and pickleball clubs offer beginner clinics, and Seattle Parks and Recreation runs classes year-round. Popular spots include Green Lake Park, Bellevue Pickleball Club, and the new Sideout Tsunami Pickleball Center. Whether you want drop-in games, leagues, or lessons, there's a court waiting for you.
S SEATTLE DOESN'T GET A SUMMER. IT GETS A DEADLINE.
omewhere in June, the sun shows up and the whole city changes its behavior overnight Restaurant patios that sat empty
in April suddenly need a wait list. Green Lake fills with people still in their work clothes because they left the office and walked straight to the water instead of home. Nobody plans this. It just happens, every year, the moment the forecast clears.
This doesn't last.
Nine months of grey wears down the instinct to wait for a better weekend, so nobody waits anymore If it's sunny and it's Tuesday, that's the day Festivals here aren't scheduled around convenience, they're scheduled around the short window when people will actually show up, and mostly the sun is what gets them there
Seafair understands the assignment better than anyone A hydroplane race doesn't need three months of planning, just one clear Saturday and word getting around fast. The same goes for free yoga at Pier 62 or a pickleball court filling up after work. Nobody here builds a summer routine.
They grab what's available before the clouds roll back in. Your Saturday's still open. Go find it.
Festivals, Fitness, and Fun for Everyone this August
Seafair
Jul 31st-Aug 2nd · Hydroplane races, air shows, and the weekend Seattle waits all summer for
Aug 4-26th
Free Fitness Classes
Pier 62, W front Park
Yoga: Aug 4, 11, 18, 25 I Zumba: Aug 5, 12, 19, 26
Seattle Center
Zumba,Yoga & Pilates I Aug 5, 12, 19, 26
Capitol Hill Block Party
Aug 7-9th · Three days of live music take over the neighborhood
2026 WABA Korea Expo & Festival
Aug 14-16th · Korean marketplace, food vendors, and a live K-Pop finale at Pier 62.
THE WATERFRONT'S BIGGEST KOREAN
This August, Pier 62 hosts an event four years in the making. The Washington State Korean American
Chamber of Commerce is bringing the 2026 WABA
Korea Expo & Festival to the Seattle waterfront from
August 14 to 16, and organizers are calling it the biggest one yet A business networking day precedes the public festival on August 13, pairing Korean companies with U S buyers before the doors open to everyone else
The name says it all WABA comes from the Korean phrase "wa-bwa, " meaning "Come and See, " and the event has run in the Seattle area every year since it launched in 2021 What started small has grown into one of the Pacific Northwest's leading KoreanAmerican gatherings, blending business networking with cultural programming, and this year's expansion puts it in a different league entirely.
Over the three public days, expect vendor showcases,
K-pop performances and cultural shows, keynote speeches from government and VIP guests, and hands-on programs for visitors to try Korean brands spanning food, beauty, tech, and lifestyle will be on-
site selling directly to the public, so it's as much a place to shop and taste as it is to watch a show.
Pier 62 didn't get picked by accident The venue draws more than 10,000 visitors a day through the summer months, and organizers built the expo around that traffic on purpose, using the waterfront's built-in crowd to give Korean brands a live test run with American shoppers
It's a fitting overlap for the neighborhood
The same stretch of water has spent decades hosting Seafair, the hydroplane races and air shows that have defined Seattle summers since 1950 When the sun's out, Pier 62 is where the city shows up
A CENTURY OF SPLASH: THE STORY BEHIND SEAFAIR
In 1950, Seattle threw itself a hundredth birthday party and never really stopped. That's the year Seafair began, and the city has spent every summer since living up to it The early years had a theatrical streak that's hard to picture now King Neptune's Royal Court staged mock battles against "pirates" for control of the city, and the Green Lake Aqua Theater pulled in acts like Bob Hope, Led Zeppelin, and the Grateful Dead, all playing to crowds gathered around a lake most people today associate with a morning jog
YearsLater,SeattleStillHasn'tStopped.
That same year, a boat named Slo-Mo Shun IV won the
Gold Cup in Detroit and brought hydroplane racing home to Seattle for good A few summers later, Boeing test pilot Tex Johnston marked the occasion in his own way, barrel-rolling a prototype 707 directly over the
crowds. It's the kind of story that sounds exaggerated until you check the date and realize it happened exactly as told
That history is still visible every August. The Blue Angels
GreenLakePark
Seattle's Favorite Loop Around the Lake
y forgotten.
Here's the Keeney's crew showing off their creation in 1987.
KEENEY'S CREW SHOWING OFF THEIR CREATION IN 1987.
How long is the paved trail that circles Green Lake?
What quirky Seafair tradition once took place on Green Lake, where teams raced boats built entirely from recycled milk cartons?
True or false: Green Lake's trail is popular not just with walkers and runners, but occasionally with unicyclists too.
What water activities can visitors enjoy at Green Lake beyond walking or running the loop?
What year is featured in the special photo of the Keeney's team and their handcrafted milk carton boat?
LAKE TRIVIA ANSWER KEY
1. 2.8 miles
2.The Milk Carton Derby
3.True
4. Kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and swimming
5. 1987
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