2 months till Seafair kickoff on Alki – plus a one-day deal

That’s the scene from last July, on the day the Seafair Pirates invaded Alki. Exactly two months from today, they’re scheduled to return, in the first big event of the Seafair season – the Pirates’ Landing is set for July 11. And exactly two days from now, Seafair is offering a one-day-only discount-advance-ticket deal for two of its highest-profile admission-required events: This Wednesday, May 13, 9 am to 9 pm only, Seafair is selling hydroplane race/air show tickets for $6 and Torchlight Run entries for $6. (The price is in honor of Seafair celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.) You have to make the purchase online, that day and those hours ONLY – through either seafair.com, or (hydro/airshow only) ticketmaster.com/(Torchlight Run only) active.com. (The Seafair Pirates’ Landing, we should note, is free – just be sure to arrive early for a prime spot on the beach.)

WSHC May 11, 2009 (2:20 pm)

What a cluster%&@$ last year’s landing was — even the pirates were complaining! Thousands of adult and young ‘me firsts’ clamouring over themselves to get a sticker. Hopefully this year will include roped pathways for the marauders.

GenHillOne May 11, 2009 (6:27 pm)

$6 bucks is a GREAT deal, even with TM’s inconvenience charge – we usually buy at the gate and I think that’s more like $25!

\ May 12, 2009 (1:58 pm)

WSHC
It is apparrent by your remarks that you have never actually been involved with organizing a large event before and your belief the pirates were complaining is a large fabrication. It is by the Pirates own wishes that the mingle with the crowd as they make their way to the stage. It took the last of the Pirates 45 minutes to make it to the stage from exiting the landing craft and if staying until 4:30 is not long enough for each and every person who wishes to get a sticker, a pin, or a magazine what would you suggest? This is a large event that the Pirates pay for themselves for the enjoyment for all and to join in traditions now 60 years old.

There will not be roped pathways this year This accomplishes nothing but a faster route for the Pirates. Come out and enoy the show this year as they reenact the Seafair Legegend and observe the Lady Washington tallship caanon battle in the Bay.

WSHC May 12, 2009 (2:43 pm)

TO \ (COMMENT #3):

I luckily happened to be in the path of the Pirates as they pushed their way through the throng on the beach last year, so we ended up getting one of the last stickers. Coins, magazines, whatever else they were handing out were gone by that point (and this coudn’t have been more than 6 or 7 minutes after the physical landing). My 3 year old would have been trampled by the crowd had he not been on my shoulders. Two of the pirates who squeezed by us complained to each other about the crowd control, and said something to the effect of “Hope this is different next year” when I made an in-passing joke about the melee to them.
“The Show” you talk about ceased to be fun years ago. I’m not a newcomer to the landing or the region (born and raised in Seattle). The landing is a serious madhouse now, unsafe and unfun.
And by the way… Bah, Humbug.

GenHillOne May 13, 2009 (1:04 pm)

I just bought our $6 tickets (available until 9:00 tonight!) and for those interested…yes, they’re otherwise $25 at the gate; $6 tix are good for either Sat. or Sun., and convenience charge is $1.50 per + tax. You can have them mailed for free, but I like to pay the flat $2.50 to print them myself.

Dan May 13, 2009 (3:08 pm)

After going through the ticket purchase process at Ticketmaster, the final price of a $6 ticket became $12.90. Ticketmaster added a $1.50 “convenience” charge, 21 cents in tax, and a $5.19 order processing charge. Ticketmaster fees that are 115% of the ticket price are ridiculous. Does anyone know a way around these fees?

WSB May 13, 2009 (5:23 pm)

$5.19??????

WSB May 13, 2009 (5:58 pm)

I asked Seafair via Twitter about that fee. Reply:
>>Ticketmaster cut their fees by 57% for $6 Seafair. The $6 deal has been great but there is no way around all the TM fees.<<

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