VIDEO, PHOTOS: West Seattle Summer Fest Eve and July Art Walk!


6:34 PM: The barricades are up and the fun is on. The streets in the heart of The Junction have just closed so West Seattle Summer Fest setup can begin – along with sidewalk cafés, entertainment, and middle-of-the-street strolling between West Seattle Art Walk venues, like Click! Design That Fits (4540 California; WSB sponsor):

Brooke Westlund is at Click! until 8. Full list of Art Walk venues, with previews, is here, or just come to The Junction and start wandering. On California just south of Alaska, Bubbleman‘s performance is about to start. Updates to come!

7:20 PM: Bubbleman is just wrapping up.

What a crowd! He clowned around with an umbrella before even starting with the bubbles, and the countless children on hand were delighted. (“He’s so FUNNY!” one told her grownups.) Yes, all the while, setup is happening too:

The first sidewalk sale is in progress outside Pegasus Book Exchange. And steps away, the Dance Powered fitness “flash mob” just started.

Around 8 pm (later than earlier noted), the VAIN (WSB sponsor)/Lika Love Boutique hair-and-fashion show should be unfolding a little further north. And here’s the night’s official motto:

That’s in the window at Click! (do stop in and meet Brooke the artist).

9:13 PM: We’ve left The Junction after three hours. A few more Summer Fest Eve scenes:

VAIN has a lot going on for the festival, by the way, including a big bright paper-flowers selfie backdrop and “in-store and sidewalk specials including a blow-out sunglasses sale!” (Added) Victoria from VAIN with a paper flower, hinting at things to come:

On the same block, Yada Yada Blues Band had an all-ages crowd in a bluesy mood:

Revelry – and setup – continues into the night. (And we have a bit more to add above now that we’re back at HQ.) Official festival hours Friday are 10 am-8 pm, with main-stage music running later. We’re in the Info Booth again this year – see you at Summer Fest!

6 Replies to "VIDEO, PHOTOS: West Seattle Summer Fest Eve and July Art Walk!"

  • Out for a Walk. July 11, 2019 (8:34 pm)

    West Seattle Blog, you are so, so great!  You help bring this community together. You folks are precious!  Please keep posting your  updates.  You help make this wonderful community cohesive while reflecting diversity of opinion.   I feel so fortunate that you are part of our community 

  • Calires July 12, 2019 (1:55 am)

    I remember 10 years ago the Thursday night before the festival was tumbleweeds down California.  Tonight, it was basically another evening of the festival.  So nice to see everyone out.  I have a family member with disabilities so I’m not usually one to advocate for shutting down streets to cars, but every year, I think how nice it would be if those blocks were permanently closed to vehicle traffic.

  • WS Resident July 12, 2019 (5:33 am)

    The dance group was great! Very entertaining. Love the mix of ages of the performers!! One suggestion for next year….Maybe perform half the routine facing the Key Bank, and halfway through, switch to face Cupcake Royale? It would have been nice to see their faces.

    • Jennifer July 12, 2019 (8:40 pm)

      Hi!I really struggled with the fact that our stage is centered in the middle of a crowd : ) last year there were not as many people in attendance and most were oriented Facing North.I decided to keep the performance stage front for many reasons. Love to go into detail if you like : ) jencndesign@gmail.comglad you enjoyed : )

  • Not proud July 12, 2019 (2:14 pm)

    Summerfest was horrible! The “rides” were all bouncy houses and there was no section to boost kids creativity by creating art. I spent 40 dollars on an all weekend pass for Friday, Saturday and Sunday too. Once I did that I realized that the “rides” that were there were meant for children under 6 years old. And since there was no art area it hit me that this is the worst Summerfest I have ever been to. We decided to ask the information booth about why the “rides” were like this. The man we asked said “we put out a survey, and this is what people wanted.” I don’t believe him one bit, because why would people want this! This is the worst event West Seattle has ever participated in. I am very disappointed. that is all I have to say.

  • Oliver Little July 16, 2019 (9:55 am)

    Sure am glad I had my safety vest on for that video!

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