(QUICK LINKS: Music lineups … food/drink info … merchant/vendor info … Kids Zone info … bus reroutes …and ICYMI, our Summer Fest Eve coverage)

1:44 PM: Our peninsula’s biggest party of the year, West Seattle Summer Fest – today through Sunday – has started! Here’s our view from the Info Booth at California/Alaska:

See the Mobile Apparel booth in the center of that view? That’s where you can get your customized Summer Fest T-shirt. Other festival merch is on sale here, on the west side of the Info Booth:

Also here on the south side of the Info Booth right now – Seattle Police Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite with some free items including steering-wheel locks (3:03 pm update – they’re out but there’s more at the precinct):

Alice Kuder is on the east side of the Info Booth this afternoon, talking about her Just In Case Preparedness Services and the free scavenger hunt she’s presenting next month, Summer Scramble:

South of the intersection, you’ll find all the festival food (with reusable ware) – aside from what the year-round food/drink businesses are offering at (and/or in front of) their venues. In Junction Plaza Park, where the West Side Stage will have music starting at 4 pm (the main stage, north of SW Oregon, near the Post Office, gets going at 3 pm; buskers are playing music at other spots too). West of California/Alaska is the Kids’ Zone, lots of free fun as well as the inflatables (for which you need a day pass or individual tickets – you can pay online too).

2:56 PM: Most of the inflatables are actually in the parking lot behind KeyBank – if you look down SW Alaska, you’ll only see one, and the ticket booth. Also on Alaska by the lot entrance – the West Seattle Arcade game zone:

Elsewhere in festival-land, it’s almost time for the main-stage music to start, up on California SW north of Oregon:

Music is also happening inside Jet City Labs (a few steps north of Easy Street) – proprietor Derek Moon has a DJ lineup all weekend:

Or you can keep shopping – remember, this all began as a sidewalk sale way back when, and many year-round merchants have tables outside their shops, like Three Little Birds (with a guest appearance by their sister store Alair):

That’s on the east side of California south of Alaska. At the very south end of the festival zone, we found a visiting vendor with a sense of humor:

We’re here all weekend with continuous coverage – updates to come!