Festál at Seattle Center

The tradition & historical record

Festál is a free series of annual ethnically-related festivals that take place on the grounds of Seattle Center in Seattle, Washington. A major cultural program of Seattle, these festivals aim to celebrate and connect the city to its varied ethnic and international community. Most festivals contain various arts performances (dances, theatre, musical ensembles, films), dances, marketplace and other programs. These have also come to be the annual gathering place for ethnic groups of the community. Both older and younger people attend, especially the dances and musical concerts. The Festál events range enormously in scope, from smaller festivals to the enormous pan-ethnic Northwest Folklife Festival, which draws an estimated 250,000 visitors on Memorial Day weekend. Typical Festál events draw 5,000 to 30,000 visitors. Some of them (such as Fiestas Patrias) draw crowds that are predominantly of the ethnic group that is the focus of the festival; others draw more of a cross-section of the city. Festál began in 1996 and as of 2009 includes (all of those have been on hiatus on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020): ¹

The Têt Festival in February is the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration welcoming the return of spring. For the Vietnamese community, it is a time to reflect on the last year and prepare for the new. The new year is also the time for clearing debts and setting one's house in order. Kitchens are cleaned and new clothing is given to mark the new year. The festival includes Vietnamese artistic exhibits, music, storytelling, food, and a fashion show. ¹

Festal Sundiata in February is one of the oldest Seattle Center festivals, beginning in 1981. The festival is the most comprehensive African American festival in the city. Named to celebrate the West African Mansa (king of kings) of the Mali Empire, who rescued the Griot - his people's storyteller and tribal historian - Festival Sundiata is a represents diverse cultural traditions. Music and dance at the festival includes jazz, rap, gospel, hip-hop, R&B, and traditional African styles, all performed by northwest, national and international artists. The festival also includes Black Science Fiction Writers, Smokin' Black Chefs, children's activities, and visual art. ¹

Irish Week Festival is centered on St. Patrick's Day in March, the celebration of Ireland's patron saint. The festival is presented by the Seattle Irish Heritage Club. Partly because Seattle and Ireland are very much alike in climate, Seattle and Galway are sister cities. The festival includes a St. Patrick's Day parade from downtown Seattle to Seattle Center. The Irish festival weekend includes traditional Irish step and gig dancing, musical performances, Irish films, and sing-alongs. The Seattle Genealogical Society appears annually to help anyone trace their Irish genealogy. Also featured are free lessons in Gaelic. ¹

In April, the Seattle Cherry Blossom festival is held. The largest Japanese cultural event in the Pacific Northwest commemorates the late Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki's gift of 1,000 cherry trees, as part of the United States Bicentennial, to Seattle in 1976. The trees were planted along Lake Washington Boulevard, Seward Park, Seattle Center, The Arboretum, the Seattle Japanese Garden, University of Washington, and the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple. The cherry tree tradition follows at every year's festival, by bringing cherry tree experts from Japan to Seattle to teach Washingtonians about the proper care and maintenance of cherry trees. The cherry tree experts give instruction during the festival and the week that follows. The festival's mission is to deepen mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the people of the Northwest; to exchange ideas and friendship; to promote the culture, arts, and technologies of Japan, including achievements of the Japanese-American community. The festival includes dance and music, colorful costumes, martial arts, and tea ceremonies. For children, the festival offers Japanese games, kite making and kimono dress up. ¹

May is designated as Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In Seattle, the Asia-Pacific festival celebrates the diversity of China, Philippines, Samoa, Laos, Japan, Pacific Islands and Cambodia. The Asian Pacific Directors Coalition host the festival with cultural arts, entertainment and crafts. The performance showcase includes lion dance, youth drill teams, martial arts, taiko drums and guest artists from out of state. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Festál”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Festál at Seattle Center is series of ethnic festivals at Seattle Center, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²