The downtown Seattle skyline at sunset. Photo: SDOT Please note – You can click any of the drop-down links to go directly to a specific topic:
- Trans Pride Seattle
- PAX West
- Bratfest
- National Cinema Day
- Bicycle Weekend on Lake Washington Boulevard
- Home games for Seattle sports
- Construction snapshot
- Transit and trip planning resources
It’s officially September, and summer isn’t the only thing sunsetting. This is our last weekend travel blog for the season! We’ve loved keeping you up with everything happening around the city this summer. Read on for our last roundup of events and tips to help you plan your weekend.
Please note that because of the Labor Day holiday, WSDOT has no Revive I-5 work planned this weekend. We do, however, have some project work taking place around the city. Historically, Labor Day is also a very busy travel weekend.
We encourage riding transit such as the Link light rail, the bus, or the West Seattle Water Taxi to reach your destinations, if possible. You can also try one of the city’s many bike or scooter share options. When you choose transportation other than a car, it lessens traffic and eases travel for everyone.
See more weekend travel tips below!
Community Celebrations and Events
Trans Pride Seattle
Today from 5:30 to 9:30 PM, the Gender Justice League will bring their annual event—scaled down this year from a march into a community gathering—to Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill. Guests are invited to come together to make connections within Seattle’s trans and gender diverse communities and their allies.
The Link light rail’s Capitol Hill station is the closest one to Volunteer Park. Otherwise, check out the many King County Metro bus routes that travel through the neighborhood to see if one works for you.
PAX West
PAX West is a celebration of all things gaming: console gaming, PC gaming, tabletop gaming, and more. This large event will bring gamers of all types together for four days of panel discussions, industry exhibitions, exciting tournaments, and hundreds of playable games.
PAX West takes place at the Seattle Convention Center in downtown Seattle. The dates and times of the event are:
- Friday, September 2, 10 AM – 12 AM
- Saturday, September 3, 10 AM – 12 AM
- Sunday, September 4, 10 AM – 12 AM
- Monday, September 5, 10 AM – 6 PM
The Convention Center has two parking garages for people traveling by car. There are also many convenient transit options available as well. Walking to the Center from the Link light rail’s Westlake station takes just a few minutes, and many Metro bus routes serve the downtown area.
Bratfest
The name of Bratfest says it all: this event is two days of beer and sausages at Magnuson Park, perfect for an end-of-summer holiday weekend. The festival offers 50+ types of beer and 15 sausage dishes to try, and the proceeds go to benefit Pet Cross, a local organization dedicated to animal welfare.
The event will take place at Magnuson Park’s Hangar 30 on the following dates and times (note that VIP tickets gain you earlier access to each session):
- Saturday, September 3 1PM – 4:30PM and 7 PM – 10:30PM
- Sunday, September 4, 1PM – 5PM
Magnuson Park has free parking in several lots. Bus routes 62 and 75 can also drop you directly at the park.
National Cinema Day
Saturday, September 3 is National Cinema Day! To celebrate, many theaters in the Seattle area will be offering discounted movie tickets, even down to $3.
AMC theaters, Majestic Bay theaters, Cinemark theaters, and Regal theaters are among those participating, or you can find a theater near you here.
Bicycle Weekend on Lake Washington Boulevard
From 7 PM Friday, September 2 to 7 AM Tuesday, September 6, a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motorized vehicles as part of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Bicycle Weekends. Seattle Parks and Recreation invites everyone in the community to bike, jog, or stroll along the boulevard between the Seward Park entrance and Mount Baker Park’s beach during these times. Local access will be maintained.
Home games for Seattle sports
UW vs Kent State
Saturday, September 3 marks the first home game of the season for University of Washington football! Get ready to cheer for your favorite team as the Huskies face off against Kent State at 7:30 PM.
If you’re planning on traveling to Husky Stadium, be aware that Restricted Parking Zones (RPZs) will be in effect and enforced on residential streets near the stadium, meaning that drivers cannot park there without a permit. Choosing transit, such as taking the light rail to Stadium station, will make for smoother travel.
A further note for your awareness that permits for RPZ zones 1, A, and B—covering Montlake, Montlake/Husky Game Days, and Ravenna/Laurelhurst/Husky Game Days—went virtual effective Thursday, September 1. For more information on the RPZ application process, how to use your permits, and how to renew or replace them, please visit the program’s FAQ page.
Sounders, Mariners, and Storm games
In addition to college football, Seattle’s professional teams have home games this weekend. The Sounders face off against the Houston Dynamo at Lumen Field on Sunday, September 4 at 6 PM. Then, on Monday, September 5 (Labor Day), the Mariners will play against the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park at 3:40 PM.
Finally, the WNBA playoffs continue as the Seattle Storm face the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, September 4 at 12 PM. Head over to Climate Pledge Arena to watch star players Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd compete to reach the finals. Storm vs. Aces has already proven to be an exciting matchup, and this game is expected to draw more than 10,000 fans. To help people who want to visit other businesses, restaurants and destinations in the Uptown neighborhood find a parking space, event rates for on-street parking will be in place.
Both T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field are easily accessible via transit. The Link light rail has three stations nearby the stadiums, and many Metro bus routes serve the downtown area. Climate Pledge Arena is accessible via the Westlake light rail station and making a connection on the Monorail to Seattle Center. Or you can check out bus routes 8, 32, and the RapidRide D Line.
Construction snapshot
SDOT construction work
Closing lanes on the Spokane St Viaduct
From 8 AM to 4 PM Saturday, September 3, all eastbound lanes on the Spokane St Viaduct from SR 99 to I-5 will be closed. We’re closing these lanes so crews can complete a survey of the bridge surface. The survey will help us develop an accurate surface map of the bridge deck and inform future paving of the bridge.
Detours will be in place, directing traffic to streets in the SODO neighborhood. Both eastbound and westbound lower Spokane St will be open during the closure. The westbound lanes of the Spokane St Viaduct will remain open during this work on the eastbound lanes.
Construction in West Seattle this weekend
Weather permitting, we’ll be repainting intersection markings on two intersections starting 9 PM Friday, September 2 through 7 AM Saturday, September 3. This work was rescheduled from last weekend due to rain. The intersections we’ll be marking are 1st Ave S and East Marginal Way S and 2nd Ave SW and Highland Park Way SW. Traffic lanes will be closed as needed and they will be restored after the intersection markings have been painted. Please anticipate delays and navigate the area with caution.
For the latest SDOT travel information, you can follow our SDOT Traffic Twitter account @sdottraffic, or visit our Seattle Travelers web page for real time traffic camera information.
Transit and trip planning resources
With Sound Transit’s recent light rail station platform work completed, service has resumed as normal, with trains arriving about every eight minutes at peak travel times.
Transit could be a good option to help you get around this weekend. The Link light rail and King County Metro both have useful resources to help you map your route. Using Metro’s trip planning tool or Sound Transit’s trip planning tool, you can enter your start and end addresses to find the transit route that works best for you. Google Maps also offers transit planning and biking, walking, and other trip planning options.
Thank you
Thank you for working with us to keep everyone traveling smoothly this summer. Have a good holiday weekend, Seattle!