A view of downtown from the water. Photo Credit: SDOT Flickr. Blog stats: 1,600 words | 8-minute read
July may be coming to an end, but we still have plenty going on in Seattle! From two sold-out Taylor Swift concerts to Capitol Hill Block Party and some major road closures, we’ll walk you through what’s going on and how you can travel safely and easily around the city.
At-a-Glance: click on the links below to learn more!
- July 22-23: Two sold-out Taylor Swift concerts at Lumen Field
- July 21-23 and July 27-30: Major community events
- Capitol Hill Block Party will close part of the Pike/Pine Corridor July 20-23.
- July 17-31: Seattle sports home games
- July 17-31: Known construction
- Now through July 24: Full closure of Montlake Blvd around-the-clock until Monday, July 24 to allow WSDOT crews to complete the work needed to shift the street to its new, permanent home.
- July 21-24: Full closure of the SR 520 bridge across Lake Washington between I-5 and 92nd Ave NE. The SR 520 Trail will remain open.
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July 22 and 23: Taylor Swift Concerts
Heads up, Seattle! Taylor Swift is playing 2 sold-out shows at Lumen Field on July 22 and 23. Everyone should expect large crowds and traffic in the area around the stadiums as well as some related street closures and detours for traffic control.
When you make your travel plans, keep in mind that these events will overlap with the Capitol Hill Block Party as well as full closures of both Montlake Blvd and the SR 520 bridge.
If you’re headed to the concert or just passing through, make sure to plan ahead and avoid drive-alone trips through the area. You can also skip the headache of driving and parking by choosing another way to travel! There are plenty of options other than driving to get to Lumen Field:
- Save money and avoid the challenges of parking and traffic by taking transit to the concert. Seattle has an amazing public transit system designed to get you around downtown and the stadiums quickly.
- King County Metro, Link light rail, the Sounder train, and the West Seattle Water Taxi will all be running late service after the concerts. Learn about the extended hours here.
- Leave your car near a transit station! Find a park and ride location near you for Sound Transit, King County Metro, and Pierce Transit.
- A post-concert Metro connector shuttle traveling along Alaskan Way, 3rd, and 4th Avenues will help riders leaving Lumen Field travel into the downtown core to reach hotels and other bus or rail service. Board the shuttle on northbound 1st Ave South, near South Charles Street, as you exit Lumen Field. A King County Metro Supervisor will be present to help answer questions and assist customers.
- Remember: youths 18 years and younger ride transit for free!
- Ride a bike or scooter! Find your preferred route to and from the event with our online Bike Web Map.
- Don’t own a bike or a scooter? No problem! Sign up for a bike or scooter share to get around Seattle on two wheels.
- We’ve been working to make it easier and more enjoyable to bike and scoot through the downtown area and along the central Waterfront, a great way to get to the stadiums. As part of larger, ongoing efforts, we’ve been cleaning bike lanes throughout the downtown area and repairing road damage such as potholes on streets, including any damage to bike lanes.
If you must drive, give yourself plenty of extra time, drive slowly and safely, and be on the lookout for people walking, rolling, and biking. Check the Seattle Travelers Map or follow @SDOTTraffic on Twitter before you leave for the latest updates and road detours.
More Major Events Around Seattle
July 21-23: Capitol Hill Block Party
The 25th annual Capitol Hill Block Party will be taking place the weekend of July 21-23. It’s a full weekend of live music with food trucks and vendors. Streets will be closed in the Pike Street corridor along 10th and 11th starting at midnight on Thursday 7/20 through Monday 7/24 at 6 AM.
To get there, you can arrive at the Capitol Hill Station or First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Denny) and then walk to either entrance. You can also plan your trip to and from Capitol Hill by bus using King County Metro’s Trip Planner.
When making your travel plans, keep in mind that full closures of Montlake Blvd and the SR 520 bridge are planned for this weekend. You can read more about this work in the Known Construction section below.
July 21-23: Bite of Seattle
The Bite of Seattle is back this year and offering a mobile-first experience with remote ordering from your phone. The event will be held July 21-23 at the Seattle Center. This free-admission event boasts over 100 food vendors to sample as well as plenty of live music.
Seattle Center can be reached through King County Metro or by taking the monorail from Westlake.
July 21-23: Seafair Indian Days Powwow
Celebrate indigenous cultures with the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation at this year’s Seafair Indian Days Powwow! This free, public event takes place at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Discovery Park with a fantastic, 3-day schedule that includes traditional Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations drummers, dancers in Regalia, Native Food Vendors, arts, and crafts.
This event is fun for the whole family and hours vary from day to day:
- 4 PM to 10 PM on Friday
- 10 AM to 10 PM on Saturday
- 10 AM to 6 PM on Sunday
Don’t worry about finding parking at the park! It’s easy to leave your car at home and use public transit to get to and from this large event. Use King County Metro’s trip planner to find your route to Discovery Park by bus and remember—kids 18 years and younger ride for free!
Find other helpful information about what to expect at the powwow here.
July 22: CID Celebration
Kick off a weekend of multicultural fun in the Chinatown-International District at the CID Celebration on Saturday, July 22! This event will offer live music and dance, hands-on art activities, games, vendors, food, and a car show from 11 AM until 6 PM. Expect large crowds and some street closures in the neighborhood around Hing Hay Park before, during, and after the event.
Avoid delays, parking challenges, and street closures by taking transit to or through the Chinatown-International District! Link light rail drops you right in the heart of the neighborhood (Chinatown International District station). The area is also served by many Metro bus routes and the Seattle Streetcar – First Hill Line (S Jackson St & 5th Ave S stop).
July 23: Seattle Chinatown Seafair Parade
On Sunday, July 23 at 7 PM, head down to the Chinatown-International District to enjoy authentic food, a 100-foot dragon, the Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, and many other Asian performance groups along with traditional floats in The Seattle Chinatown Seafair Parade! This two-hour celebration will bring large crowds to the neighborhood for fun and entertainment before, during, and after the event.
The parade route starts on S King St at 8th Ave S and follows S King St to 5th Ave S. The route then travels a block south on 5th before turning on S Weller St and heading back to 8th Ave S where the route ends. You can view a map of the planned route and staging areas here. If you’re traveling through the neighborhood, keep an eye out for people walking, rolling, and biking to and from the parade.
Avoid delays, parking challenges, and street closures by taking transit to the Chinatown-International District! The Link light rail drops you right in the heart of the neighborhood (Chinatown International District station). The area is also served by many Metro bus routes and the Seattle Streetcar (First Hill line).
July 27-30: Seattle Art Fair
From July 27-30, the Seattle Art Fair will be taking place at the Lumen Field Event Center. The fair showcases modern and contemporary art from various museums and institutions in the Pacific Northwest.
You can get to Lumen Field by taking the light rail to Stadium Station, or through a variety of King County Metro bus routes.
July 28 and July 29: Pier Sounds 2023
Free fun for all: head down to Pier 62 on the Seattle Waterfront to enjoy Pier Sounds! Each event lasts from 4 PM to 8 PM and offers live music, local food trucks, a beer garden, and immersive art—courtesy of Friends of Waterfront Seattle and KEXP!
The waterfront is easy to get to by bus and by walking or biking/scooting from Westlake Station through Pike Place Market. The First Hill Streetcar is also a great option for people coming from Capitol Hill, the Central District, or the Chinatown-International District. The streetcar route starts at Broadway & Denny (Capitol Hill) and ends at Occidental Mall (Pioneer Square) which is walking distance from the waterfront.
July 29: Seafair Torchlight Parade
The Seafair Torchlight Parade will be bringing the fun and energy to downtown Seattle on July 29! This spectacular community showcase celebrates the diverse cultures of our region, with more than 100 colorful floats participating. Past parades have featured everything from precision drill teams to dragon dancers, providing amazement and fun for all ages.
The event kicks off with a street festival at Westlake Center before the parade. Head down at 1 PM to enjoy live entertainment, food trucks, and more. The parade will begin at 3 PM at Seattle Center and will travel down 4th Avenue to Spring Street.
Crowds, floats, street closures, and detours, oh my! You can expect it all in the area around Westlake Center and the parade route. Save yourself time and get right to the fun by walking, biking, scooting or taking transit to, from, and around the event.
You can get to and through downtown by bus, light rail (Westlake Station), streetcar (South Lake Union Line), and monorail. With the exception of the monorail, kids 18 years and younger can ride them all for free!
Other Seattle community events
Discover more going on around Seattle in July:
July 17-31: Seattle Home Sports Games
- July 17: Mariners, 6:40 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 18: Mariners, 6:40 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 19: Mariners, 6:40 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 20: Mariners, 12:40 PM (T-Mobile Park); Seattle Storm, 7:00 PM (Climate Pledge Arena)
- July 21: Mariners, 7:10 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 22: Mariners, 1:10 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 23: Mariners, 1:10 PM (T-Mobile Park)
- July 28: OL Reign, 7:00 PM (Lumen Field)
- July 31: Mariners, 6:40 PM (T-Mobile Park)
Travelers around the stadium district and Climate Pledge should plan for delays before and after games. If you plan to go to a game, please consider taking transit, as the stadium is served by light rail (Stadium Station) and a variety of bus routes.
If you plan to attend Mariners games over the July 21-23 weekend, keep in mind that Montlake Blvd and the SR 520 bridge will be closed as well as some streets in the Pike/Pine Corridor for Capitol Hill Block Party.
Known Construction: Full closures of SR 520, Montlake Blvd, and more!
Now through Monday, July 24: Montlake Blvd Closure
Heads up to drivers traveling north/south to or through Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood: WSDOT crews have closed Montlake Boulevard around-the-clock for 10 days and are scheduled to reopen it on Monday, July 24.
After the closure ends Monday, July 24, Montlake Boulevard will shift to its new, permanent home, making for a smoother north-south drive through an improved highway interchange. Read more about the work on WSDOT’s blog.
July 21-24: Full closure of the SR 520 bridge in both directions
Beginning at 10 PM Friday, July 21, until 5 AM Monday, July 24, SR 520 will be fully closed in both directions between I-5 and 92nd Ave NE. The SR 520 Trail will remain open.
This is a major phase of SR 520’s ongoing reconstruction between Interstate 5 in Seattle and I-405 on the east side of Lake Washington. You can read more about this planned closure and the project on WSDOT’s blog.
July 22 and July 23: Partial I-5 Ship Canal Bridge Closures
The right lane northbound of the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge between Capitol Hill and the University District over Portage Bay will be closed from 5:30 AM to 11 AM on Saturday, July 22.
The right lane southbound of the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge will be closed 5:30 AM to 11 AM Sunday, July 23.
These closures are part of routine bridge maintenance.
July 22-24: Spokane St Swing Bridge East Span Closed to Maritime Traffic
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) recently approved our request to close the east span of the Spokane Street Swing Bridge this weekend so we can replace pumps. This won’t affect people on land, but it will affect boats and ships in the water. We want to let everyone know about this work, so they aren’t surprised during a busy weekend with several large events occurring in and around Seattle.
Maritime vessels have been informed by the USCG about this weekend’s closure of the east span through the Local Notice Mariners. Bridge openings will be restricted to a single leaf opening of the west span from 1:00 A.M. July 22 through 5:00 A.M. July 24, 2023; boats and ships that can pass through with a single leaf opening during the east span closure can continue to do so. For more information about this event, you can contact Kit Loo at kit.loo@seattle.gov or (206) 684-3669.
Ongoing construction:
- Weeknight closures of NB I-5 mainline between the I-5 collector-distributor and Olive Way. 9PM to 5AM nightly.
- Weeknight (Mon – Thrs) closures of Montlake Blvd. on-ramp to EB SR520. 10PM to 6AM nightly.
Other planned construction
Our Upcoming Construction & Events page is updated weekly with construction and major event information. Check it out to see what activities may impact travel in Seattle.
Getting around during construction
The Link light rail and King County Metro both have helpful resources to help you map your route. Simply enter your start and end addresses into Metro’s trip planning tool or Sound Transit’s trip planning tool to find the route that works best for you.
Know before you go
Want to choose the best mode of transportation for you? Get real-time traffic information with these resources: