City Partners With More Than 30 Restaurants and Retailers for Halloween in July Trick-or-Treating at Westlake
Welcome Back to Pioneer Square and Westlake Events Taking Place This Saturday and Sunday
SEATTLE (July 21, 2021) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced final lineups and activations as part of the City of Seattle’s large-scale Welcome Back to Pioneer Square and Welcome Back to Westlake events taking place Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25, respectively. Renowned hip-hop trio Digable Planets will headline the free Sunset Concert at Westlake Park alongside a lineup of Seattle-based artists. The Welcome Back to Westlake event will also feature a Halloween in July celebration, and the City has partnered with more than 30 restaurants and retailers to host trick-or-treating for kids and families.
The Welcome Back Seattle events in Pioneer Square and Westlake are predominantly outside, and will align with current statewide reopening protocols. Unvaccinated attendees should wear a face covering indoors as well as outdoors if they are unable to maintain social distance. In addition, the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) will host a pop-up vaccine clinic at both events. SFD will administer Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Pfizer at these clinics, and patients can get their first or second dose. If a patient is receiving their second dose, they’ll need to show proof of vaccination. If a patient receives their first dose of Moderna or Pfizer, SFD will provide them with locations to schedule their second dose. The first 100 people who receive their first or second dose at the City’s Welcome Back Weeks pop-up vaccination clinics will receive a free single-day ticket to the Day In • Day Out music festival. As of July 20, 81.5 percent of Seattle residents have begun the vaccination process, and 76.2 percent of residents have completed the vaccination process.
“Our first Welcome Back Seattle event in the Chinatown-International District was incredible. It was so heartening to see Seattleites and our neighbors from across the state and country come together to dance, celebrate, and gather once again as a community,” said Mayor Durkan. “I hope you’ll participate in our Welcome Back Week events in Pioneer Square and Westlake. We’re offering some of the best things you’ve missed over the last year and a half, whether that’s Halloween and trick-or-treating, live music from a renowned group, or promotions with your favorite restaurants and retailers.”
Welcome Back Pioneer Square takes place in Occidental Square Saturday, July 24, from 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., and live music begins right at 10:30 a.m. Party Hat Gallery will be on-site providing free screen printing of a design by Seattle artist and gallerist Tariqa Waters. The Intentionalist and Alliance for Pioneer Square are also providing small business promotions in alignment with the Welcome Back Week events. You can find a full lineup of performers and events here.
Welcome Back to Westlake takes place in Westlake Park Sunday, July 25, from 12 – 9 p.m., with live performances beginning right at noon. Digable Planets will headline with a Sunset Concert beginning at 8 p.m., and the full lineup of performances is available here. The Halloween in July and trick-or-treat events will take place from 12 – 4 p.m., and families can find a full list and map of participating trick-or-treat locations here. Attendees are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and participate in the costume contest taking place at 4 p.m. in Westlake Park, with prizes from Nepantla Gallery, Bite Society, and other local retailers. Party Hat Gallery will again be on-site providing free screen printing of a design by Seattle artist Brandon Vosika.
“The Created Commons programming has been a great success in connecting working creatives with opportunities that meet the civic needs of this particular moment in time, said Calandra Childers, Acting Director of ARTS (Office of Arts & Culture).“We’ve been able to hire more than 200 artists to reignite our neighborhoods, bring customers to small businesses, and even get more folks vaccinated. I love that we’re closing out with Digable Planets – an iconic Seattle hip hop trio that speaks to our past and our future.”
“Seattle is near and dear to my heart, and nothing brings me more joy than to see opportunities for us to reconnect as a community and enjoy our beautiful summer weather together,” said Pamela Banks, Interim Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development. “This weekend I hope individuals and families from across the city and region meet us in Pioneer Square and Westlake to enjoy the concert, trick or treat at participating shops, support the local retailers and restaurants, and have a great time!”
Welcome Back Seattle is a part of ARTS’ Created Commons initiative, a new City effort to create a vital lifeline to fund artists and creatives by transforming public spaces into venues for spectacular temporary arts and cultural extravaganzas.
Welcome Back Weeks are a key element of the City’s Road to Downtown Recovery plan, which seeks to bring workers, small businesses, and visitors back downtown. You can find more information on the City’s downtown recovery efforts at seattle.gov/covidrecovery.