Seattle's summer festivals are three different crowd problems. Pride's parade and PrideFest run downtown and at Seattle Center in late June, Seafair fills late July and early August with a torchlight parade, an air show and hydroplane races at Genesee Park, and Bumbershoot runs over Labor Day weekend at Seattle Center. No attendance estimate for Pride was found, Bumbershoot's attendance is reported as down without figures, and Seafair is described as about seventy-five events over eight weeks.
Key takeaways
- Pride is a parade route plus a festival, with no attendance estimate in the sources.
- Seafair spans several events over about eight weeks, including an air show and hydroplane races.
- Bumbershoot is held at Seattle Center over Labor Day weekend, with no verified figure.
- Each festival gets its own site map and its own grounds plan.
- Food rows at each festival meet the 200-foot rule with a sink beside each counted unit.
- Servicing is set for each day, with visits timed to the peaks.
Why are the three festivals different?
A parade is a route, a festival is a set of grounds, and a lakeside race and air show is a spread of shoreline and park.
The parade needs clusters at its stops, the festival needs clusters at its plazas and stages, and the lakeside events need clusters on the park lawn with firm ground.
Planning them as one kind of event leaves one of them short, so each gets its own method.
What figures can be used?
Only the figures a source gives, named with the source. Pride has no attendance estimate in the sources, Bumbershoot's attendance is described as down without numbers, and Seafair's count is a number of events.
A figure that is wrong by a factor of two changes the unit count by the same factor, so the organizer's own numbers in writing are used where they exist.
Stadium figures for game days are a separate matter and are given on the game-day page with their source.
How is the parade route planned?
As clusters at the route's stops, off the route and clear of the business entrances, with the route permit covering the spaces used.
Spectators wait for hours at the stops, and the clusters go where they wait. A cluster on the route is a hazard to the marchers.
The route permit and the cluster plan are filed together, so the reviewer sees the stops and the units in one place.
How are the grounds and the lawns planned?
The Seattle Center plazas take the crowd, and the Genesee Park lawn needs firm ground for the units, with the service route kept on the paths.
The plazas are flat, so their clusters are straightforward. The lawns are soft, so each unit stands on a pad and the truck keeps to the paths.
Each lawn cluster is checked for damage after the weekend, and the repair is agreed with the park office.
How is servicing set across the days?
Each day has a visit before the crowd, another through the afternoon, and one after the last act, with the schedule written day by day.
The first and last hours of a day are the busiest, and a visit timed just before each keeps the units clean.
A headline set or a late finish needs a visit timed for the peak, not for the average.
What do the food rows need?
Each food row is measured for the 200-foot distance from its serving location to a counted unit, and each counted unit has a handwashing sink with hot water, soap and paper towels beside it.
The distance is measured along the walk. A row with a single unit at one end may need a second pair at the other end.
The sinks are restocked at the start of service and at the midday break, since a food row uses supplies quickly.
How are the clusters placed at a summer parade?
The clusters sit at the stops where people wait, set off the route and clear of the business entrances, with a sign directing each spectator to the nearest one.
A spectator who must cross the route to reach a unit is a hazard, so the clusters sit on the same side as the crowd.
The steward at each stop knows where the nearest unit is and where the accessible one stands.
What does a summer weekend need from the servicing team?
A visit before the morning crowd, another through the afternoon when the numbers peak, and an evening visit before the late crowd, with supplies topped up at each visit.
The afternoon visit keeps the units usable through the busiest part of the day.
The evening visit ends with a check of the lights and the locks, so the units are ready for the late crowd.
How is the festival grounds' lawn protected?
The units stand on pads, the service route follows the paths, and the lawn is checked for damage after the event, with any repair agreed with the grounds' owner.
A lawn worn bare over a festival weekend is a complaint and a cost for the next event, so the pads and the route are the first protection.
The owner's sign-off on the lawn's condition is kept with the event file.
What is the plan for a closure or a late parade?
A closure or a late parade changes the times the clusters are needed, and the servicing and the pickup are moved to match, with the stewards told the new times.
A parade that runs late holds the crowd, and the clusters at the late stops are serviced after the usual time, not before.
The pickup is moved after the closure lifts, so a unit is not collected while the crowd is still on the route.
How do you keep the food rows clean during a festival?
The serving area is cleared of waste, the sinks are kept supplied, and the used water is removed as the sinks run, so the food row stays within the City's food rules.
A food row that is messy is a food-safety concern and a complaint, so the clear-down is part of the schedule.
The used water is removed on the servicing visit, and never poured onto the ground or into a drain.
What do the festival's stewards need before the first day?
A briefing on the map, the cluster numbers, the accessible units, the sink positions and the number to call for a visit or a move.
A briefing that takes a quarter of an hour saves many questions on the day.
The stewards keep the briefing sheet in a pocket, so the information is at hand when a visitor asks.
How is the late crowd planned for a summer evening?
The clusters on the late route are lit, serviced before the evening crowd, and checked again at the end of the night, with the stewards on hand to direct people.
A late crowd is less patient and more mixed, so the clusters are placed where they are easy to find from the main path.
The final check at night confirms each unit is locked, clean and stocked for the next morning, so the first visitor of the day finds it ready.
What if a festival is rained off or cancelled?
The provider is told as early as possible, the visits are cancelled or moved, and the units are collected on the planned day, with any change confirmed in writing.
A cancelled festival is a change to the schedule, not a reason to leave units in place, so the pickup is planned on the new date.
The change in the record shows the reason and the date, so the file is complete.
How do you brief a new provider's crew for a festival?
The crew is walked through the grounds with the map, shown each cluster and the accessible route, and told the number to call and the hours it is to be on site.
A new crew that is walked through the grounds makes fewer errors on the first day, and the walk is recorded.
The crew lead signs the briefing, so the provider knows the crew has been shown the plan.
How is the day's first service set?
The first service is set before the gates open, with the units checked, the sinks supplied and the routes walked, so the first visitor finds everything ready.
A first service that is late leaves the early crowd with a poor first impression, and that is hard to recover from.
The first service is logged with its time, so the start of each day is on the record.
Frequently asked questions
How many people attended Seattle Pride?
No attendance estimate was found in the sources, so none is quoted.
What is in Seafair?
A Torchlight Run and Parade in late July, and an air show and hydroplane races at Genesee Park in early August. A guide describes about seventy-five events over eight weeks.
Does Bumbershoot have a verified attendance?
No. A column reports that attendance is down, with no numbers.
Who reviews the festival plans?
The Special Events Committee reviews the site map as part of the application.
What is the food rule for festivals?
Food workers' restrooms must be within 200 feet of the serving location, with a sink beside a counted unit.
Sources
- City of Seattle, Special Events Office
- City of Seattle, Seattle Parks and Recreation
- Wikipedia, Seafair (as cited in the search results)
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