When someone suggests something we need to check out in Seattle, we’ll always try our best to make it happen. Thanks to my friend Brittany, we spent our day at the Georgetown Carnival in Seattle. When Brittany first sent us the suggestion, we said to each other “There is a carnival in Georgetown?!” We honestly didn’t really know what to expect.
The Georgetown Carnival is located in — you guessed it — Georgetown. This south Seattle neighborhood isn’t necessarily the most popular neighborhood (people are more likely to be familiar with places like Queen Anne and Ballard), but it definitely has its own unique charm. The tight-knit community is full of art studios, galleries, bars, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and shops.
The Georgetown Merchants Association hosts the annual Georgetown Carnival the second Saturday in June every year. We asked one of the guys manning a booth how the carnival started. He said that about ten years ago a group of local artists shut down the local roads and displayed their art work in the streets for the public to enjoy. As time went on, the artists started to have children and the art show turned into a carnival. Now, it is a full blow festival packed with art, food, games, music, performances and so much more. As one woman told me, the Georgetown Carnival in Seattle is really just a way for the community to get together, have some fun, and enjoy each other’s company.
The biggest attraction at the Georgetown Carnival is the Hazardfactory’s World Famous Power Tool Races. You read that right– people make moving contraptions out of power tools and race them against each other. It was awesome! There were bleachers for people to sit and enjoy the races as well as an announcer. It was just like a real sporting event (which Tim loved). People lined the race track to get a glimpse of the moving power tools. It’s so popular that Tim and I had a hard time getting a good view of the races. We walked around the entire race track in hopes of finding a good spot to check it out, but we never really found one. If the power tool races are something you want to see (which we suggest), then I’d advise getting to the carnival a little bit early to snag a good seat.
There are a lot of things for kids to do at the Georgetown Carnival in Seattle (and things for adults who like to act like kids, too). Tim and I had fun reliving our childhood by playing the various carnival games. The games were classic! We’re talking ring toss, wheel of fortune, duck pond fishin’ hole, milk bottle and more. Carnival games cost only one ticket (or 50-cents) to play. We also saw clowns and people dressed up in funky outfits walking around on stilts. It really felt like a true carnival.
There were also a bunch of different art booths at the Georgetown Carnival. Tim and I were shocked to learn it was free to participate in many of the activities. That’s right! It was free to make our own masterpiece at the Georgetown Carnival in Seattle! We jumped at the chance to make a painting. This wasn’t your average painting though. We actually used a catapult to fling paint on the canvas. It was awesome, messy and not as easy as you might think. I actually missed the canvas a few times — catapulting the paint too far or not far enough. The hard work was worth it though, because the final painting turned out pretty good! I’m going to hang it in my office at work.
The Georgetown Carnival in Seattle also showcased a lot of music and performances throughout the day. We saw a brass band jam on stage, and we also watched a group of kids performing circus acts and acrobats. Belly dancing, a drum band, and a DJ were also set to hit the carnival stage later in the day. It was a great mix of music and performances, so everyone is sure to see something they enjoy.
We are so thankful Brittany told us to check out the Georgetown Carnival. We had no idea what to expect, but we loved getting to know the Georgetown community better. And we walked away with big smiles and a “beautiful” piece of art. I think the Georgetown Merchants Association achieved exactly what they set out to do by showcasing the fun neighborhood in south Seattle.
Have you ever explored the Georgetown Carnival in Seattle? What did you think? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also check out Seattle Bloggers for more great events around the Emerald City (and much more).
