May

• Opening Day. A parade of decorated boats travels through the Montlake Cut in Seattle to mark the official start of the boating season. Festivities kick off with a dragon boat and crew races. www.seattleyachtclub.org

• Maritime Festival. Tugboat races, maritime-themed kids’ activities and harbor tours on Seattle’s waterfront. Family Fun Day includes tons of activities for all ages. www.portseattle.org

• Lacey Spring Fun Fair. Two days of free entertainment and lots of kids’ fun at St. Martin’s University in Lacey. www.laceyspringfunfair.com

• Seattle International Children’s Festival. Eclectic, sophisticated children’s performances in Seattle and Tacoma. This is one of the best entertainment deals in town.www.seattleinternational.org/seattle

• Poulsbo Viking Fest. Parade, crafts and activities in celebration of Syttende Mai (that’s Norwegian Constitution Day). www.vikingfest.org

• U District Street Fair. The fair runs through the heart of the University District in Seattle, and you’ll find the usual arts and crafts booths, entertainment, kids’ activities — and some good people-watching. http://www.udistrictchamber.org/StreetFair/index.html

• Northwest Folklife. It’s always on Memorial Day Weekend at Seattle Center, and it always includes an incredible lineup of musicians and dancers. Great stuff for the kids, too. www.nwfolklife.org

June

• Maritime Gig Festival. Kids’ activities aplenty and entertainment on a children’s stage, parade, regatta, and more in downtown Gig Harbor. www.maritimegig.com

• Super Saturday. One day packed with activities, music, food — you name it — at Evergreen College in Olympia. www.evergreen.edu/supersaturday/home.htm

• Edmonds Waterfront Festival. Visit the Port of Edmonds Marina for kids’ entertainment, classic yachts on display and other waterfront-themed activities. www.edmondswaterfrontfestival.com

• Marysville Strawberry Festival. The long-running celebration includes a two-hour parade down State Avenue, fireworks and the always-popular Pig Out on the Farm at Biringer Farms near Everett. www.maryfest.com

• Edmonds Arts Festival. Held over Father’s Day weekend, the festival includes fine art for the adults to look over, a juried children’s art show and art activities and entertainment in the Children’s Corner. www.edmondsartsfestival.com

• Old Bellevue Strawberry Festival. Heritage displays, entertainment, a family fun area and (of course) strawberry shortcake. www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.com

• Greenway Days. Geocaching and scavenger hunts, hiking, farm festivals — your outdoorsy family can stay close or travel far. Events are held in towns and cities along I-90 from Mercer Island to Thorp. www.mtsgreenway.org

• Taste of Tacoma. It’s all about the food, but there’s entertainment and kid fun, too. www.tasteoftacoma.com

July

• Tacoma Tall Ships Festival. The graceful sailing vessels are back at the Tacoma waterfront and Thea Foss Waterway. Take a tour or go sailing, and don’t miss the ships on parade.

• Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival. Held on Lake Union over the Fourth of July weekend, the festival is a boat bonanza for kids. Take a spin around the lake, build a toy boat, listen to sea chanteys. 206-382-2628, www.cwb.org

• Seafair. Seattle’s old-timey maritime festival has grown to encompass most Seattle neighborhoods — and many neighboring towns. Parades and street fairs, the kick-off Milk Carton Derby, the Torchlight Parade and Blue Angels — activities spill from early July into August. The incredibly packed schedule is at www.seafair.com.

• King County Fair. The Enumclaw fair is inexpensive and old-fashioned, with free entertainment, rides and farm animals on view. www.metrokc.gov/parks/fair

• Bite of Seattle. Three late-July days of crowds at the Seattle Center, food tastes from local restaurants and plenty to do for kids in the Family Fun Zone. Admission is free. www.biteofseattle.com

• Capital Lakefair. Music and entertainment, a bed race, sports activities, Kids’ Day and a finale of fireworks at Olympia’s summer festival, which turned 50 last year. www.lakefair.org

• Sequim Lavender Festival. Enjoy the glorious sight of lavender in peak bloom by taking a lavender farm tour, or comb the street fair for crafty treasures. www.lavenderfestival.com

• Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair. Browse fine crafts stalls and visit Kidsfair, where children can go crafty-wild. Held in the Bellevue Square Parking lot. www.bellevueart.org

• Ethnic Fest. Crafts, performances and food from cultures from around the world, plus events just for kids. Held in Tacoma’s Wright Park. www.co.pierce.wa.us

August

• Pierce County Fair. Entertainment and kids’ zone, carnival and 4-H displays, located in Frontier Park in Graham. www.piercecountyfair.com

• Festival at Mt. Si. The North Bend festival features a parade, entertainment, helicopter rides, fireworks and food events. www.festivalatmtsi.org

• Evergreen State Fair. In late August and early September, the fair in Monroe revs into action with animals on display, midway rides and the rodeo. www.evergreenfair.org

• Sand in the City. Downtown Olympia turns into a beach for a weekend to benefit the Hands On Children’s Museum. www.hocm.org/events_annual.html

• Harbor Days. Tour tugboats moored at Olympia’s Percival Landing — and watch ‘em race. www.harbordays.com

Kris Collingridge is ParentMap’s Out & About editor.