Northwest Folklife Festival: 2025 Guide for Seattle-Area Families

In famously rainy Seattle, summer doesn’t start with the return of sunny weather (usually after July 4 in these parts). For Seattle families, summer starts with the beloved free, family-friendly Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center on Memorial Day weekend.

For 54 years, local families have made their way to Seattle Center to enjoy a huge selection of music and dance performances and lots of opportunities to express their own creativity. This year the festival theme is ikigai, a Japanese word that encourages us to find and embrace our own true purpose.

Folklife Festival performances

Most of the performances at Folklife are appropriate for all ages, so don’t hesitate to check out anything that matches your family’s interests or sounds intriguing from among the 500 performances across 26 stages. It’s a great opportunity for the whole family to see live music from local favorites like Tomo Nakayama, Amelia Day & The Cloves, Lady A, and Marshall Law Band.

But even if you limit yourself to family-focused events (concentrated on, but not limited to, the Artists at Play Stage), it can be hard to narrow down your options. Here are our recommendations for can't-miss family programming to help you get started.

More Music @ The Moore

The Vera Project is one of Seattle’s best resources for teens. Every year, they host this performance of up-and-coming young local musicians. In a few years, your kids may be saying, “I saw them back when …” (Friday, 5:30 p.m., at the Vera Project)

“The Pa’akai We Bring”

Seattle Children’s Theatre is participating in Folklife this year by opening up this matinee performance of their mainstage production, “The Pa’akai We Bring,” to festival-goers. This hour-long play mixes ancient stories, hula, live music, original songs and plenty of audience participation in a tasty potluck served with aloha. (Saturday–Sunday, 2:30 p.m., at Eve Alvord Theatre)

Youth of Uttoron

The Bengali word uttoron means “upliftment.” The middle and high school students in Youth of Uttoron will present dances unique to Bengal and India. (Saturday, 11:15 a.m., Armory Court Stage)

Music Together

Music Together’s playful, internationally recognized music program for children up through age 8 kicks off several hours of family-focused programming on the Artists at Play Stage on Sunday. (Sunday, 11 a.m., Artists at Play Stage)

The Crankie Factory

Somewhere between cinema and shadow puppets, crankies are an old-time folk-art entertainment. The Crankie Factory’s latest show is “Quilt Tales.” Kids may be inspired to go home and produce their own crankie show. (Sunday, 7 p.m., Eve Alvord Theatre)

Massive Break Challenge

Hosted by world-famous breakdance crew Massive Monkees, watch youth from across the state and beyond show off their skills in the Pacific Northwest’s Next Generation Breakdance League championship breaking battle. (Monday, noon, Open Air Dance Stage)

Tacomarama Community Street Band Parade

March along with this all-ages, all-levels community band as they parade throughout the Seattle Center. (Monday, 3 p.m., just follow the sound of music)

More Northwest Folklife Festival family fun

Beer gardens

This year, Folklife is introducing two beer gardens for all ages! Gone are the days when parents had to teetotal it all weekend or take turns watching the kids and visiting the beer garden. The Fisher Green Global Roots Village & Lawn Pub with food from local restaurant The Chicken Supply and the Fountain Lawn Pub & Jam Hub on the Fountain Lawn will both feature family-friendly activities and enable families to enjoy performances together, even when parents want to have a drink.

Threads of the People

Added in 2023, Threads of the People celebrates fashion as folk art with a mix of runway shows, workshops and demos teaching everyday mending and sewing skills, vendors selling their own creations, fabric swaps, and cultural performances that showcase traditional regalia. A photo booth (perfect for Instagram) lets families celebrate their own outfits.

Hands-on folk art

There’s lots to see at Northwest Folklife, but there’s lots to do, too. Fine art may be a “don’t touch” experience for kids, but folk art is participatory. Don’t miss the many workshops in dance, music and other arts. Many are not specifically aimed at kids, but plenty welcome all ages. A few to note include:

• Seattle Balkan Dancers will teach traditional Balkan party dances. Learn at the workshop then bust a move at the Balkan music performances on stage throughout the festival. (Sunday, 11 a.m., Vera Project) Got two left feet? Try the Balkan sing-along at 3:15 p.m. in the Cornish Courtyard instead.
• Salsa for Kids! Latin dance school Baila District introduces kids to the infectious sounds of salsa music and the (relatively) easy dance moves that go with them. (Monday, 1:10 p.m., Artists at Play Stage)
• Seattle Raging Grannies will lead folks in singing songs of hope and protest. (Monday, 12:30 p.m., in the Cornish Courtyard)

And don’t forget to check out the Makers Space, with its hands-on demonstrations of a mind-boggling breadth of crafts, from fiber arts to screen printing to sketching, sign language, and simple activities even the youngest kids can complete.

Wandering around

With plenty of stages and events scattered throughout the lawns and pavilions, Northwest Folklife is a great event to attend without an agenda. Giving your kids the time and freedom to follow their own inclinations removes a lot of the stress of attending such a large event, and it’s more in keeping with the spirit of the festival, which encourages folks to pursue what captivates them. Plus, not everything at Folklife fits on a stage. Kids are just as likely to be captivated by artists working along the sidewalks, the buskers, or the visual art displays as they are by more formal events.

Festivals get pricey pretty fast, especially when you’ve got the kids in tow. But with Folklife’s pay-what-you-will approach, you can justify browsing for treasures made by local vendors and craftspeople. You could pack a lunch to save money, but in my experience, festival treats make the experience more special for kids, and with 40 food vendors offering foods from around the world, trying new foods is part of the exploration, too.

Whether you attend Folklife Festival for a few hours or spend the whole weekend there, it is a true Pacific Northwest family tradition. Every family should attend at least once, but once you do, your family might end up making Folklife memories every year!

Editor’s note: This article was originally published several years ago and was most recently updated on May 12, 2025, by the writer with this year’s family-friendly concerts and events at Seattle's Northwest Folklife. In the past, Nicole Persun, Elisa Murray and Kari Hanson have contributed to this article.