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Free Kids Activities and Fun at Seattle Boat Show

Calendar/Event Details

The Seattle Boat Show is not just for mom and dad to shop for the boat of their dreams or attend one of hundreds of hours of free seminars. There’s also a special Youth Boating Center at the indoor location at Lumen Field Event Center with tons of free activities for kids of all ages and the family pooch is even welcome on Dogs on Deck day! A special attraction this year bound to wow the entire family is the building of an enormous Rube Goldberg-inspired machine for boaters. The show’s not the only thing that’s family-friendly, so is the price. Kids 17 and under are free.

Young sailors and their families are invited to stop by the Youth Boating Center to start their boating adventures. An introduction to sailing, STEM, and the marine world, the staff at the Youth Boating Center will educate kids and families on the wind, propulsion, local sailing opportunities, knot tying, and more through daily fun hands-on activities, conducted by some of the top youth boating programs in the region.

Little mariners, ages three to eight, can enjoy time on the water using the Aqua Paddler paddle boats. Life jackets will be provided. 

Over the course of the nine days of the show, Zach Umperovitch, the world’s leading authority on Chain Reaction Machines, three-time Guinness World Record holder, and Co-Host of Discovery Channel’s “Contraption Masters,” will invent and construct a Rube Goldberg-inspired machine for boaters. The final machine will measure more than 100 feet in length and, when completed, it will be the longest spanning machine Zach has built in his 30-year career. Zach’s contraption will use kinetic energy and audience participation to string, couple, and join together boat parts, fishing rods and reels, crab pots, life jackets and other random boating-related items to launch a kooky succession of chain reactions, culminating  in the launch of a boat. 

Showgoers can stop by anytime to chat with Zach, watch him in action and even make suggestions on materials to use. Additionally, at 4 pm. everyday Zach will start the machine to demonstrate the progress. He will choose two members from the audience, one to be a ‘human interaction point’ in the chain, and one to help launch it. Kids five and older under the supervision of a parent are eligible.  On Thursday, Feb. 9,  Dogs on Deck day, one lucky pooch will also be chosen to help!

 

Event Details

  • When

    No upcoming dates scheduled
  • Price

    Free for kids under 17; adults: $20
  • Recommended Ages

    All ages
  • Venue

    Lumen Field

    800 Occidental Ave S
    Seattle, WA 98134-1200
    United States