The Seattle Design Festival is kicking off its fifth year on Saturday with a two-day block party in middle of Occidental Park, right in the heart of Pioneer Square. The festival is an annual culmination of many local thought-leaders, city officials, designers, and community members that hold dozens of events across the city to showcase design in action. Events are open to the public and come in a variety of mediums, including: performances, exhibitions, temporary installations, walking and bicycling tours, panels, films, and more to engage festival goers.
The goal of the Seattle Design Festival is to challenge people to think outside of the box in order to come up with creative solutions for society now and in the future. This year’s theme is #DesignForEquity, which is founded upon the principle that design can make society more equitable for all. The festival will show that design can and should reach promote better outcomes and opportunities for people regardless of their age, race, ability, gender, community, and economic wealth.
The festival block party launches tomorrow at 10am with more than 20 temporary installations and exhibitors lining the mall of Occidental Avenue and the park. Festival goers can expect exhibitions ranging from recycled skateboards and interpretations of social equity to urban farming techniques and ways to engage on what people value about places in Seattle. Two other opening events taking place at 10am are tours Pike/Pine and South Lake Union, which will highlight the urban evolution and renaissance washing over those neighborhoods.
The festival events will take place over two weeks and wrap up on Friday, September 25; check out the website for a full list of events.
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.