APRIL 3, 2026

The community festival is celebrating a refreshed name and branding, as well as 52 years of tradition as north Seattle’s largest and longest running celebration of seafood, craft beer, live music and community.

The festival has evolved into a celebration of not only delicious seafood but offers three days of musical entertainment. With a consistently solid lineup of musical entertainment for more than a decade, the name change reflects this aspect of the festival’s evolution. However, attendees can still expect an equally solid lineup of delicious seafood prepared in a myriad of ways. Ballard Music & Seafoodfest remains a free community festival, and all are welcome.

Musical performances will kick off on Friday evening with headliners and local 80s sensation, NITE WAVE. Saturday evening’s 2026 headliner is Built To Spill, performing on July 11, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. Sunday’s festival line will feature a variety of local artists with an emphasis on bands that cover favorite classics with headliner Wild Rumours closing the weekend.

KEXP PRESENTS LIVE MUSIC LINEUP:

BUILT TO SPILL | LOW CUT CONNIE | NITE WAVE | THE DUSTY 45s | WILD RUMOURS | CORAL GRIEF | SEATTLE’S LAST WALTZ | THE MAYA EXPERIENCE | JOYLA RED | BEATLECONCERT | PHINNEY RIDGE STEEL BAND | #ALL4DORAS | SCHOOL OF ROCK

“We are so excited to present a refreshed Ballard Music & Seafoodfest to the greater Puget Sound region this July,” said Ballard Alliance Executive Director Mike Stewart. “It is a privilege and an honor to uphold the 50+ year tradition of providing a free, weekend-long event packed with spectacular entertainment, craft beverages and delicious seafood to our community,” Stewart continued.



Drawing more than 75,000 attendees annually, the festival has grown from its origins as a neighborhood salmon BBQ and fundraiser in 1974, into a three-day extravaganza of music, seafood, craft beverages, cultural and all-ages activities. The event continues to honor its legacy as a fundraiser for neighborhood improvement projects and programs administered by the Ballard Alliance, ensuring Ballard remains a dynamic and welcoming place to live, work, and visit year-round.

We encourage you to reach out to Jamie directly at 206-450-0775 or email him at jamie@ballardalliance.com.

Jamie is continuing to meet with business owners and residents to better understand current and previous issues within the neighborhood. He has developed functional relationships with our public safety partners and is eager to hear from you. Please reach out to Jamie and share your BIA public safety concerns.

It is important to report emergencies and immediate public safety concerns by calling 9-1-1. 911 should be utilized for calls of service, Not the non-emergency number. 911 calls are tracked by SPD and resources are allocated based on the volume of calls in each neighborhood of the city. 

Jamie requests that after 911 is called and/or after the situation has been mitigated to please contact him. He will follow up with our partners to ensure a more complete resolution.

Your communication with us on public safety matters is vital to helping us prioritize and address the clean and safe issues impacting our BIA members.

Please join us for networking with other members, followed by a presentation by Erika Evans, Seattle City Attorney.

Doors will open for networking at 8:45 a.m., and the presentation will begin at 9:15 a.m.

We will be serving up complimentary breakfast foods, coffee, and tea. This event is free to attend and open to all Ballard businesses, residents and property owners.

If you would like to attend the April Breakfast in Ballard please RSVP here. Signups are first come, first served and the event is capped at 40 attendees. 

For questions, need help signing up our would like to change your RSVP, please contact Sophie Iannone at sophie@ballardalliance.com.

Join our team as a Ballard Music & Seafoodfest volunteer! Volunteer signups are now open.

There are volunteer positions on each day: July 10, 11 & 12. Check out the available slots and pick your desired shift before they fill up.

Some of the more coveted volunteer positions are filling up quickly, so don't delay. Choose from a variety of volunteer positions such as festival concierge in the information booth to beertenders to salmon BBQ dinner server to helping out in the kids area and many more. Each volunteer will receive a salmon BBQ dinner token and an invitation to the annual Volunteer Appreciation Party (typically held in August or September).

We also offer an opportunity for our local high school students to earn community service hours. Most shifts available are all ages except for any of the positions in the Beer & Cocktail Garden. or questions about volunteering, please contact our volunteer coordinator Wren Wilson. Click here to learn more and signup.

We had to turn away more than 100 Wine Walk attendees on our waiting list. We expect similar interest with this spirited version. Attendees can expect a sunshine stroll and an opportunity to sample a variety of handcrafted cocktails at 10 Ballard boutiques.

Tickets are $50 for 10 tasting tickets. All proceeds from this event are reinvested into neighborhood projects and programs administered by the Ballard Alliance.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram or Facebook and check in at @visitballard to view our social media ticket sale's announcement next week.

A gigantic congratulations to our friends at the Kangaroo & Kiwi for 25 years of awesomeness! We look forward to many more years of celebrations with you.

Your $40 (plus tax & fees) ticket to ride includes a t-shirt, complementary donuts and coffee at each stop, and any proceeds go to Bike Works Seattle.

Please register before May 1 to receive your 2026 Tour de Donut t-shirt. Click here for more information and to register for the event.

Syttende Mai (17th of May) commemorates Norway’s constitution, adopted in 1814. It's a special day in Ballard, marked by a parade, music, and gatherings at several locations such as the National Nordic Museum, Leif Erikson Lodge, and Skål Beer Hall and more. Ballard hosts the largest 17th of May celebration outside of Norway!

Newcomers: Don't be surprised to find people dressed in traditional Norwegian attire strolling through the neighborhood, discover opportunities to explore Norwegian culture and foods and happy friends clinking glasses of Aquavit.

This year's parade starts at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The route runs from NW 62nd Street and 28th Avenue NW, down NW Market Street to 22nd Avenue NW and continues down Ballard Avenue NW. Please expect road closures that day and plan your spot along the parade route. This time-honored celebration dates back to 1889 in Seattle and the annual parade in Ballard starting in 1974. We look forward to welcoming celebrating our neighborhood's Norwegian connection with the community next month.

Here are some details about their Spring Beer Releases:

• Chaostructure West Coast IPA - Collaboration with Lumberbeard Brewing (6.6% ABV) Available on draft and in cans.
• Bubba’s Blueberry Wheat Ale - Collaboration with Latona Pub (4.7% ABV) Available on draft and in cans.
• Watermelon Splash Sour (5.6% ABV) Available on draft and in cans.
  

Lucky Envelope Brewing is located at 907 NW 50th Street, Seattle, WA 98107.

Currently, crews are setting up a work area at the intersection of 24th Ave NW and NW 56th St. to support upcoming tunneling operations.

This work area will be in place through spring 2027. As this much needed construction carries on, please help support the businesses in the construction zone. For the next year, businesses such as Salt & Sugar Cafe and Bakery, Peoples Bank, Tumbles Gym, Huntington Learning Center, Aimee Nail Studio and Banfield Pet Hospital will be in the midst of the construction zone and re-routed traffic patterns. If you already frequent these businesses, thank you. If you haven't tried them out, we are asking the community to make an effort to shop, dine, or use the services at these businesses.

Another challenging area is the building construction happening on the corner of NW 56th Street and 20th Ave NW - right next to Spice Waala and Pink Bee Curry & Sandwiches and across from Verve Bowls and Mr. Gyros. Please look past the construction in the area and support these local businesses serving REALLY great food!