SEATTLE — Editor's note: The video above is of the 2019 Fourth of July fireworks show over Lake Union, which was the last major live fireworks show in Seattle.
The majority of Seafair’s headlining events will be virtual for the second year in a row as Washington remains under coronavirus restrictions.
The organization announced its summer lineup of events Wednesday, which will include a mixture of in-person and virtual events. However, Seafair said any events on the scale of a city-wide festival won’t be possible under Washington’s current Phase 3 reopening guidelines.
Instead of the traditional Fourth of July Fireworks show at Gas Works Park, Seafair will produce an hour-long TV special featuring past fireworks shows over Lake Union. The show will air on KING 5 at 10 p.m.
The Boeing Air Show will be an online event with a simulated performance from the Blue Angels.
The hydroplane races in August will also be virtual, featuring drivers competing from their homes. The event will also be broadcast on KING 5 and feature a look back at 70 years of hydroplane racing.
Fleet Week is also expected to be virtual with ship tours and interviews with Blue Angels pilots online.
Small- and medium-sized events are expected to be in person this summer, including the Seafair Torchlight Run on July 31 and the Torchlight Parade, although it will take a modified format. For this year’s parade, a Seafair caravan will visit different neighborhoods weekly in July and August with online parade-themed activities.