The Seattle Traveler

The biggest weekend of the Seattle summer is coming up.  The heart and soul of the community, the highlight of the SEAFAIR festivities.  It’s the KeyBank Air Show at Seafair presented by Boeing and The Chevrolet Cup Unlimited Hydroplane Race on Lake Washington.

No matter what sponsors are attached to it, the locals just review to the show as the Blue Angels.  They’ll be in town for the weekend, with a couple of days for practice, and then the full show, staged on Saturday, and then again during a break in the hydro races on Sunday.  General admission grandstand tickets are available for $25, for both Saturday and Sunday, but I think the best way to see this spectacular bit of flying is to head down to Lake Washington for one of the practice times.  It will be still be crowded, these guys know how to draw a crowd, but it’s a much more tolerable crowd than on race day. 

I LOVE this event!  And even though I’m around planes on a regular basis, this precision flying has me in absolute awe!

During practice sessions, as well as the air show itself, the I-90 floating bridge will be closed, so check the closure schedule to avoid the delays.

The Chevrolet Cup starts with qualifying on August 3rd, with the big race on August 5th.  Check the full schedule of race events, and plan the best way to watch the races.  With speeds approaching 200 mph, the hydros zoom around the 2 1/2 mile long course, creating lots of noise and plumes of water.  It will get your heart thumping, that’s for sure!  You can watch the races from your boat (reserved space available), from the shore (tickets available for grandstand seating, or grab a spot of grass, or on television.  Fireworks follow the event.

Don’t miss out on the biggest and best weekend of the Seattle Summer!  It’s Hydro Weekend.

Photo credit:  PD Photo

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