Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias Brings Latino Heritage and Culture to Seattle Center
Festival is free, family-friendly and open to all ages, honoring Latino/a/x heritage and community with music, dance, food, and a health fair, Sept. 19–20.
SEATTLE, WA— Celebrate Latino/a/x heritage and community at Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias, taking place from noon – 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 and 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20 as part of Seattle Center Festál in the Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion.
This year's theme, “Comunidades Saludables, Culturas Vibrantes!” (Healthy Communities, Vibrant Cultures), highlights the shared resilience and the enduring cultural bonds that unite Latinos across different regions of origin. The weekend kicks off with a parade in South Park at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, followed by festivities at Seattle Center presented by Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias.
At Seattle Center, the cultural heart of the city, festivities take place at the Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion. Inside the Armory, guests can browse the Viva Art Exhibit, showcasing work from Latino/a/x artists from across the Pacific Northwest, and receive free health screenings at the health fair alongside fitness entertainment such as Zumba®. At the Fisher Pavilion, the rooftop is filled with children's activities and a Soccer Clinic on Saturday by the Seattle Sounders, while the main stage inside hosts live music and entertainment throughout the weekend, headlined by Mariachi Wenatchee and closing out with cumbia favorites Sonora Dinamita.
Guests can also browse a vendor hall filled with local businesses and merchants offering community resources, authentic Latino/a/x American food, crafts, jewelry, and other local goods.
“Fiestas Patrias is more than a celebration of our independence; it is a powerful declaration of our presence, our unity, and our culture,” said Angelica Barajas, festival producer for Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias. “By bringing generations and different nationalities together under one roof, we remind the wider community of the deep-rooted vibrancy, resilience, and contributions Latinos bring to the Pacific Northwest every single day.”
Seattle Center Festál promotes cultural awareness by welcoming the broader public to engage, learn, and celebrate alongside each community, fostering greater understanding and respect. Over the decades, Festál has grown into a cornerstone of Seattle Center’s cultural programming, creating space for communities to share their histories, traditions, and contemporary expressions on their own terms.
About Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias
Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias has celebrated Latino/a/x heritage and independence in the Pacific Northwest for more than 20 years, joining Seattle Center Festál in 2010. The festival is produced by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a 501(c)(3) community health organization founded in 1978 that specializes in service to Latinos in Washington state and serves all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, or sexual orientation, and regardless of ability to pay, through a network of more than 90 medical, dental, and behavioral health clinics. Learn more at seattlefiestaspatrias.org.
About Seattle Center Festál
Seattle Center Festál is a unique public program series of 25 free cultural festivals, each offering its own celebration of heritage and identity.
These community-produced events provide a range of engaging programs and activities to cultivate a deeper understanding of our region’s diversity through immersive performances, food, arts, and educational programming. Collectively, the festivals welcome approximately 400,000 visits annually, generate an estimated $30 million in economic activity, support more than 250 jobs, and engage thousands of volunteers, artists, and small business vendors.
About Seattle Center — The Cultural Heart of the Pacific Northwest
Seattle Center is a 74-acre civic, arts, and cultural gathering place in the heart of Seattle and is home to more than 30 partner organizations, including Climate Pledge Arena, KEXP, Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP), Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, Pacific Science Center, SIFF, and many others.
Anchored by world-class attractions, historic venues, public art, and a dynamic calendar of free and affordable events centered around the iconic International Fountain, Seattle Center brings together arts, culture, sports, and community year-round.
As a department of the City of Seattle and anchor of the Uptown Arts and Cultural District, Seattle Center serves residents from across the Puget Sound region alongside visitors from around the world.
In partnership with Friends of Waterfront Park, Seattle Center provides operations, maintenance, and public safety services for Waterfront Park, while Friends leads park experience, programming, and stewardship along Seattle’s downtown waterfront.
Seattle Center welcomes nearly 12 million visits annually, generating nearly $3.3 billion in total economic activity, supporting 19,400 jobs, and producing more than $37 million in local tax revenue for the City of Seattle.
With the support of its official partners—Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Pepsi, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank—Seattle Center is the most-visited arts and cultural destination in the Pacific Northwest.
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