10:59 AM: It’s a spectacular late-summer day and we’re on site at this year’s Admiral Block Party, in and along California SW in the block between Admiral and College. Main-stage music is about to start – here’s the schedule:

Justin Kausal-Hayes – 11 am
Sad Dad Autumn – 12:00 pm
School of Rock – 1:15 pm
Michael Pearsall – 2:30 pm
Potholes – 3:45 pm
Baby Crow Flight School – 5:15 pm
Six Killers – 6:30 pm
Sun King – 7:45 pm

We’re right next to the booth for the Admiral Neighborhood Association, which presents the festival – and on the other side, Timeless Kitchen Design (WSB sponsor). Lots of coverage to come! Better yet, come on down and see who’s here!

11:36 AM: Justin Kausal-Hayes is performing mostly classics – in our clip is part of Paul Simon‘s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” Sad Dad Autumn follows him at noon. … Justin was introduced by ANA president Joanie Jacobs:

She mentioned that at 5 pm today onstage, ANA will present the first annual award named after the late WSB co-founder Patrick Sand. If you’re here at 5, come to the stage and applaud the recipient (secret until then), an amazing community advocate who, like Patrick, does their work without seeking the spotlight. … ANA also is having a raffle during the festival – stop by their booth (in front of West Wings, looks like a little beige house with white-trim windows) to ask!

12:11 PM: No formal kid zone here, but lots to do – games in the street and in some booths, and a face painter right across from our booth:

Face painting is on the east side of the street, in front of Head to Toe, between the booths where you’ll find the Community Emergency Communication Hubs (stop by and find out where your nearest one is, in case of catastrophe!) and Emerald City Threads (motto, “local gear that doesn’t suck”).

12:58 PM: The music schedule has slid a bit so Sad Dad Autumn is still onstage as 1 pm approaches. Above is a a sample of their acoustic-accompanied harmonies, a fitting soundtrack for late summer. After a stop by the stage, we checked out the north end of the festival, where you’ll find a booth with two truly hot tickets you might want to get in on fast:

The West Seattle Food Bank booth still has some $5 tickets left for their “win tickets to the Taste of West Seattle” drawing, and this is your last chance to buy them – the drawing is on Monday. And of course you also can buy tickets to the Taste (September 25) directly – online too! WSFB is by the extended Arthur’s outdoor café today, west side of the street.

1:18 PM: Next to WSFB, this booth is a don’t miss:

Tired of bad news, doomscrolling, hearing about what’s wrong and never hearing about what’s right? For six years, Matthew Lee Johnston has published PMA magazine, celebrating good people and good things that are happening. So go step into the Positivity Portal here at the Admiral Block Party and be inspired.

2:40 PM: School of Rock is wrapping up onstage; Michael Pearsall is up next. Meantime, another activity option – bowling!

West Seattle Bowl, up from The Junction, is presenting the activity, promoting learning how to bowl.

3:33 PM: Another drawing you might consider getting in on while you’re here – look for this display at the Admiral Neighborhood Association booth:

$25 – to support ANA events like this one – gets you a ticket in the drawing for one of two gift boxes worth more than $500 each. The drawing will be held at 6:15, so you still have two and a half hours to buy a ticket. … Michael Pearsall is onstage; we recorded one of the songs he performed at his recent Admiral Music in the Parks concert (AMP is another ANA presentation), “These American Dreams“:

Another local favorite, The Potholes, will follow him.

4:50 PM: The Potholes have wrapped up as the vendors/activities part of the festival approaches its final hour – those of us with booths are staying at least until 6 pm (after that, it’s up to individual participants). Music will continue until about 9 pm; this block of California SW will remain closed until everything is fully cleared out overnight. But there’s still a steady stream of people, and we’re presenting the first ANA award in Patrick’s honor in a few minutes, so the Block Party goes on!

5:24 PM: The first recipient is Stu Hennessey, of Alki Bike and Board and more (Sustainable West Seattle and Puget Ridge Edible Park come to mind, as well as his Walkable Admiral) proposal. Separate story later! Meantime, Baby Crow Flight School is onstage. …

7 PM: We left the festival at 6, so we’re not there to cover its final hours. But ANA leadership was heard expressing joy in how it turned out – especially the weather, compared to last year’s soggy, chilly day. ANA’s president Joanie Jacobs also took the mic multiple times today to thank both sponsors and the corps of volunteers who helped keep it running smoothly.

(At least one person wore both hats – Paula Kennedy of Timeless Kitchen Design not only was a sponsor with a booth there all day, when pack-up time arrived at 6, she grabbed equipment left by A Cleaner Alki‘s Block Drop cleanup program and started patrolling for litter!)

9:54 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Dave Gershgorn was there for the evening bands!

Reminder that California SW is closed between SW Admiral Way and SW College Street until late tomorrow night for this year’s Admiral Block Party. The festival presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association doesn’t officially start until 10 am Saturday but setup is under way now and you can come enjoy the shade, including street games:

Extended outdoor cafés at restaurants on the block, which are the food and drink providers for the festival, which focuses on supporting local year-round businesses:

And DJs will be spinning through the evening while the main stage is getting set up midblock:

Here’s the Saturday schedule for main-stage music:

Justin Kausal-Hayes – 11 am
Sad Dad Autumn – 12:00 pm
School of Rock – 1:15 pm
Michael Pearsall – 2:30 pm
Potholes – 3:45 pm
Baby Crow Flight School – 5:15 pm
Six Killers – 6:30 pm
Sun King – 7:45 pm
Justin Kausal-Hayes – 11 am
Sad Dad Autumn – 12:00 pm

Music runs from 11 am until about 9 pm Saturday; vendor booths – here’s the lineup – will be open 10 am until at least 6 pm. See you at the Block Party!

(2024 WSB photo)

West Seattle’s last big festival of summer, the Admiral Block Party, is now only four days away. It’s happening in the street, California Avenue SW north of SW Admiral Way, all day on Saturday, with a Friday night “Pre-Party” as the street closes Friday afternoon for setup. No repeat of last year’s chilly, soggy weather – the forecast is for sunshine and 80s!

Not only will the temperature be up from last year – so will the number of vendors and organizations you’ll see in the street. More than 30 this time, compared to 20+ in 2024. Here’s the list we just received from Dan Jacobs of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, which is presenting the Block Party (now in its third year, previously called the Admiral Funktion):

Alki Bike and Board
Sam Day Illustrator
West Seattle Bowl
West Seattle Food Bank
A Living Canvas
Lafayette Elementary PTA
Anytime Fitness
Fit Bar Superfood Cafe
Dippys Ice Cream
New Leaf Bistro
West Seattle Coworking
My NecessiTea
Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce
Timeless Kitchen Design
The Little Merle
Hoste
la La’s lemonade
Admiral Neighborhood Association
Emerald City Threads
Verdant Crumb
West Seattle Mercantile
Julie Morgan Ceramics
PMA Magazine
Seattle Police SW Precinct
Seattle Fire Department
Firefly Beauty Collective
Seattle Emergency Hubs
Club Branching Out
Wading Bucket
Fostering Growth LLC
The Admiral Theater
Sopranos Pizza and Pasta

The booths will open at 10 am Saturday and will stay open until at least 6 pm (after that, it’s up to the individual vendors/organizations when they want to wrap up). Main-stage music starts at 11 am and will go until about 9 (last act is the Cult tribute band Sun King, starting around 7:45). (Enjoy music and sidewalk cafés during the Friday Pre-Party too!) Come hang out with your neighbors, support and learn about your local businesses, enjoy food and drink … and the summery weather. See you there.

(WSB PHOTOS BY DAVE GERSHGORN)

Whether flying through the air, or riding down a ramp …

… SOPASUPA – the South Park Summer Party – has been delivering high-energy fun all afternoon. Yes, you can engage in the traditional festival booth-browsing too:

But the highlights include two sets by Lucha Libre Volcanica, the local troupe specializing in Mexican-style masked, costumed wrestling – our photos are from the 2 pm set:

Lucha Libre Volcanica’s second set starts at 6 pm. Like the Lucha Libre ring, the main stage was behind the businesses on the southwest corner of 14th/Cloverdale – performers included Her Mountain Majesty:

And the “skate party” was at River City Skatepark a few blocks west – bands there too:

Festivalgoers could even get a pedicab ride to the skatepark!

SOPASUPA continues until 9 pm, with more mainstage entertainment after the second Lucha Libre set. South Cloverdale is closed to through traffic west of 14th Avenue South, so if you’re heading to or from the South Park Bridge tonight, you’ll have to take a detour.

The sun returned and it’s a perfect afternoon for Alki Beach Pride 2025 – entertainment is under way on two stages (see the main-stage lineup in our Friday preview). The afternoon-and-evening festival includes closure of Alki Avenue between 57th and 61st; if you’re going, we highly recommend walking, bicycling, skating, transit – parking is full for literally miles around. Once you’re at the beach, the vendor and organization tents line Alki Trail: the DJ stage is close to the east end. Dance floor:

Flags are fluttering everywhere and there’s a rainbow arch by Alki Bathhouse:

While many people are browsing the booths, some are just enjoying the sun and sand:

Vendors even include two mobile bookstores, Beguiled and Blue Kettle, which has some books on display outside, for all age:

The party segues to an outdoor movie (“Bottoms“) at Alki Playground (59th/Stevens) at 8 pm.

(Added: Photo by Victoria Gnatoka)

(Sunday photo by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)

Last weekend’s unfurling of giant flags on Alki Beach was just the prelude to tomorrow’s 11th annual Alki Beach Pride, founded and organized by local residents Stacy and Jolie Bass-Walden. As first announced back in June, Alki Avenue will be closed to through traffic from 57th to 61st as part of the festivities, which will include performances, DJs, vendors, and health and wellness providers. Most of the celebrating happens noon-8 pm on Saturday. Here’s the entertainment lineup:

Immediately afterward, at 8 pm, there’ll be a free outdoor movie at Whale Tail Park/Alki Playground, “Bottoms.”

(July 11 photo by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)

The peninsula’s biggest party of the year – West Seattle Summer Fest – is over for another year, after three big days (and two nights) in the streets in the heart of The Junction. Organizers at the West Seattle Junction Association want to know what you thought about it – what you did, what could be improved, etc. To collect those opinions, they’ve just launched this short survey. It’s open until August 1.

3:02 PM: This is it – last call to get down to West Seattle Summer Fest, which wraps up at 5 pm. Music ends around 4 – last scheduled act is Massy Ferguson, on the West Side Stage at 3 pm. And Better As Brass (above), founded by West Seattle resident Kevin Freitas, is busking at California/Alaska right now. Kevin says this is their second year at Summer Fest, and that he started it because “I just wanted a brass band in West Seattle!” …Also an unofficial part of the festival, the canvassers – WSB’s Hayden Yu Andersen talked to Erin Phillips, volunteering for Washington Bus – an organization that encourages young people to get politically active- drumming up support for Seattle’s Democracy Voucher program.

She’s from Northeast Seattle but told Hayden she’s having a great time learning about West Seattle during her first Summer Fest. (Speaking of politics, mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan remains the only candidate we’ve seen here, but incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell is due at the West Seattle Indivisible meeting in the Center for Active Living at 3:30 pm – we’re planning to be there.)

Meantime, we found a booth with multiple artists exhibiting, from Rain City Clay in Arbor Heights:

That’s one of the artists, Jody Wally.

4:23 PM: A sign that the festival is wrapping… deflation has begun:

The Summer Fest crew’s goal is for breakdown to be done by 9 pm; streets are expected to remain closed until 10.

6:26 PM: The mayor’s appearance lasted more than twice as long as planned; story to come. Your editor got back to the festival in its waning moments. Huge thanks to everyone who hung out with us, contributed content, and/or stopped by to say hi over the three days, and therefore made it possible to get through the first Summer Fest without WSB co-founder Patrick Sand (who usually spent many days ahead of time preparing, from collecting and collating festival info to amassing and packing tabling supplies like tape and tacks – we managed to find all that and brought it along).

9:20 PM: One loose end from this afternoon – we did get some video of Massy Ferguson, last scheduled stage band of the festival, but technical trouble prevented us from a timely upload:

(Photo by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)

10:27 AM: The West Side IS the best side, as artist Cody Huff‘s painting declares, and West Seattle Summer Fest is a reminder! The third and final day has begun, and we’re again on site to cover it. Here in the Info Booth, the biggest question so far this morning is “where’s the Farmers’ Market?” – answer: North of Oregon, right now, until 2 pm. We’re heading that way right now!

11:12 AM: Just back from the market. What you won’t find this week is many of the fresh-cooked food providers – but produce abounds, berries and greens and more. Among the produce sellers, the Alvarez farm, with both purple and white spring onion bunchesam!

The market’s on until 2; meantime, here in the festival zone, music just started, West Side Stage only today, with this lineup:

11:00 Matt Benham & David Weidig
12:00 WSMA + Sweetiest Sweeties
1:00 Sonny Parker
2:00 Baby Crow Flight School
3:00 Massy Ferguson

And the nonprofits with us in the Info Booth right now are the Seattle Emergency Hubs (learn what to do and where to go in case of catastrophe) and,making an encore, RainWise. Even if you’ve been here once, Sunday is a stellar day to wander one more time.

12:28 PM: The day is flying by. Remember that there’s lots of room to sit in the shade – like by the only music stage operating today, the West Side Stage:

That’s the crowd cheering for West Side Music Academy students on the stage (which is sponsored by the WSMA) this hour. We recorded one of them – great job on piano!

Headed to Summer Fest are the 16 riders who joined in the “Little STP” bike ride in West Seattle this morning – Al sent the photo from the Portland end of the ride (44th SW/SW Portland in Gatewood):

If you have trouble finding bike parking, there’s a corral toward the northwest end side.

12:56 PM: Speaking of transportation, Sound Transit is here, on the south half (south of Alaska) of the booth zone, if you have questions about light rail. And here in the info booth, the 1 pm changeover has brought in the Puget Sound Regional Council – ready to chat about big-picture issues – and SPD civilian staff, with crime prevention the focus (ask about the safety class that’s coming up this week)…. The Trombone King, featured here last night, has started playing again. WSB’s Hayden Yu Andersen talked to him briefly:

Hayden reports, “Roy Lancaster, aka Trombone King 504, is a performer from New Orleans. He wished everyone a happy Summer Fest, and said ‘please deposit any complaints on the back of a 100 dollar bill’.”

1:45 PM: Last few hours mean one more chance to connect with vendors. Hayden talked to the local handmade-earring creators at Kellan and Kiera:

Last call for the Farmers’ Market, too, bursting with berries and cherries today as well as our personal favorite, salad greenery – the market closes at 2 as usual; the rest of Summer Fest is carrying on until 5.

(Photos by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)

6:32 PM: The biggest night of West Seattle Summer Fest is happening now. It’s dinner time from the food court (alongside and behind KeyBank, with reusable serviceware) to the year-round restaurants (many of which have special-for-the-festival sidewalk cafés). If you’re wandering the booth rows on California, we have another nonprofit on the east side of the Info Booth until 8 pm, RainWise. And speaking of water, bring your own container (or buy the Summer Fest edition) to use the free filtered water available this year:

West Side Stage music is wrapping up this hour, but the Main Stage (California between Oregon and Genesee) continues with this lineup for the rest of the night:

7:00 The Alain Johannes Band
8:00 New Constellations
9:00 Monsterwatch
10:00 Reignwolf

7:42 PM: We’re back from checking out Alain Johannes and band, introduced by Matt Vaughan of Easy Street Records:

Johannes started off playing music mostly from his time with the band Eleven:

Though the Main Stage is the only stage that’s active right now, there’s more music – the Trombone King is playing near Walk-All-Ways.

Meantime, AnUngulate was on the Main Stage before Alain Johannes:

More photos to add in a bit – first we’re going to take another spin around the festival grounds – looks like many booths are still open though it’s post-8 pm – somebody asked about this earlier – and that includes food, like the $14 elephant ear:

ADDED: And as we always note, many year-round businesses offer festival-food options too. Every year, Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller is grilling outside:

And whether or not the music brings you to Summer Fest, the music shopping might:

Not only the longtime Junction businesses, but also the newer ones like Rush Hour jump into the Summer Fest spirit too:

One more day to get in on the deals.

10:50 AM: The Junction is jumping! The second, and biggest, day of West Seattle Summer Fest is in its first hour and we’re back with more as-it-happens coverage. First thing we noticed: The ticket booth for the giant inflatables drew a crowd as the day began, with the line at one point stretching across the street:

There’s free fun in the Kids Zone too, but the inflatables are irresistible:

(Friday WSB photo by Dave Gershgorn)

Music starts at 11 am on both stages today – the Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) showcase on the main stage, and Country Dave Harmonson on the West Side Stage (by the Wells Fargo drive-thru off the west side of SW Alaska). We’re off to catch at least one if not both!

11:45 AM: The Mode show was quite an extravaganza.

Mode’s founder/leader Erin Rubin took the mic to talk a bit about her business, which has a booth here this weekend, and then introduced 9-year-old keyboardist/singer Ashton, whose set included a Kooks cover.

Erin also explained that two members of THEM – the West Seattle-rooted band that performed last night -had been coaching the summer rock-band camp that would also perform.

Hudson and Thompson talked about what fun they’d been having at camp, forming a band they said they called McSalmon, “an acronym of all their names.”

And it’s almost noon, so the Comerford School of Irish Dance is performing in the intersection south of us – c’mon over if you’re in The Junction!

12:20 PM: Here’s a bit of the dancers:

We’re heading out again shortly to see what else is up. Stop by the Info Booth if you’re at the festival – nonprofits tabling on the east side of the booth today include Ridge 2 River until early afternoon, and then Seal Sitters and The Whale Trail will be here. … And where the dancers have just wrapped up, The Bubbleman will be doing his bubbly thing (last seen at the Morgan Junction Community Festival last month) starting around 1 pm!

12:50 PM: But first… you have until 2 pm to detour into ArtsWest (west side of California just south of California) and visit the “instrument petting zoo” presented by the West Seattle Community Orchestras:

Musicians are performing just outside the ArtsWest doors, too.

1 PM: Seal Sitters and The Whale Trail have arrived so you can come chat with them until 4-ish. We also have some help on the north end of the Info Booth -two volunteers, Mike and Scott from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, which has lent a hand in the booth for many years, and WSB’s ad coordinator Annette.

Up on the main stage, Princess Pulpit is playing now, with afternoon highlights including the Dusty 45s at 4 pm. And the Bubbleman is starting to get bubbly in Walk-All-Ways.

1:58 PM: Busy and breezy day! Lots of innovative sun protection too – we’ve seen several parasols, including an elegant black lace one. … Meantime, shoutout to some of the WSB sponsors who are here:

Canna (right on the south side of California/Alaska)
STS Construction Services (on the west side of the block between Oregon and Alaska)
Fitness Together (on the east side of the same block, short ways up from the Info Booth)
Rotary Club of West Seattle (featured yesterday – further up the east side of this block)
Mode Music Studios (as mentioned previously and as showcased on the main stage earlier)
CAPERS (year-round Junction shop, west side of block between Oregon and Alaska)

Since we’re on the subject … remember that the main stage wlll be broken down after tonight’s last show and the Farmers’ Market will be on that block, Oregon to Genesee, on Sunday, same hours as usual, 10 am-2 pm (while the festival continues 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, south of Oregon, and the West Side Stage will have a Sunday music slate).

2:33 PM: Here’s a full song from Princess Pulpit‘s main-stage set last hour:

3:29 PM: The Everlovers are on the West Side Stage right now, and people are dancing:

(added) Here’s our video of the band:

Steps away, Shug’s Mini is visiting from South Admiral with an ice-cream cart:

(Photo by Dixon Hamby)

And The Missing Piece has a beverage popup in front of their future new location (former Pharmaca, next to the back of KeyBank) –

Proprietor Eric tells us they’re hoping to be open by September 1st, and they will be open even later than their current 35th/Roxbury location – until 11 pm. Meantime, the festival popup is selling lemonade with lavender and “campfire” cold brew – which he tells us has a toasted marshmallow!

4:41 PM: We’re back from the main-stage zone, where the Dusty 45s – led by West Seattle’s own Billy Joe Huels – are rocking a nice-sized crowd:

Evening is arriving and we’re going to start a separate story after at least one non-festival items. Thanks again to everyone who’s stopped by to say hi!

We wrapped up our first day/night at West Seattle Summer Fest with the second-to-last concert of the night, THEM, who reminded the crowd that they’re “West Seattle born and raised.” We elbowed our way to within a couple rows of the foot of the stage, where devoted fans sang along even when the band members themselves weren’t singing.

The band’s moving to L.A. soon, according to an interview with WSB, so this was a so-long-for-now show too.

THEM’s previous Summer Fest gig was three years ago, in the middle of the afternoon.

Saturday’s main-stage music starts at 11 am with a showcase of talent from the place where THEM got their start, West Seattle’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor).