In this time of amazing road construction (and sadly, destruction), please help us to help people find their way to Northwest Folklife this weekend. The Festival is offering several creative means of alternative transportation, and alternative road routes will help festival-goers to avoid road snarl-ups.
The Mercer West Corridor Project is underway, and drivers will find road changes in the Seattle Center vicinity. While these do not affect access to Seattle Center from I-5, lane and exit closures do impact on routes that lead away from the Center – and to the Center from SR-99. Eastbound Mercer St. from 4th Ave N. to Dexter Ave. is reduced to the two south lanes, and the north sidewalk is closed. The SR-99 northbound exit at Mercer St. and the southbound exit at Broad St. are closed permanently. Eastbound Broad St. has re-opened to provide visitors leaving the Center a quick connection to I-5.
Seattle Center and Northwest Folklife have worked together to make sure festival-goers have many transportation options:
Driving to the Festival: Please check the SDOT and WSDOT websites for more information and updates on road construction. Seattle Center also provides transportation updates at www.seattlecenter.com.
Parking at Seattle Center: Seattle Center provides three parking garages, at 5th Ave. N., between Harrison and Republican, at 1st Ave. N. between John and Thomas streets, and in the Mercer Garage, between 3rd and 4th avenues. In addition, there are several paid lots within a three block radius of Seattle Center.
Disabled parking: All lots around Seattle Center have designated disabled parking spots. Visitors should check with a parking attendant if all the available spaces are full. There are also designated spots on 2nd Ave. N. just south of Thomas St. and on Warren Ave. just south of Mercer St.
New! Ride Sharing Options: This year Northwest Folklife is partnering with RideAmigos to bring festival-goers an easy tool for posting and finding carpooling options. Save money, save gas, and make friends, all while reducing congestion on the road to Folklife. The festival also has a special deal with car2go. Read all about it here!
King Country Metro Folklife Shuttle: Festival-goers may save time, save money, and have a more enjoyable ride to and from this year’s Northwest Folklife Festival when they ride the King County Metro Folklife Shuttle from Northgate! Click here to read more.
Seattle Center Monorail: The Seattle Monorail goes directly to Seattle Center from Downtown. The Monorail departs every ten minutes, running between Seattle Center station, adjacent to the Space Needle, and Westlake Center Mall station, at Fifth Avenue and Pine Street. In 2012, the Monorail trains carried 50,000 passengers to and from the festival.
Arrival by bike: There is a large bike corral located at the Harrison St. entrance hosted by Bike Works! Riders may also stop by their booth to learn more about community bike programs, get a quick tune-up or donate your old bicycles, miscellaneous parts, and accessories/gear! The Seattle Department of Transportation’s Bicycling Guide Map includes bike routes to Seattle Center. Visitors may also use a Google Interactive Directions Map to plan a custom route by bike.
Festival Hours: Festival programming begins at 11 a.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. from Friday until Sunday. The Festival runs from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Monday. Food vendor hours may vary.
