Seattle Center
Event venue · Lower Queen Anne ·
Entertainment, education, tourism, performing arts, and major events center
Information
305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109 Get directions
Entertainment, education, tourism, performing arts, and major events center
305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109 Get directions
"The Seattle Christmas Market is back at Seattle Center, with some 20+ food and drink booths to try. Munch on holiday faves like bratwurst, currywurst, raclette, goulash, handbrot, pretzels, meat pies, schnitzel, borscht, and spatzle. If Christmas is for sweet treats, try strudel, scones, churros, crepes, cream puffs, and chimney cakes. Drinks include hot chocolate, apple cider, and gluhwein for the grown-ups." - Courtney E. Smith
"I learned that, as part of its Festal series, Seattle Center is hosting a Tet festival on February 3 and 4 with the Fisher Pavilion and Armory jam-packed with dances, singers, eating competitions, other events, and food on site." - Harry Cheadle
"Workers at the Seattle Center location say the store is unique from the standard neighborhood Starbucks and that the event-goers and tourists who flood the Center create a singular strain that could be manageable with effective planning, but management has not implemented comprehensive solutions; they complain staff are being pushed off healthcare by being scheduled for too few hours while others are given hours they cannot work, and they state, “We refuse to accept increasing demands without increasing compensation.”" - Sophie Grossman
"Founded in 1982 as a three-day festival born out of Reagan-era recession woes to help local restaurants in Green Lake, the Bite of Seattle returned after a COVID-era hiatus (2020–2022) only to be remade in 2023 as a “digital-first” experience after Kirkland startup Cheq acquired the rights. I report that the rollout was rocky: locals on Reddit predicted disaster, and attendees flooded social media and the festival’s Facebook page with complaints after the July 21–23 event about long wait times, app glitches, and reports of double charges (which Cheq says it refunded). Organizers say the app reduced wait times and that they received some positive feedback and vendor interest in returning, but Cheq declined to disclose festival revenue, turned off comments on its posts, and many Seattleites framed the fiasco as another unwelcome example of tech transforming a scrappier, DIY city — summed up by one Facebook user’s lament, “Buying food doesn’t require ‘innovation.’”" - Sophie Grossman
"I’m glad to see the festival return to Seattle Center, which has long served as the Bite’s 'old stomping ground' after the event moved there from Green Lake; when hosted there the Bite typically attracted about 425,000 visitors across the three days." - Harry Cheadle