Updated June 6, 2023

Summer in Edmonds, Washington's first Certified Creative District, is simply wonderful, alive with color, sights, and sounds. There is so much to do here. You’ll definitely need more than a day to take it all in.

So, explore everything this town does best, from prize-winning arts and culture, food and drink, and the great outdoors, to finding a little piece of your heart among the well-curated mom ‘n pop shops tucked alongside wildlife habitats and succulent, lush gardens in full bloom.

Save the dates for these fun activities, events, and adventures:

Start the weekend early by loading up at Edmonds Museum Summer Market, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Edmonds on 5th St. from Main at the fountain to Bell and east up Bell St. around Centennial Plaza (through Oct 14). Over 90 family-owned vendors come to share the bounty and the joy. Find one-of-a-kind jewelry, fougasse, Skagit Valley-grown strawberries and mushrooms, funky, fierce garden art, sea salted hazelnuts, the fresh catch of the day on ice, Finnriver Cider, and so much more.

Non-profit organization Art Walk Edmonds puts on a symbiotic, interactive, immersive show between talented, local artists, the shops that host them, and the general art-loving public in search of lasting inspiration to take home. AWE happens every third Thurs. of every month, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

The long-awaited Edmonds Arts Festival returns, back to its Father’s Day Weekend slot, at the Frances Anderson Center on 700 Main St., Fri., 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sat.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Browse close to 200 juried art booths outside and more award-winning creations inside the Gallery, as well as lots of student art, including those of Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation's college scholarship winners. Get a sneak peek at the 20+ Edmonds Art Studio Tour artists and their latest masterpieces ahead of their Sept. 16-17 event, and enjoy their demos On the Plaza at the Frances Anderson Center (above Edmonds Library), a venue for resident artists and artists who show in the area. 

Edmonds Summer Wine Walks (21+) pair local vintners with small local businesses for a good cause — Art Walk Edmonds (AWE) — and for a nice time strolling, sipping, socializing, and shopping downtown, July 1 and Aug. 8 (almost there!), 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Small businesses host select, Pacific NW boutique wineries, where vintners present some of their best, curated wines for visitors to sample, and perhaps consider purchasing. Get your tickets early, as the event sells out fast.

An Edmonds Kind of 4th is one of the most popular events of the year. And no wonder. There’s a main parade at noon, with a children’s version a half-hour earlier, a Beat Brackett 5k run and Baby Brackett 1k run/walk, and plenty of time to explore artisan shops, restaurants, and galleries. A most offbeat 5k, Beat Brackett pits registered runners against Old Man Brackett, a person dressed up like the Edmonds founder, with a beard and everything. Baby Brackett 1k is better suited for families and those who prefer to take their time to get to the finish line. Virtual race available.

The free Summer Concerts series starts July 9th and features amazing, diverse musicians and performers well-versed in jazz, folk rock, bluegrass, swing, Celtic. Grab a blanket, pack a picnic lunch—or pick one up at a downtown spot—and head over to City Park (Sun., 3 p.m.-4 p.m.), Hickman Park, and Hazel Miller Plaza (Tues./Thurs., 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.) for live music and performances.

Hold onto those blankets, because Edmonds Parks and Recreation’s Family Outdoor Movie Nights return with free movies on Fridays, July 14, 21, 18 and August 4.

Every year, as the flowers blossom and the trees come back to life, Edmonds in Bloom gets ready for its annual Garden Tour, an event that’s been opening up private residential gardens to an appreciative public since 1997. Volunteers behind the Garden Tour have curated eight outstanding gardens blooming with diversity and character, and available for viewing July 16 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The gardens will take visitors from The Bowl, downtown, to Five Corners, and Westgate, as musicians perform live and artists put impressions to canvas, inspired by their floral surroundings.

Nothing beats Taste Edmonds on a hot summer day. The food and entertainment bonanza’s held outdoors, with the kids running around and the band playing everyone’s favorite songs. Taste Edmonds returns to Frances Anderson Playfield Aug. 11-13, Fri./Sat., noon-9 p.m., and Sun., noon-8 p.m., for all ages. Lots of music, food trucks, a cornhole tournament, and a Kids Zone for the littles. And new this year, the Taste Edmonds Maker's Market—an ode to makers, craftspeople, artisans and creatives of the Puget Sound area making everything from candles to jewelry, and soaps to pottery. The tasty event has been a major Edmonds Chamber fundraiser—and a huge draw—since 1982.

Edmonds Waterfront is the unofficial gathering place for sun worshippers, outdoorsy types, birders and Puget Sound Express whale watchers, and anyone looking for a peaceful place to land. Everywhere you look is a beautiful moment, captured in time: walkable, smooth-sand beaches, Underwater Park marine sanctuary, fishing pier, ferry landing, sea-themed art installations, and those priceless views of Puget Sound and the mountainous horizon.

Maybe, just maybe, you’ll also see the Brackett’s Landing Mermaids getting ready for an open-water swim and Olympic Beach’s Bubble Man, blowing gargantuan, rainbow-colored magic for children and children at heart.

And just as summer is winding down, there's still fun to be had! PorchFest Edmonds is a free, community-driven, annual music festival/ block party in downtown Edmonds. Wander from porch to porch, business to business and experience  a wide range of music and performing arts while you mingle with the locals. Sat, Sept 9, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

The Edmonds Classic Car & Motorcycle Show arrives in Downtown Edmonds on Sun, Sept 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The streets come alive with 8,000+ spectators “oohing and ahhing” over the 250+ classic cars and motorcycles parked in town.

For more to see and do and experience, visit the City of Edmonds calendar.

Photos by Matt Hulbert and Janine Harles