Volunteer Park Trust

Help us get the park ready for fall at our annual Fall Restoration Day! We’ll be working on projects to clean up & beautify the park. Free coffee & donuts donuts for all volunteers ☕️ 🍩

Tomorrow is our final concert of the summer! Mokoomba makes its Summer Series debut with music that combines American soul-funk, Caribbean reggae and the rumba-based dance music of the Congo. Roots band and Summer Series regular LeRoy Bell & His Only Friends will open the show.

Join us from 6 to 8:30 p.m. to celebrate another music-filled summer!

Tomorrow's Summer Series concert features performances from Andrew Joslyn and the Passenger String Quartet (Shelby Earl, Maya Marie, Tekla Waterfield, Daniel Pak). Indie-folk cellist and vocalist Ollella will kick off our second-to-last concert of the season. Join us from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for another evening of free music in the park! Special thanks to Sonic Guild Seattle for their support.

Join us for our 2nd Saturday Work Party this Saturday, August 10th! Meet by the Black Sun Sculpture at 10am, we will work until 12:00pm.

Sign-up here:

2nd Saturday Work Party in Volunteer Park Help w**d and clean up the garden beds in Seattle’s Volunteer Park – rain or shine.

Get ready to dance at tomorrow's Summer Series concert! Dance Church kicks off the evening with a 55-minute, instructor-led dance class open to all levels and abilities. Then, Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band Kalimba takes the stage for the third straight summer. Join us from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for another wonderful night of music ♫💃

VPT is identifying areas of the park for future improvement, and we need your feedback! Please take a few minutes to tell us what changes you'd like to see via this survey:

Volunteer Park Improvements Survey (2024) Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Grammy award-winning jazz artist Sara Gazarek will headline tomorrow's Summer Series concert! Join us from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for another evening full of music and community ♫🎉

Join us for our 2nd Saturday Work Party this Saturday, June 8th from 10am-12pm in Volunteer Park.

We will be meeting by the Black Sun sculpture across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

Tools and gloves will be provided. This is a great way to get outdoors, meet your neighbors, and help make the park more beautiful for everyone. Kids welcome!

No RSVP is necessary, but sign up here to help us get an accurate headcount:

2nd Saturday Work Party in Volunteer Park

Volunteer Park Trust is pleased to announce the 2024 artist lineup for Summer Series at the Amphitheater. Our third annual concert series will feature an eclectic array of musicians and dancers and is free to the public. Find the full list of artists here: https://rb.gy/31rnu7

Shows will be every Thursday between July 11 and August 15, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Our kickoff concert on July 11 will include free kids' activities and complimentary ice cream from Lopez Island Creamery. Food trucks will also be available at every event.

Come celebrate with us all summer long!

Thank you to our sponsors for their support of the program!
Presenting: Macklemore, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and a generous anonymous donor
Gold: Amazon.com, KNKX Public Radio, The Norcliffe Foundation
Media: KNKX Public Radio, Cascade PBS
In Kind: AlphaGraphics Seattle Printing and Marketing Services, Recology

Photo: Merrill Images

New Drinking Fountain in Volunteer Park! 🚨💧

A new ADA-accessible water fountain, with a pet bowl, was installed on the north side of the SAAM forecourt in April and is now available for use.

VPT worked in partnership with SPR to refine the siting of the fountain and its infrastructure. This went through the SPR project review process and the Landmarks Preservation Board’s certificate of approval process. VPT worked with Westwater Construction on the installation.

The Museum Forecourt Water Foundation is funded by community donations to Volunteer Park Trust. Thank you to our donors and greater community for support of this project!

Looking for a way to spend your evening?

Community member Noah Anderson will be hosting another stargazing session in the park tonight between 7 and 9:30 p.m. Meet in front of the Asian Art Museum and bring binoculars if you have them. Kids and beginners welcome.

(Photo of the moon captured during a previous outing)

Barred owl spotted in the park last night 👀
What a 😍 let us know if you have seen any cute animals in Volunteer Park lately!

Parks for everyone! 🏞️ The King County Parks Levy King County Parks - Your Big Backyard keeps our amazing parks, trails and green spaces open for all to enjoy. No matter where you live, this levy supports the outdoor spaces in your neighborhood.

Your voice matters! 💬 Share what improvements you’d like to see in our parks and outdoor spaces via this survey about the upcoming 2026-2031 Parks Levy:

2026-2031 King County Parks Levy - PublicInput The King County Parks Levy is a voter-approved property tax that keeps regional and city parks trails and open spaces available for everyone. No matter where you are in King County the Parks Levy goes to support your local parks and trails. Your voice matters. We want to hear from you what should be...

Volunteer Park, c. 1905, before it was redeveloped according to the Olmsted Brothers plan.

Join us on Thursday, March 21 for a night of karaoke at (507 15th Ave E). Come belt out your favorite song, share a pint with your neighbors and learn more about getting involved at this year’s Summer Series and other VPT events.

The event will include free raffle prizes, including a Patron-level membership to the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Funds raised will go toward this year’s concert series.

Heads up!

Community member Noah Anderson will be hosting another stargazing session in the park this evening between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Meet in front of the Asian Art Museum and bring binoculars if you have them.

The winner of the daffodil sighting contest is Sarah Gimbel-Sherr! Hooray, spring is almost here! Get ready for the wave of yellow blooms on the park’s western edge slopes. Sarah won an annual family pass to visit our friends at the . Coincidentally, the first bloom was spotted right outside the building. 💛🌱

Seattle Art Museum, with formal flower beds and lily pond in the foreground, c. 1950.

Mark your calendars! Join us on Saturday, February 10th, for our first work party of the year. We’d love your help getting the park in shape for spring. Connect with fellow volunteers at 10 a.m. by the Black Sun sculpture, located across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

In celebration of spring approaching (we promise), the Volunteer Park Trust will be hosting a Daffodil Sighting Contest! 🌼

How it works:
The first person to see and take a photo of a blooming daffodil will win an annual family pass to the Volunteer Park Conservatory (retail value $55). To participate, take a photo of the first blooming daffodil and email us at [email protected]. Make sure to tell us where in the park you found it. The winning photo will be featured in an upcoming newsletter and on our social media channels.

It's like a treehouse, Seattle Asian Art Museum Volunteer Park! Thanks for sharing the photo, Eric Juvet.

🍁🍂Happy thanksgiving 🦃

Honored to be the host of your family walk.

Join us for Holiday in the Park on Thursday, December 7th from 6-8pm! In addition to over 600 luminarias, we will have music from the African American Cultural Ensemble, Strum: Seattle’s Totally Relaxed Ukulele Musicians, and the Beaconettes. The will be open with the holiday train on display and we will have a craft booth in conjunction with . Free coco and cookies will be provided by . See you soon! ❄️🕯️🧤

🔭Stargazing at Volunteer Park💫
If you've come across a group of people near the Black Sun on clear evenings, they may have been gearing up to see something other than a sunset behind the Space Needle.

Seattle resident Noah Anderson has been hosting stargazing sessions at Volunteer Park and plans to keep doing so on clear nights. At the group's most recent outing in October, they were able to see Saturn, Jupiter, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the moon.

The telescope Anderson uses comes from the University of Washington's Department of Astronomy, and he's eager to let other community members look through it.

"It's a really interesting hobby to have in Seattle because there are real benefits to doing it in the winter since you don't have to stay up late," Anderson said.

Want to know when to come out? Email [email protected] to be added to his email list. Kids are more than welcome to attend. Bring a pair of binoculars if you have one.

Join your neighbors for our 2nd Saturday work party this Saturday from 10am-12pm. We meet by the Black Sun across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Gloves and tools provided, all ages encouraged to attend!

2nd Saturday Work Party in Volunteer Park Help w**d and clean up the garden beds in Seattle’s Volunteer Park – rain or shine.

Happy October everybody! Could today be a more perfect fall day?

Seattle-area photographers Lisa and John Merrill photographed multiple performances at this year's Summer Series. The Volunteer Park Trust connected with Lisa Merrill to get her take on the process.

VPT: What is your strategy for capturing a Summer Series concert, when there is so much going on both on the stage and off?

Lisa: Whether I'm at school or a concert, I'm looking for motions and actions and interactions. In the case of Volunteer Park, it's wonderful because. you can circle the whole stage to get a shot. Before any photo I take, I'm looking for moments, light and composition. If they all come together, that's a good thing. I'm always watching the performance and moving myself according to the situation.

VPT: How would you describe the Summer Series to someone if you couldn't show them a picture?

Lisa: It's one of the best kept secrets in Seattle. It's got a friendly, happy vibe because there are so many families and dogs. It's very joyful. There's a lot of energy, but it's not crazy intense.

VPT: What stands out to you about the Summer Series?

Lisa: It's so accessible. We've all been to concerts where there are so many rules --- no outside food or water, waiting in security and parking lines --- that make it a little harder.

Get ready for an adorable afternoon of spooky fun at our Halloween Pet Parade on Sunday, October 8th from 11am-2pm! We will be gathering near the Dahlia Lawn for an afternoon of pets, costumes, music from who will be leading the parade, the costume competition, vendors, food trucks and more! Full details at link in bio. 🎃🐾

We capped off our Summer Series last week with Sara Gazarek and Thomas Marriott. Can't wait to see you all next summer!

This Thursday is the last Summer Series at the Amphitheater for 2023! Join us for a magical evening with and from 6:00-8:30pm. Pack a picnic or get dinner from an onsite food truck, including , , and Tacos Cortes. 🎶🧺☀️