(BYOB) SeaFair Airshow All-Day Paddle & Party / Picnic @ Seward Park!!!

NOTE: this event is cross-posted with Seattle Millennials and Gen Z meetup, with an emphasis on floaties rather than paddle boards. Floaties are great too, but a paddle board might be more comfortable for spending more time on the lake watching the show.

!!!!!NOTE!!!!! Traffic will be awful. I recommend arriving several hours early and hanging out with us in the water. I also recommend parking a decent distance from the park and paddling or walking over. If you try to show up just in time to see the Blue Angels, there is a good chance that you will underestimate traffic and will miss them.

NOTE: This event is BYOB. Since I will be arriving early, I will not be able to bring catered food. I will need everyone's help to bring picnic-friendly meals for the group. More on this below. As such, this event will be free and there will be nobody to venmo for this event.

NOTE: I'm also trying out something new this year! We have a WhatzApp group chat to help people find the group, coordinate carpools or recover lost items!

https://tinyurl.com/yaac6m44

Let's hang out on Lake Washington and watch the Seafair airshow! It should be a great day to catch some sun, go for a swim, listen to music, and make a new friend too! We'll be at the northwest tip of the peninsula of Seward Park. We'll have a spot on the beach and plenty of room in the water for swimming! We did this event last year and we had an unbeatable view of the airshow. The view was far better than the paid area at Genesee Park and it was also far less claustrophobic and more relaxing. Admittedly, the view of the boat races was mediocre, but I think I'm OK with that! The airshow is way better anyways, trust me. Did I mention that this event is FREE?!?!

Please note that the jets start at TBA and the Blue Angels specifically start at TBA, so I recommend arriving two hours early for whichever of those you are interested in seeing. I recommend not leaving the event until 6 since traffic will be awful for an entire hour after the Blue Angels. Check the schedule here :

https://www.seafair.org/seafair-weekend-festival/air-show/

I'll bring my collection of 40+ floaties, so feel free to use one of mine or bring your own if you prefer that over paddle boarding! I will also have life vests for those who can't swim, but I would prefer that you bring your own if you are coming with your paddle board. There will also be a GIANT SWAN.

As mentioned before, I won't be able to bring catered food for this picnic since I will be arriving at 8 AM to get our gear set up and stake out our spot. (If I did, I would have to get it the night before and it would not be very fresh). For this particular event, I'm relying on everyone to bring their own meals and snacks and a bit extra to share. Please be smart about what you bring; I recommend bringing meals that are filling, can be eaten with your hands without utensils, aren't too messy to eat, and are agreeable to most people. Things to avoid: chips by themselves (not filling), ribs (very messy), pasta (can't eat without plates and utensils), and fermented quail eggs (disgusting/unsafe). My bias is obviously towards store-bought meals, especially SANDWICHES and PIZZA, especially pizza from Costco.

Please bring beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and bring a cooler with ice if you have one! I would recommending bringing a six pack of individually-sealed bottles or cans as opposed to bottles of wine or liquor if you plan on sharing them with others. I will bring my own empty coolers with ice as well as bottled water but it wouldn't hurt to have extra coolers. I will not be bringing a ton of alcoholic drinks to the event.

It gets cold after the sun goes down! Please bring a towel or a jacket for after your swim!

I will bring a giant speaker to play music at a respectful volume, and if people are feeling it, we can plug in the karaoke microphones later in the night!

I will also be bringing folding tables, 17 folding chairs, a bunch of trash bags, bottle openers, hand sanitizer, paper towels, and a couple of beach blankets.

To find us, look for the large white sign with the meetup logo and the name "Seattle Millennials and Gen Z"! It will be in front of the folding tables. As mentioned earlier, we will be on the northwest tip of the peninsula of Seward Park. You can also find us by looking for the GIANT SWAN.

I could also use a hand getting set up if anybody is willing to arrive early to help. I am going to load my car up with gear and park it atSeward Park the night before. The morning of the event, I will use a pair of carts to shuttle the gear 0.8 miles to our spot on the northwest tip of the peninsula. I will also need help inflating the swan, getting the swan into the water, and loading up the swan.