It’s one of the traditions that makes Seattle what it is.  It’s anticipated for months, prepared for endlessly, and celebrated with wild enthusiasm.  The Summer Soltice Festival in Fremont brings out the crowds, first to save places to watch the parade (friends meet early in the morning and enjoy the socializing time while they wait), then the parade itself, sometimes extreme and often glorious, then all the music and booths and food and beer and wine and dancing and juggling and … yes, cameras. 

Yesterday we went down as soon as we could, not getting very good positioning for the parade but not really caring either, and parked, well, halfway to Ballard.  Luckily I wore my flats.  Just the walk over along the ship canal (Fremont Cut) was delightful as colorfully dressed (in not much, as is traditional) and body-painted cyclists wheeled along departing the parade area.  Then the rocking music could be heard, and soon we were amidst a strolling crowd of beaded and bangled festival goers with kids, dogs, and food food food the order of the day, oh yes, and the bicycles.  So many happy, smiling, friendly, shopping, eating, dancing, and playing people all in one small sunny neighborhood generates enough “good vibes” to make the Sun happy he bothered!  Which is the whole point, right?