Arts & Entertainment

Bellevue Downtown Streets Overflow With Arts This Weekend

The free festivities start today and run through the weekend. Plan around traffic, as well.

Downtown Bellevue streets will be covered with arts and music and food, as a trio of festivals converge on Bellevue Friday through Sunday. According to the Bellevue Arts Museum, which runs the 65th annual , about 320,000 arts enthusiasts come to downtown Bellevue during that weekend.

Here is the description of the events:

artsfair (http://www.bellevuearts.org/fair/index.html): At , 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday. The 65th annual artsfair will feature work from more than 300 juried artists, family fun art activities, glassblowing demonstrations and local bands and performers. Visitors can participate in a large community art installation called "Experience Web: Open Book," by Suzanne Tidwell on Sixth Street between the Bellevue Arts Museum and the Bellevue Transit Center. Cypress Wine Bar, right across from the museum, also will have live jazz;

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bellevue Festival of the Arts (www.Bellevuefest.org): At , 10300 NE Eighth St., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. An Eastside summer tradition, which has become known for superb featured artists (180 this year) and charitable activities. This year, the festival will donate a portion of the proceeds to charity, including local shelters and food banks, health clinics, Fare Start, and Lifelong AIDS Alliance, to youth programs, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund, Solar Cookers International and Potters for Peace. The festival is in its 27th year.

6th Street Fair (www.bellevuedowntown.org/events/sixth_street): Original work of 130 artists in sculpture, jewelry, home décor and fabrics in booths around the intersection of Northeast Sixth Street and 106th Avenue Northeast, Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Produced by the Bellevue Downtown Association, the event also features live jazz, blues and rock along with a variety of food.

To help the event run smoothly, the following streets and/or lanes will be closed between Thursday, July 28, and Sunday, July 31:

  • 100th Avenue Northeast: southbound lane(s), between Northeast 10th to Eighth streets, Thursday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.;
  • Northeast 10th Street: westbound lane(s), between 108th and 106th avenues, Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.;
  • 106th Avenue Northeast: both directions, between Northeast Fourth and Sixth streets (Thursday, 6 p.m. to Sunday, 11 p.m.;
  • Northeast Sixth Street: both directions, between Bellevue Way and 106th Avenue Northeast, Thursday, 6 p.m. to Sunday, 11 p.m.; and
  • 102nd Avenue Northeast: both directions between Northeast Eighth and 10th streets, Friday, 7 a.m. to Sunday, 11 p.m.

To avoid the traffic, take the bus to a stop near the fair. There are four park-and-ride lots that serve downtown bus routes: South Bellevue, 2700 Bellevue Way SE, take Sound Transit 550; Eastgate, 14200 SE Eastgate Way, take Metro 27; South Kirkland, 10610 NE 38th Pl., take Metro 230; and Kingsgate, 13001 116th Way Northeast, take Sound Transit 535.  

To plan a trip by bus, visit http://metro.kingcounty.gov and use the Regional Trip Planner. For Sound Transit routes (535, 550 and 560) visit http://soundtransit.org. Paid parking is also available in many of Bellevue’s downtown office buildings.  

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

-- Information from the city of Bellevue, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue Festival of the Arts, Bellevue Downtown Association


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