Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant Information & Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant Links at HealthHaven.com

Solstice Parade, 1992

Solstice Parade, 2007

Solstice Cyclists during the 2005 Solstice Parade

The Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant is an annual event sponsored and produced by the Fremont Arts Council (FAC), an organization that supports the arts and artists in and around the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Started in 1989 by Barbara Luecke and Peter Toms, the parade quickly grew to thousands of spectators and hundreds of participants. The parade kicks off the Fremont Fair, a benefit for the Fremont Public Association. The pageant, a large-scale community play using over a hundred dancers, musicians and giant puppets, follows the parade at the end of the parade route at Gas Works Park. Admission to the fair is free but donations (advertised to end poverty, and donated to the Fremont Public Association) are encouraged. The parade is famous for its wild and creative floats and ensembles and for the Solstice Cyclists who strip down before the parade and paint their bodies unofficially start the parade every year.

The latest fair took place on June 20 and June 21, 2009.

The event distinguishes itself from other mainstream parades with its rules restricting printed words and motor vehicles. As the Fremont Arts Council states:

1. No printed words or logos.
2. No live animals (except guide animals).
3. No motorized vehicles.
4. No real weapons.
5. No advertisements during the parade.^[1]

The Fremont Solstice Parade was started by Barbara Luecke and Peter Toms in 1988 who were was inspired by the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade and Celebration. ^[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant

[edit] Notes and references

^ "The Fremont Solstice Parade!". Fremont Arts Council. 2008. http://fremontartscouncil.org/events_solstice.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
^ "'Warts and all,' Fremont Solstice Parade continues surprises for 20 years". The Seattle Times. 2008. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ae/367665_solstice20.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.

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[0] "The Fremont Solstice Parade!". Fremont Arts Council. 2008. http://fremontartscouncil.org/events_solstice.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.

[1] "'Warts and all,' Fremont Solstice Parade continues surprises for 20 years". The Seattle Times. 2008. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/ae/367665_solstice20.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.

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