If you’ve spent time around Capitol Hill, you’ve probably seen Hot Rat Summer: the colorful glass mosaic perched above the reflection pool at Cal Anderson Park. The piece first appeared in 2024, and the mosaic’s artist has remained anonymous the entire time. By the following summer, St. Rat had become a local icon, inspiring Seattleites to dub the summer of 2025 “Hot Rat Summer.”
Now, Hot Rat Summer is back and bigger than ever.
This summer, Pioneer Square will host the Hot Rat Summer Outdoor Arts Festival, an interactive art experience featuring hundreds of works by more than three dozen trans artists. Organized by the team behind the original Hot Rat Summer exhibitions and mosaics, the festival will spread across the neighborhood with art installations, performances, parties, and special events running from mid-June through early July.
The festivities kick off on June 13 with Tattoo Rat Flash by Bird at Mama Bird Tattoo (108 S Jackson St #300) from noon to 5 p.m. Later that evening, from 5 to 9 p.m., Actualize Gallery (112 Prefontaine Place S) will host the festival’s opening reception and the unveiling of a brand-new Hot Rat Summer mosaic.
The new piece is a massive 35-square-foot work created from mixed glass, 24-karat gold, blue sapphire, electricity, and cement. Part of the artist’s ongoing Community Saints series, the mosaic will be exhibited as part of Children of Shelly’s Leg, a summer-long visual art and performance project produced by Living Dream Lab.
After the unveiling, stick around for an afterparty featuring a DJ and live performances from 9 p.m. until midnight.
The exhibition continues through July, including a closing reception during the Pioneer Square Art Walk on July 2 and a final viewing opportunity on July 7 before the show comes down and the mosaic disappears from public view for “an indeterminate amount of time.”
Additional events—including a rooftop party and fashion show on June 25—can be found with their locations and dates on the event website.
Children of Shelly’s Leg takes its name from Seattle’s first gay disco, Shelly’s Leg, which operated in Pioneer Square during the 1970s. Meanwhile, Hot Rat Summer continues its mission of transforming public spaces through art that celebrates trans joy, resilience, and community. If you’re curious, you can still find the original mosaics at Cal Anderson Park and near the entrance to Post Alley by Pike Place Market.
