Looking for free things to do in Seattle? One of our favorite free activities is the monthly Seattle Art Walks series that takes place across multiple neighborhoods. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in art, get out of the house, save money, and meet new people, you’ll love these free art walks.
Read on for all the info!
The oldest and most famous art walk in Seattle is the Pioneer Square Art Walk. Started in 1981, it is actually the longest-running art walk in the country. The Pioneer Square Art Walk takes place on the first Thursday of every month! We gathered all the info you need for that art walk plus all the other currently-running art walks throughout Seattle’s neighborhoods for you to check out.
Here are all the monthly Seattle art walks that we know are operating on a regular basis:
1. Ballard Art Walk
The Ballard Art Walk is held on the second Saturday of every month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. It has been a tradition since 1997! Visit their website for a map and more details.
2. Belltown Art Walk
The Belltown Art Walk is held on the second Friday of every month from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. If you’re over 21, you can enhance your self-guided art walk with visits to select Belltown bars and music venues for drinks, live music, and performance art. Visit their website for a map and more details.
3. Capitol Hill Art Walk
The Capitol Hill Art Walk is held on the second Thursday of every month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. or later. Visit their website for more details. You can also see a map here with descriptions of participating businesses.
4. Downtown Art Walk
The Downtown Art Walk was just started in June 2023 by the same folks behind the Belltown Art Walk. It occurs on the fourth Friday of every month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. You can see a map on their website.
5. Fremont Art Walk
The Fremont Art Walk is held on the first Friday of every month. According to their website, “Though most businesses are not currently holding an opening on the first Friday of each month, many arts-supporting shops, galleries, and restaurants are still featuring and celebrating creativity in its many forms” and so you are encouraged to visit them during business hours throughout the month. Visit their website for a map and more details.
6. Georgetown Art Attack
The Georgetown Art Attack is held on the second Saturday of every month. Visit their website for a map and more details.
7. Pioneer Square Art Walk
The Pioneer Square Art Walk—the oldest art walk in the country!—is held on the first Thursday of every month. There is no official art walk map for the neighborhood but Pioneer Square is full of art galleries compressed into a very walkable area. Visit their website for more details, including information about how to get free parking.
8. U-District Art Walk
This art walk in the University District occurs every third Friday of the month, during which participating venues will display new art. If you miss it, you can usually visit these venues during their normal business hours throughout the month to see the art. You can see a map and more info on the U District art walk website.
9. West Seattle Art Walk
The West Seattle Art Walk is held on the second Thursday of every month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Visit their website for more details about past and upcoming art walks.
There are also a few seasonal/annual art walks in Seattle. These include:
- Beacon Hill Art Walk: first Sunday of June, noon to 6:00 p.m.
- Chinatown-International District Art Walk: currently seems to be without a date but keep checking their website in 2023.
- PhinneyWood Art Walk: held annually. The last one was held on September 8-9, 2023. A 2024 date has not yet been announced; keep an eye on their website!
- Pike Place Summer Art Walk: first Thursdays from June through September. We couldn’t find a website for this one; the info was found on seattle.gov.