Mayor Katie Wilson announced this week that Seattle’s annual “Bicycle Weekends” program along Lake Washington Boulevard will be greatly expanded this summer. For select weekends, the boulevard will be closed to through traffic in order to create a car-free space between Seward Park and Mount Baker Beach for walking, biking, and other activities.
With the exception of August 1–2 during Seafair, the closures will happen nearly every weekend from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The boulevard will typically close Friday evening around 7 p.m. and reopen early Monday morning. On holiday weekends—Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day—the closure will last an extra day.
Local vehicle access will still be allowed via nearby cross streets for residents, visitors, and deliveries. Parking lots will also remain open, accessible from those same cross streets.
This marks a major expansion from 2025, when former mayor Bruce Harrell limited the program to ten weekends without extended holiday closures. The idea of reducing car traffic on the boulevard dates back to 2020, when Seattle Neighborhood Greenways (now Seattle Streets Alliance) proposed making the street more pedestrian-friendly, including a potential redesign with one-way car traffic and dedicated space for biking and walking along the waterfront.
“Seattle summers are beautiful, and we should be able to enjoy them,” said Mayor Katie B. Wilson. “We’re opening Lake Washington Boulevard every weekend to make more space for people to bike, walk, roll, and be outside. This is your city, and it should be easy to get out and enjoy our sunny days.”
Here are all of the 2026 Bicycle Weekend dates:
(Holiday weekends marked with an asterisk)
- September 5–7*
- May 23–25*
- May 30–31
- June 6–7
- June 13–14
- June 20–21
- June 27–28
- July 3–5*
- July 11–12
- July 18–19
- July 25–26
- August 8–9
- August 15–16
- August 22–23
- August 29–30
