Pride parade to cap weekend's many festivals

It's officially summer. The sun is out (most of the time) and it's festival season in Seattle and to the north, south, east and west this weekend.

More than 350,000 are expected at the Seattle Pride "Peace-Love-Equality" parade and PrideFest to celebrate local gay and lesbian history and culture Sunday. One of the largest pride events in the United States, the colorful 2 ½-hour parade along Fourth Avenue includes floats, dancers, the Rainbow City Band, community groups and the popular Dykes on Bikes, along with PrideFest entertainment, beer gardens and vendors at Seattle Center.

On the Eastside, Bellevue's Strawberry Festival was a popular annual event when Bellevue was a small-town farming community from 1925 until it was canceled in 1942 when growers of Japanese descent were moved to internment camps.

The Bellevue Historical Society revived the festival in 1987 and since 2003 the Eastside Heritage Center (formerly the Bellevue Historical Society), Old Bellevue Merchants and the local Japanese American Citizens League have hosted the event with strawberry shortcake, historical exhibits, music and vendors. The Saturday and Sunday festivities will be in Old Bellevue.

South of Seattle, the SeaTac International Festival brings world music, crafts, food, a parade, family fun run and more to Angle Lake Park.

To the north, there's the Shoreline Arts Festival multicultural, "Weaving a Cultural Tapestry" weekend of world music, art and food Saturday and Sunday. And to the west, Fathoms O' Fun in Port Orchard includes arts and crafts, concerts, a street scramble, frog jump and snake races, parade and fun run, Friday through Sunday.

Seattle Pride Parade/PrideFest

Time: Parade 11 a.m., festival 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.

Location: Parade along Fourth Avenue from Union Street to Denny Way, Seattle; festival at Seattle Center.

More information:: seattlepridefest.orgor 877-774-3382.

Bellevue Strawberry Festival

Time: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Location: Crossroads International Park, 16000 N.E. 10th St., Bellevue.

More information:: 425-450-1049 or www.bellevuestrawberryfestival.org.

SeaTac International Festival

Time: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, parade 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Location: Angle Lake Park, 19408 International Blvd., SeaTac.

More information: 206-973-4680 or www.ci.seatac.wa.us/park/seinternationalfestival.htm.

Shoreline Arts Festival

Time: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Location: Shoreline Conference Center, 18560 First Ave. N.E., Shoreline.

More information:: 206-417-4645 or www.shorelinearts.net.

Fathoms O' Fun

Time: noon-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, parade 6 p.m. Saturday.

Location: Port Orchard.

More information: www.fathomsofun.org.

Madeline McKenzie: 206-464-8245 or mmckenzie@seattletimes.com