When the cones go up on 12th Avenue between Madison and Pike Sunday afternoon, more than 40 local businesses will be pulling out all the stops for the first 12th Avenue Festival.
As part of the 12th Avenue Initiative sponsored by Capitol Hill Housing, the event is meant to bolster local businesses and celebrate summer with $5 food specials and live music. Festival organizers see the event as crucial in developing 12th Avenue’s identity. The Pike/Pine neighborhood is a vibrant urban community and festival organizers want 12th to share some of that as well rather than just being known as a “restaurant row.”
“The fesitval is a marketing tool,” said Cecelia Gunn of Capitol Hill Housing. “We’re trying to create more of an identity for 12th.”
Gunn hopes the event will help Hill residents discover new favorites instead of seeing the same old strawberry shortcake, roasted corn and craft vendors who appear at fairs and festivals around the region. All the festivities will be locally sourced. Osteria La Spiga will be offering Italian street food outside of the restaurant and Cafe Presse will have cheap sandwich specials, to list a few.
“We just wanted to have a festival to celebrate all the great local business,” Gunn said.
Live performers will be lined up along the street and dance demonstrations will be held by Century Ballroom but if the kids get antsy with the more adult oriented activities, kid musicians Charlie Hope and Doug Fleming will be performing inside Izilla Toys’ new 12th Avenue location.
Though only 12th Avenue will be closed, the fun doesn’t stop there. Local favorites like Elliott Bay Cafe and Molly Moons will also be on the street.
You can work up an appetite with more sunshine and good times at Thursday’s monthly art walk and MadArt in the park events.
12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival
Sunday August 15th 2010
12:00-6:00 PM
12th & E. Pike in Capitol Hill
Participating Restaurants
Café Presse, Osteria La Spiga, Lark/Licorous, Elliott Bay Café, Boom Noodle, Marjorie, Plum, Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, Barrio, Zobel Ethiopian Restaurant, High Five Pie, Ambassel, Cupcake Royale, Bluebird Homemade Ice Cream, Quinn’s Pub, the Tea Suite
Participating Merchants
Sweatbox Yoga, Schemata Workshop, Whimsy Home Décor, The Massage Guy, Bootyland, Barre3, Salon Dewi, Red Drawers, Seattle Dogworks, Velo Bike Shop, Fleurish::Orchidee, Zone Four, Complete Health Chiropractic, Lagana Foods, Flora & Henri, Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Photographic Center Northwest
An interesting idea for future years (if this becomes annual, I started a bit of a dervish with the first annual question) is to somehow incorporate the Capitol Hill Farmers Market. As they won’t be in their normal location for the next few years, maybe close off an additional block or two for the market.
I just wandered down in that end of the Hill yesterday and was stunned by the amount of trash on Pike. Yuck! I know the city is supposed to clean up after the varios festivals, but plainly stated, they don’t do a very good job
when is 12th ave fest?
Funny how the time and day are left out here. The Festival is this weekend on Sunday August 15th from Noon to 6pm. Please join us!
More info here:
http://12thaveseattle.com/festival.php
Thanks. Fixed. The ‘info box’ got cut in an edit. Sorry for the mistake.
also, la spiga offer italian food not spanish.
It always looks like that.
Maybe stop to clean up a piece or two on your way through instead of bitching about it.
I clean up my own part of the hill but can’t keep ahead with the cesspool that is Pike. That’s my point – there’s so much garbage that people just get used to it cause they simply can’t keep up with it.
sigh
Funny, I thought Pike never looked cleaner than the day after the CHBP…