Opening its arms to the summer season and warmer weather, the eclectic Fremont Arts Council in the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont hosts its annual Summer Solstice Parade and Festival in mid-June. Originally designed as an event to bring the community together through arts and creativity, the festival and parade have since become some of the premiere summer events in the entire city of Seattle, drawing thousands of tourists and natives alike.

Infamously known in the city for its flood of nude bicyclists in highly creative body paint, the Solstice Parade has become somewhat of a cherished tradition. Where else can you see hundreds of Seattlites of all shapes and sizes put on layers of psychedelic color over their birthday suits and ride briskly along the street? Joining these free spirits every year are a host of patrons and artists moving along the parade route in an imaginative masquerade: People dressed as Monarch butterflies, beaded carnival barkers on stilts, and umbrellas transformed into jellyfish. All lend their visual magic to one of the most innovative events in the Pacific Northwest.

The photos in the slideshow below feature this year’s Annual Solstice Parade (which marks its 24^th anniversary).

Author Bio:

Snapper S. Ploen is a contributing writer and photographer at Highbrow Magazine.