Reminder: Kirkland SummerFest is This Weekend

Organizers of the first Kirkland SummerFest this Friday and Saturday are putting out a last-minute call for volunteers -- and the city says the public can park for free Saturday at the downtown library parking garage after all.

The free music and arts festival and family celebration kicks off Friday at 5 p.m. and will include a beer and wine garden, four entertainment stages, 16 food trucks, plenty of booths to browse through, Radio Disney, face-painting, balloon twisting, kids art contest, Star Wars characters, a slide and bouncy house, rock wall, bungee jump, game truck and the Kirkland Rotary Club’s annual Duck Dash.

It is centered around , Lakeshore Plaza and Park Lane downtown. The city is advising motorists to plan around the event -- see the list of street and parking lot closures below.

The city has also issued a press release saying that there will not be an event parking fee charged at the Municipal Library Garage on 308 Kirkland Avenue. Apparently the City Council had discussed the idea of an event parking fee at the garage, but did not move ahead with it. However, Dave Godfrey of the Kirkland Public Works Department said the usual four-hour limit will remain in effect at the library garage.

SummerFest organizers need volunteers Saturday for set-up, traffic control, the hospitality booth and take-down, and then Saturday morning for after-party cleanup. If you can help, please contact Julie Metteer, at julie@metteer.com or 425-890-0959.

Friday’s features include a beer and wine garden, chamber music and “Shakespeare in the Park,” withe the Seattle Shakespeare Company performing The Winter’s Tale at Marina Park.

The festival gets fully underway Saturday with a variety of features and events, and bands that will plays include Junior Cadillac, Ayron Jones and The Way, City Faire, Buckets of Rain, Quiet Storms, Geoffrey Castle and the Dudley Manlove Quartet. For a full SummerFest schedule, click here.

Here is a list of street and parking lot closures for SummerFest.

Friday, Aug. 10
The following closures will be in effect from 5 a.m. Friday through noon Sunday, Aug. 12:

• Lakeshore Plaza Lot.
• Lakeshore Plaza Drive.
• Kirkland Avenue, from the City Dock to Lake Street.

Saturday, Aug. 11
The following closures will be in effect from 5 a.m. Saturday until approximately midnight.

• Main Street from Central Way to Kirkland Avenue.
• Lake Street from Central Way to Kirkland Avenue.
• Park Lane from Main Street to Lake Street.