Fauntleroy Fall Festival

The Fauntleroy Fall Festival returns to the Fauntleroy Church and YMCA on Sunday, October 18, from 1 PM to 4 PM. It's a West Seattle neighborhood tradition that's been running for more than 20 years, put on entirely by local volunteers and community donations through the Fauntleroy Church (UCC), the Fauntleroy Community Association, the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA. The festival runs rain or shine across indoor and outdoor spaces, and the King County Metro RapidRide C Line serves the location along California Ave SW.

The music runs throughout the afternoon. From 2 PM to 3 PM, you'll find Jump Ensemble, B Sharp Studio, Don't Ask Band, and the Fauntleroy Children's & Chancel Choir. Then, from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM, the West Seattle Ukulele Band, Across 35th, and the Endolyne Children's Choir take over. The West Seattle Big Band headlines the day with a set from 3:30 PM to 5 PM, so the music actually stretches past the festival's official closing time.

Between sets, there's plenty to do. The Fauntleroy Watershed Council leads salmon hat making, and there's pumpkin decorating and pumpkin bowling. You can build a birdhouse, visit a bunny petting zoo, or try an instrument petting zoo with a sensory area for kids ages 2 to 5. For the older crowd, there's a rock climbing wall and an inflatable slide for ages 8 and up, and the Seattle Fire Department brings a fire truck for tours. The annual Cake Contest and Cake Trot are back, and there's a pie-eating contest to go with them.

Admission is free, though food and drink are available for purchase. The festival has kept its hands-on family activities free for over two decades, and it now asks for donations and volunteers to help cover the rising costs of keeping it that way. It all happens at the Fauntleroy Church and YMCA, 9140 California Ave SW, West Seattle, WA 98136, on Sunday, October 18, from 1 PM to 4 PM.