With the opening of Pier 58, Seattle completes its 20-acre Waterfront Park — a final piece in the bold, decades-long transformation of Seattle’s downtown shoreline.
The City of Seattle and managing non-profit Friends of Waterfront Park invite the entire region to a once-in-a-generation celebration on September 6, honoring this multi-billion investment with festivities spanning the full park and surrounding neighborhoods.
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SEATTLE (July 25, 2025) – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell, the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit, Seattle Center, Friends of Waterfront Park and other community and civic leaders celebrated the completion of a beautiful new Pier 58 — the final major project for Waterfront Park’s 20-acre transformation. At the ribbon-cutting event, Mayor Harrell announced that a citywide celebration marking the completion of the full Waterfront Park campus — a milestone moment in Seattle’s history — will take place on September 6, 2025. This large-scale, free, community event will feature a variety of family-friendly activities and cultural programming along Seattle’s revitalized waterfront for Seattle and regional residents and visitors alike.
“The completion of Pier 58 marks the final chapter in a bold, decades-long vision to transform our waterfront into a 20-acre park that honors Seattle’s history and embraces its future,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “This is a once-in-a-generation civic achievement – on par with the Space Needle – is made possible by the imagination, dedication, and partnership of our One Seattle community, civic leaders, workers, builders, and visionaries across the city. Waterfront Park is more than a destination — it’s a reflection of who we are, what we value, and a reminder of what is possible when we work together.”
Waterfront Park, Seattle’s largest civic project since the 1962 World’s Fair, is complete.
Originally known as “Waterfront Park” when it opened in 1974, the historic Pier 58 now joins a long list of other completed projects as part of today’s reimagined 20-acre Waterfront Park. Located in the heart of the waterfront between Union and Pike streets, next to the Seattle Aquarium, Pier 58 brings nearly 50,000 square feet of new park space to Waterfront Park after three years of construction. The pier features a sea life themed play area with a 25-ft tall jellyfish-inspired climbing tower, 18-ft tall slide and other play elements. The play area is open, easily accessible, and thoughtfully designed with clear sightlines for parents and guardians. Pier 58 was built to be family-friendly, offering ample seating and convenient access to a new public restroom that opened in March. The pier also features an elevated lawn with expansive views of Elliott Bay, a tree grove with Frontier elms that provide shade, and a flexible plaza space that will be activated by Friends of Waterfront Park. Architectural lighting integrated into the play features, railings, tree grove and seating areas adds to the park experience.
Pier 58 will features several publicly sited artworks. The Waterfront Fountain by James FitzGerald and Margaret Tomkins, originally installed in 1974, has returned to the waterfront after a full restoration and the construction of a new 4,500-gallon basin. One of two historic fountains on the waterfront, it was originally funded by a donation from Helen Harrington Schiff. Nearby on the Park Promenade, Family by Qwalsius–Shaun Peterson will welcome visitors with three sculptural figures to the homelands of the Coast Salish people. Created in an ancient sculptural style, the figures will stand on concrete bases that incorporate decorative elements that honor the Coast Salish textile art tradition.
Meet us at Waterfront Park on Saturday, September 6, for the Grand Opening Celebration
Waterfront Park is the largest collection of public projects in Seattle since the 1962 World’s Fair. The 20-acre park stretches across Seattle’s shoreline from Belltown to Pioneer Square and has transformed the former footprint of the Alaskan Way Viaduct into new green spaces, public amenities, and cultural experiences for residents and visitors. The park was designed and constructed by the City’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects team and will be maintained and operated through a public-private partnership between the City’s Seattle Center and Friends of Waterfront Park.
On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the City of Seattle and Friends of Waterfront Park invite Seattleites, Washington State residents, and visitors alike to participate in a free, all-day celebration, of this once-in-a-generation accomplishment.
What to expect on September 6:
This all-day, free event will bring together over 100 local artists, performers, cultural leaders, and community organizations for a sweeping experience that stretches across Pier 58, Pier 62, Overlook Walk, the full Park Promenade — and with more than 20 surrounding neighbors participating in the Celebration.
With over 60 performances and community activations across 10 themed zones, this unprecedented event will reflect the vibrant spirit of Seattle through immersive art, youth dance ensembles, storytelling, live music, food, processions, and pop-up moments of delight. From lantern-lit parades and high-energy drill teams to dog-friendly activities, and hands-on workshops for all ages, the Celebration invites residents and visitors to explore every corner of the park and to see themselves reflected in it.
Performers include beloved local artists like The Black Tones, La Fonda, and Reposado, along with cultural showcases by LANGSTON, Caribbean Seafest, Zulu Radio 20, and folklórico troupes Joyas Mestizas and Bailadores de Bronce. Installations from Indigenous artists including Brandi Douglas, Raven Juarez, and Ty Juvinel, as well as plant talks with Valerie Segrest and interactive storytelling by Shelf Life Community Story Project, will center local voices and deepen connections to place.
The event programming is organized by Friends of Waterfront Park, the nonprofit manager and steward of the space who provides free public programming, raises funding and resources, and supports a positive park experience with a dedicated team of ambassadors. The Grand Opening Celebration is shaped in partnership with City partners and community curators guided by the organization’s Cultural Masterplan.
The full schedule of events and performances will be released in early August at https://waterfrontparkseattle.org/grand-opening/. Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest updates.
ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE WATERFRONT, CIVIC PROJECTS AND SOUND TRANSIT The City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit leads and manages all design and construction efforts for rebuilding Seattle’s central waterfront, a once-in-a-generation transformation that is reshaping our public spaces and strengthening our city’s identity. This City team has designed and constructed more than 25 projects on the waterfront over the last 15 years, creating twenty acres of new public spaces that will reconnect downtown to the waterfront and create a more accessible, green and active waterfront with a variety of spaces for people to recreate, relax and learn about the important history of the area. For more information visit waterfrontseattle.org.
ABOUT FRIENDS OF WATERFRONT PARK Friends of Waterfront Park is a 501c3 non-profit responsible for managing, resourcing, programming, and stewarding Waterfront Park alongside our community – today and into the future. Friends is conducting a $170 million fundraising campaign for park construction and to support the last decade of Friends work to support public safety, operations, and free public programming. The campaign has raised $164 million (96.3% to goal) and we welcome the entire community to be part of this historic effort. Parts of Waterfront Park – Overlook Walk, Pier 62, Railroad Way South, and Pioneer Square Habitat Beach — are now open while the rest of Waterfront Park is set to open later this year. Visit waterfrontparkseattle.org for more information on Friends of Waterfront Park and upcoming public events and programs at Waterfront Park. For press inquiries contact Shiva Shafii: shiva@waterfrontparkseattle.org.
ABOUT SEATTLE CENTER
Seattle Center is an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the heart of Seattle. Its 74-acre campus, home to Climate Pledge Arena and over 30 cultural, educational, and entertainment organizations, offers a broad range of public and community programs. Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Seattle Center has expanded its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center manages these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Park, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming.
What People are Saying:
– Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, District 3
“Pier 58 was Seattle’s original Waterfront Park – a place where people could come with their families and their loved ones to experience the best of Puget Sound. Its reopening marks the completion of the new Waterfront Park, which has more to offer than ever before. I want to express my immense gratitude to everyone at the Office of the Waterfront, Seattle Center, and the Friends of Waterfront Park who have worked tirelessly for years to redesign, redevelop, and revitalize our city’s waterfront.”
– Councilmember Bob Kettle, District 7
“The Pier 58 project and the Waterfront Program more broadly is about connecting Seattle back to the sea. The revitalization of the waterfront has been a long and collaborative effort, highlighting our seafaring heritage and our maritime future, and now – showcasing the Seattle waterfront as a crown jewel of the Puget Sound region.”
-Councilmember Rob Saka, District 1
“As Chair of the Transportation Committee, I know the importance of activating our neighborhoods and creating family-friendly, walkable, and accessible community spaces. Pier 58 will create a great forum for families and visitors to enjoy all Seattle has to offer along our iconic waterfront. Thanks to Mayor Harrell and the entire team for our collective efforts to complete this important project for our city.”
-Angela Brady, Director of the Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit
“Today is a proud and joyful day for Seattle. After more than a decade of community engagement, design, and construction, we’re thrilled to mark the completion of the full 20-acre Waterfront Park, with Pier 58 as one of its final pieces. This new pier offers a unique experience for all, combining interesting play features and green spaces with stunning views of Elliott Bay and Seattle’s downtown skyline as the backdrop, Our new Waterfront Park has been created with and for the people of Seattle, offering a wide variety of places to gather, relax, explore, and make lasting memories by the water. We can’t wait to celebrate this once-in-a-generation achievement with the region on September 6!”
– Joy Shigaki, Friends of Waterfront Park President & CEO
“Pier 58’s opening is the final piece of a bold civic vision decades in the making — and it’s only the beginning of how this park will come to life for locals and visitors alike. Friends of Waterfront Park is proud to manage, activate, and program this space year-round, and we invite everyone to come experience the waterfront this summer. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning again, we hope to see you at the Grand Opening Celebration on September 6.”
– Marshall Foster, Director of Seattle Center
“The completion of Pier 58 is more than the final step in building Waterfront Park. It marks the beginning of a new chapter. Key to Waterfront Park’s success long-term is how well we care for it. To that end, our Seattle Center at Waterfront Park team is already hard at work. They are maintaining the grounds, tending the landscape, and providing public safety 24 hours and day and 7 days a week – making sure this is and remains a clean, safe, and welcoming place for everyone. We are proud to manage Waterfront Park for the City, and to bring this extraordinary civic space to life every day with our partners at Friends of Waterfront Park.”
– Emily and Michael George, downtown parents involved in the playground design
“Our family is thrilled to see the latest opening at the waterfront. The new playground will benefit all the kids in the neighborhood and strengthen our community by serving as a place to gather with other families.”
– Alex Waffle, Partner, Earthscape, Pier 58 playground designer
“We’re thrilled to see play take center stage as a landmark experience for families in downtown Seattle. This Pier 58 playground is more than a place to climb and slide—it’s where public art, architecture, and imaginative play come together in a truly iconic way. It reflects Seattle’s ambition for the waterfront while inviting everyone to connect through the joy of play.”
– James Corner, Founder and CEO at Field Operations
“Pier 58 is the civic centerpiece of Seattle’s new magnificent waterfront. It is re-configured to face the spectacular Olympic Mountain Range and western sunsets across Elliott Bay, dramatizing the scale of the vista and the beautiful play of light and sky throughout the day and the various seasons. This highlights an extraordinary “sense-of-place” while also providing a new central piazza-on-the-water for community, events, discovery, and fun. It becomes Seattle’s new beating heart.”
– Jared FitzGerald and Miro FitzGerald, children of James H. FitzGerald and Margaret Tomkins
“James H FitzGerald, the well-known artist and sculptor, had the pleasure and inspiration to create beautiful fountains throughout the West Coast. This particular fountain is called the Waterfront Fountain and is located along Elliott Bay. It is a unique work because he was exploring how monumental geometric forms would not only evoke stability yet share an intimate space between these bronze forms that were being continually anointed by the water of the fountain. The water is synonymous with the ever-changing Northwest weather where buildings and people stand and find harbor along the water.”
– Meg McCann, Seattle Aquarium Chief Operating Officer
“The day is finally here! The new, long-awaited Pier 58 park is a huge asset to the waterfront community and will provide an incredible experience for local families and visitors alike.”
-Jon Scholes, Downtown Seattle Association President & CEO
“Seattleites are flocking to the central waterfront as more areas of this remarkable project open up. Waterfront Park is changing how visitors and locals experience Seattle’s front porch. Pier 58 provides a signature playful destination for downtown residents, locals and visitors from across the world. For those who haven’t yet been to Waterfront Park, the completion of Pier 58 is another great excuse to come on down. This is a park and a place for locals to enjoy, play, wander and take part in experiences they can’t get anywhere else.”