My oh my does it feel like summertime now with this sunshine and warm weather! Good thing there's lots of ways to soak up the sun and enjoy a beautiful weekend here in our region.

Lets start with an easy way to enjoy the great outdoors. Washington State Parks are celebrating National Get Outside Day and Go Fishing Day this weekend. That means entrance fees to Washington State Parks are waived on Saturday and Sunday, and you can enjoy all the natural beauty free of charge. Not bad when we are going to be flirting with 80 degrees this weekend. 

In Tacoma, it is the 2024 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show! One of my favorite events of the year is back at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center all weekend long. Not only will there be high stakes pinball competitions, there will be over 400 games for folks to play as well as a showcase of the new John Wick themed pinball machines! This event is run by volunteers and they do an amazing job! Get details and tickets at nwpinballshow.com

Pride celebrations continue this weekend! At the Beacon Hill Street Fair on Saturday, there will be the usual live music, vendors and art market, but there will also be Pride themed programming like a pride flag installation ceremony, poetry workshops and a make your on flag class! Get more details at beacon-arts.org/street-fairs

At the Kraken Community Iceplex it is the Seattle Pride Hockey Associations Seattle Pride Classic! This 20 team tournament is free to spectate and will feature other events like a chance to skate with the Kraken's Mascot Buoy, as well as the Pride Tape With A Pro! This will give you one on one time with a NHL player while they tape up your stick with pride themed tape. Make sure to bring your tape! Get more details at seattlepridehockey.org

Seattle's International Dance Festival begins this weekend, running until the 16th. There will be a different show each day and 20 dance companies performing dances from across the world. This weekend's performances will be focused on international dances as well as the new up and coming education series that is happening on Sunday. This series will have four Seattle dance studios highlighting their skills and competing for prizes. Get tickets and details at seattleidf.org

On Saturday at the Seattle Center, it is the Indigenous People Festival, part of the Festal program. This free event will showcase dances, music, interviews and of course tasty food. The festival starts at 10 AM on Saturday. 

It's going to be a perfect weekend to be out on the water, so why not check out the Seattle Dragon Boat Festival? Saturday from 8am-4 PM at South Lake Union Park there will be dragon boat races, lion dances, live drum performances and even an Elvis Presley tribute band! This event has free admission as well as food trucks! 

On Airport Way in Georgetown there will be a carnival, the Georgetown Carnival to be exact! There will be multiple stages of art projects, tarot card readings, vendors, art galleries, you name it! And of course it can't be a carnival without fun games and a tribute to legendary local icon JP Patches. Don't miss out on all the fun in Gerogetown from noon until 10. 

Get outside and soak up that summer sun and if you know of even more cool things going on in the area, Let me know at PaulH@kiroradio.com 

Paul Holden, KIRO News Radio