Salmon Days Returns This Weekend

Issaquah’s annual festival honors the salmon’s journey home.

By Emma Smith October 2, 2025

Crowd of people walking among vendor tents at an outdoor street fair on a sunny day, with trees and mountains in the background.

Photo courtesy of City of Issaquah

I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this unique local festival in Issaquah.

This year marks the 56th annual Salmon Days, a celebration of the salmon returning home to spawn. The festival, which began in 1970, is a chance for the community to gather and enjoy parades, food, art, and of course, salmon viewing. One of the most popular spots to watch the fish is at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. The festival is Oct. 4-5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Confluence Park.

Person in a shiny silver fish costume with a gold crown and a blue sash that reads “See Sammy 4 Issaquah Salmon Days” standing outdoors on a paved path.

In King County public schools, we’re taught about the five types of Pacific salmon: chinook (king), coho (silver), sockeye (red), pink (humpback), and chum (dog). And year after year, everyone learns about their life cycle—the remarkable journey that can be up to thousands of miles. It’s a process that is both beautiful and deeply moving. For a fish to instinctively know where it was born and then return there at the end of its life is nothing short of extraordinary.

Salmon are woven into the culture of Seattle, whether they’re being tossed through the air at Pike Place Market or triumphantly climbing the Ballard Locks fish ladder. They can look a little intimidating with their sharp teeth and bright red and green scales, but they remain one of the most iconic species of the Pacific Northwest.

A large group of fish swimming in shallow, sunlit water with their bodies partially visible through the surface.

An older woman in a vest and cap holds a small scientific device while talking to a man in a blue patterned shirt in front of a large aquarium window.

Salmon Days is a wonderful place to enjoy local art, delicious food, and celebrate the guest of honor, salmon! I’ve found some of my favorite local jewelry there, and it’s also a fun place to hang out for the day and get your face painted—all while connecting with nature and the community. I have so many fond memories of walking in the Salmon Days Parade—getting dropped off by my parents to proudly cheer through the streets of my hometown.

Salmon Days is a celebration of life and all the things that make Issaquah—and the Pacific Northwest—so special.

A group of people stand closely together on a wooden bridge, leaning over the railing and looking at something below on a sunny day.