WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

In its second year, the free festival brings 200-plus artists to a 20-block route September 19, with a secret garden and a former 7-Eleven stocked with art.

Two people wearing green fuzzy jackets, white pants, and green sunglasses sit on grass-covered stairs, holding green drinks, in a modern indoor setting—an eye-catching scene that could easily be found at an Art Show in downtown Seattle.

A scene from the inaugural WALKDONTRUN in 2025.

Photo by Marina Boichuk

Most walks through downtown Seattle involve trying to get somewhere. On September 19, the crosswalk itself might be the reason to stop. Heap Troupe will turn a four-way crossing into a performance, one of dozens of encounters planned for this year’s WALKDONTRUN.

The free, all-ages art walk stretches across more than 20 blocks. From 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., visitors can follow a mapped route through installations and live performances, with opportunities to help make some of the art along the way.

Behind it is Seattle arts producer Kira Burge, who wanted to bring people back together after the isolation of the pandemic. She took inspiration from local artist Klara Glosova’s NEPO 5K, a participatory art walk through the Chinatown International District and Beacon Hill. Burge helped launch WALKDONTRUN last year, supported in part by a city Hope Corps grant. This year, she works with local music producer Steven Severin and a curatorial team that includes Seattle-based artists Alice Gosti and Philippe Hyojung Kim.

A woman in a blue dress performs a traditional dance outdoors, smiling, with drums and city buildings in the background.

Kathak dancer, choreographer, and educator Pooja Ganesh, who has a rich international performance history, combines classical Indian dance with innovative contemporary expression at Bell Street and Second Avenue during WALKDONTRUN 2025.

Photo by Berhanu Wells

Our editor-in-chief, Rachel Gallaher, went to the debut and loved it, encountering papier-mâché salmon swimming down the street and paintings being dragged along the sidewalk. Read her account of last year’s event here.

Among this year’s projects, Ling Chun’s Cascade of Light uses ceramic vessels to explore memories of home and the disappearance of Hong Kong’s neon signs. Megan Prince invites visitors to build sculptures together from recycled denim and knitted materials. Elsewhere, sculptor and taffy artist Francesca Lohmann teams up with floral designer Isvald Klingels on a garden installation amid downtown’s buildings. And dj100proof will mark 20 years of the Backyard BBQ mix series with a summer sendoff set. Browse the full artist lineup here.

The day also marks the official opening of the Inconvenience Store, a former 7-Eleven at Third and Pine now stocked with art. Created by Mary Anne Carter and Lilia Deering, the popup art experience and shop sells handmade versions of familiar merchandise, including shoulder bags fashioned from chip bags and intentionally tangled USB cords. It’s scheduled to remain through June 2027.

Four musicians with instruments stand outdoors in front of trees: one with a bass guitar, one with an electric guitar, one at the drums, and one standing in front.

Aunge blends drama, poetry, and music in a performance at Bell Street and Second Avenue during WALKDONTRUN 2025.

Photo by Berhanu Wells

Three women stand and gesture on outdoor steps in front of a modern office building in Downtown Seattle, with greenery and bright sunlight—a lively scene that could be part of an art show or the energetic WALKDONTRUN event.

Hannah Simmons and Alethea Alexander at the 2+U Building. The collaborative duo has been creating movement-based performance and installation works together since 2022. They build site-responsive work that investigates decay, impossibility, commodification, and failure. Their work is reverently irreverent and seriously unserious. They value deep questioning, rigorous logic, and holistic world-building.

Photo by Irina Wong

Admission is free, but you can help fund the art. Friends of Walk Don’t Run, a volunteer-led initiative fiscally sponsored by nonprofit Shunpike, raises money to expand paid opportunities for participating artists. When registering, choose a free ticket or a paid supporter option; ticket proceeds go to the initiative. Organizers also encourage attendees to bring unopened, nonperishable food. Find tickets and details here.

For WALKDONTRUN, start with a map at Westlake Park. Organizers say programming moves through the route in timed blocks, so check the schedule for anything you especially want to catch. Then see what holds you up along the way.