Seattle has come back and events are keeping it moving forward. Over 3 million people visited downtown Seattle last month. This is the most monthly visitors since this time in 2019. The figures have been put together by the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). According to the DSA, 1.15 million people visited the area on July 22 and July 23 alone. This boost was due to the concerts and sports events.
Downtown Seattle earned $7.4 million in hotel revenue on July 22, setting a single-day record for the city. The Taylor Swift “The Eras Tour” at Lumen Field and all star weekend helped to create the highest two-day total since April 2018. The DSA estimated downtown hotel occupancy was 91% the entire week leading up to Swift’s concert dates. Seattle is back having set a post-pandemic high in July with over 56,500 occupied residential units.
It got busy and packed in the emerald city the weekend of the Mariners vs. Blue Jays games at T-Mobile Park. There were also the Capitol Hill Block Party and the Bite of Seattle. In addition, the week before Swift’s shows, Seattle hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star game, Home Run Derby and other All-Star-related festivities from July 12-16.
People also stayed in town to work the events. Many companies required people to work in the office. July had the highest level of weekday worker foot traffic since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, this is not a fluke. This was the third straight month where worker foot traffic levels surpassed levels in 2019. A DSA spokesperson said downtown revitalization is certainly on the upswing.
There is more to come in September. DSA estimates Bumbershoot will draw over 50,000 attendees over two days. Continuing the trend of events drawing people to the city, Bumbershoot will return to the Seattle Center on Sept. 2 and 3 after a three-year hiatus. The summer music festival is celebrating its 50th birthday party with 68 bands, 16 visual/performing artists and food from 20 Seattle restauranteurs. Seattle is back and moving forward.
