75 Free Things to Do – Concerts & Festivals – Yakima Valley Hand-Crafted Stories

Winter Carnival at White Pass Ski Area is the first weekend in March. Featuring a snow castle, tubing hill, a spectacular fireworks show, face painters and snow sculptures, it’s an entire weekend of family fun in the snow!
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta kicks off on, you guessed it, May 5^th in Downtown Yakima. There will be a stage with live music and dancers celebrating their Latino heritage, along with a car show and parade featuring dancing horses. And don’t forget all the amazing food!
PlayTheGap is a fun event that brings a slice of Americana to Union Gap. Concerts with great acoustic music, amazing food, free camping, vintage trailers, classic cars, hot rods and lots of local vendors. This weekend event is meant for all ages and will host contests and workshops, such as a quilt block challenge, a pick n’ bow contest, Dutch oven cooking, jamming, square dancing, kids’ activities and much more!
The Downtown Summer Nights concert series are Thursday night concerts that kick off in mid- June and run through August. Featuring a variety of musical acts from around the Northwest, along with food vendors, a beer garden and lots of activities for the kids!
Check out the Summer Cinema Series in Yakima, where you can catch a great movie while you enjoy the great outdoors! Sunday nights for six weeks at Chesterley Park, beginning in mid–June.
The Yakima Folklife Festival at Franklin Park is on July 7^th, 8th and 9^th! Now in its 35^th year, this wonderful weekend starts on Friday evening with a kickoff concert, followed by Saturday and Sunday of live music from dawn to dusk!
Attend the Outdoor Summer Sunset Concerts at Franklin Park on Fridays in July and August, and enjoy a great mix of live, local music!
You can enjoy seven fun-filled, family friendly concerts at the Viva la Musica concert series, with some of the Valley’s best sound representation of America’s Latino music culture.
Head to the Central Washington State Fair on opening day and get free entry before 1pm. And don’t miss the Sunfair Parade on Saturday in Downtown Yakima, Yakima’s longest running parade, which kicks off the Central Washington State Fair!
Enjoy the spectacle of the Great Prosser Balloon Rally. With sunrise hot air balloon launches, the Night Glow event, Harvest Festival, Farmers Market, and the Caren Mercer-Andreason Street Painting Festival, there is plenty to see and do at this late-September festival.
Dia De los Muertos Celebrations, a vibrant, festive traditional celebration of remembrance in the cultures of Latino people around the world is celebrated by Mighty Tieton on October 29^th. It’s mucho fun for the entire family! And don’t miss the Yakima-Morelia City Association’s Alters of Remembrance exhibit in Downtown Yakima.
Downtown Yakima Holiday Celebrations – With the Downtown Lighted Christmas Parade, horse drawn wagon rides, mulled wine and hot chocolate, there are lots of fun ways to celebrate the winter season in Downtown Yakima!
Sunnyside Lighted Farm Implement Parade – This annual event was featured on A&E’s “Ultimate Holiday Town, USA” in 2003, and has been the Northwest’s premier lighted parade since 1989. This event boasts more than 50 farm implements, vehicles and floats covered with thousands of decorative lights!