Curious about the history of the Fremont Solstice Parade? We were fortunate to have Peter Toms, one of the parade’s creators on the Ignite stage to give his first hand account of how the parade got started and how it has evolved over the years. The Fremont Solstice Parade is this Saturday, June 20th at 3pm and the festival runs all weekend (June 19th through the 21st).
(NOTE: if you are offended by out-of-focus, far-away nudity, this talk might not be for you.)
Here’s a little more about the parade directly from Peter:
The Fremont Solstice Parade is a unique, beloved Seattle event attended by tens of thousands each June. For a brief few hours in the streets of Fremont, paraders and audience together experience true freedom of speech while normal rules of society are temporarily lifted.
No signs, logos or printed words of any kind are allowed, nudity is legal and accepted, and artworks are created in the spirit of celebration and sassy good times. An amazing social experiment on a grand scale, the Solstice Parade is exploring the boundaries of society with no end in sight.
It’s showing us that a huge mass of people can gather together with almost no authorities present and celebrate in civility and good cheer, with a wink and a nod to each other while we’re all experiencing a little rebellion. And a lot of freedom.
About Peter
Peter Toms is an artist, engineer, entrepreneur and emcee. In addition to being the co-founder of the Fremont Solstice Parade he’s also president of Condor Electronics Inc and Maxi-Test LLC. He “delights in gathering large groups of people together to celebrate and has a special place in his heart for cats and other small animals.”
Ignite Seattle 