Coronavirus Concerns Cancel Bellevue's Family Fourth Celebration

BELLEVUE, WA — Citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the extension of Gov. Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, Bellevue city officials have canceled the annual Family Fourth of July event, officials announced Monday.

Event organizers from the city and the Bellevue Downtown Association explored a number of intermediate and smaller-scale options. However, after similar decisions to cancel July 4 events were made across the region, organizers feared that alternatives to a public celebration of the holiday would still invite large gatherings to occur.

The event typically draws close to 60,000 visitors to Downtown Park for a day-long celebration culminating with fireworks a performance by the Bellevue Youth Symphony Orchestra. This year’s event would have been the 29th annual Family Fourth event, which is the Eastside’s largest July celebration.

“Safety is paramount, especially now as we try to bounce back from this pandemic,” Bellevue Downtown Association President Patrick Bannon said in a news release. “We’re grateful for such strong sponsor and community support, and we’ll plan to celebrate Independence Day in a big way next summer.”