things-to-do
20 Free Things to Do in Bellevue
Twenty free things in Bellevue, all of them tested. The festival on the last weekend of July is unbeatable; the rest you can do any time.
In this guide
Bellevue has a reputation as expensive. It also has more free things to do than most cities its size. Here are twenty.
Outdoors
- Bellevue Botanical Garden — free, year-round.
- Downtown Park loop.
- Mercer Slough boardwalk.
- Kelsey Creek Farm with the kids.
- Meydenbauer Beach Park swim and dock.
- Newcastle Beach Park lake day.
- Coal Creek Falls hike.
- Eastrail segment walk.
- Wilburton Hill forest trail.
- Somerset Viewpoint at sunset.
Art & music
- BAM free first Friday.
- Crossroads Bellevue Stage live music six nights a week.
- Bellwether public sculpture trail.
- Downtown Park public art.
- Bellevue Library events and exhibits.
Seasonal events
- Bellevue Arts Fair (admission is free; only the art costs you).
- Bellevue Farmers Market — free to wander.
- Garden d'Lights preview nights.
- Downtown Park 4th of July fireworks.
- Bellevue Jazz & Blues Festival outdoor stages.
Bonus
First Friday gallery walks in downtown, library makerspace open hours, and the Eastside Heritage Center — free, small, and underrated.
Browse more things to do.
Featured in this guide
Places to know
Downtown Park
4.821-acre oasis with promenade, canal, and skyline backdrop.
Downtown
Bellevue Botanical Garden
4.853-acre botanical garden with the Garden d'Lights holiday show.
Downtown
Newcastle Beach Park
4.7Lakefront beach park with swimming and a long pier.
Somerset
Mercer Slough Nature Park
4.7320-acre wetland with canoe trail and blueberry farm.
Factoria
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