Seattle Celebrates Community and Well-being at the Annual Big Day of Play
All Photos - ProofNThePlay
Seattle, WA – South Seattle came alive last Saturday for the 18th annual Big Day of Play, a high-energy event dedicated to fostering community and promoting well-being through a wide array of activities. Held at Rainier Playfield and the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, the event, presented by Seattle Parks and Recreation's 'Get Moving Initiative', showcased the extensive services of Seattle Parks and Recreation and highlighted crucial partnerships that make such a large-scale gathering possible.
Deja'Nay Gilliam, the Community Engagement and Special Event Program Coordinator for Seattle Parks and Recreation, emphasized the event's core mission: "Big Day of Play is all about promoting community and well-being. We bring people out here to showcase all of the breadth of the services that we have at Seattle Parks and Recreation." The event featured a range of activities, including aquatic pursuits such as stand-up paddleboarding and sailboat rides, as well as basketball tournaments, tennis, pickleball competitions, and live performances. The celebration also included a community resource fair featuring over 50 local organizations, as well as youth and family activities such as bounce houses, a block party with art activities and face painting, and appearances by local sports teams like the Seattle Sounders, Reign, and Mariners.
One of the most impactful aspects of the day was the emphasis on water safety, particularly in a city surrounded by water. Jason Coffman, Senior Recreation Program Coordinator for Seattle Parks and Recreation, highlighted the efforts at the Mount Baker Rowing Center: "We've got all the Aquatics activities for a Big Day of Play... We've got a life jacket giveaway... We've already given out, I think, close to 150, 160 life jackets today." He also expressed gratitude to partners, stating, "We want to thank Washington State Parks, who provided the life jackets for our giveaway today." Coffman further detailed the aquatic programs offered year-round, including rowing, paddling, and sailing, ranging from beginner to competitive levels.
Community engagement and safety were recurring themes. Coffman lauded the dedication of the aquatics staff and lifeguards, who are "providing safety... These are the folks, the same folks that are out at the pools, out at the beaches, just helping make sure people stay safe." The rewards of these efforts were evident in the participants' reactions. "The reward is so many smiling faces," Coffman observed. "Everybody's getting off the water. Kids are having a great time. Adults are having a great time... It's just seeing smiling faces and being able to share the resources that we have." The event also included adaptive and inclusive sports offerings in partnership with Seattle Adaptive Sports.
The event also served as a major platform for youth programs, particularly the Seattle Teen Late Night League. Cortez Charles, the Late Night and Youth Leadership Coordinator for Seattle Parks and Recreation, described the Big Day of Play as an "opportunity for us to showcase what we did in our late night league... Young people coming from all across our city, and they get to come in one space and enjoy the game of basketball, some community camaraderie and, you know, some togetherness." Charles, who has been involved with the Big Day of Play since his youth and as a staff member since 2015, underscored the importance of such programs in fostering "healthy communities, healthy people." He also highlighted the program's role as a "huge intervention to gun violence, gang violence and everything else." Additionally, the event featured the second annual Big Day of Play Fun Run, which started at Lakewood Playground and finished at Rainier Playfield.
Organizing an event of this magnitude requires immense coordination and partnership. Gilliam revealed, "It takes a lot. I have 19 subcommittees with me... there's about over 200 people out here today just putting on this event for the community." Success, she noted, is measured by "attendance, and we gauge success by community feedback." Cortez Charles reiterated the importance of collaboration, stating, "Teamwork makes the dream work. We got great leadership that has coordinated this whole thing, and everybody's playing their part." He also emphasized the critical role of external partners, noting, "That's everything to the success of this event... it takes a truly, takes a village."
King County Metro served as a title sponsor for the Big Day of Play, demonstrating its commitment to community access and mobility. Other key sponsors included Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Seattle Mariners, Seattle Children's Hospital, Washington State Charter Schools Association, King County Department of Public Health – Access and Outreach, Xfinity (Comcast), and Associated Recreation Council. Rachel De Cordoba, Program Manager for the Youth Mobility Program at King County Metro, explained their involvement: "Metro chose to be the title sponsor for Big Day of Play because we really believe in the mission of supporting young people, about supporting access to indoor and outdoor spaces that encourage folks to learn and to play and to connect and to build community." Metro staff were on-site, distributing free youth ORCA cards for those 18 and younger, allowing them to ride transit for free, and providing information on trip planning and available services. De Cordoba noted the high level of public interest, with "several hundred people" inquiring about free transit options and how to utilize them.
Despite the challenges, including a brief threat of inclement weather, the Big Day of Play was a resounding success, drawing large crowds and showcasing the power of community collaboration. Gilliam is optimistic about the future, stating, "Bigger, Big Day of Play is growing bigger and bigger every year." The event serves as a foundational "scale up" for future programming and special events across the city. As Cortez Charles put it, the success of the event is us being able to come out here as a collective, as one city, and enjoy, enjoy each other."
