Marvel at the thunderous spectacle of Niagara Falls in northern New York, or seek an antidote to urban chaos amidst the flat farmland of the Midwest. Then there are the black hills of South Dakota, the dramatic mountain and ocean landscape of California’s Pacific Coast Highway and the world-famous Grand Canyon.

The third-largest country in the world (after the Russian Federation and Canada), the USA has an enormous diversity of geographical features, including mountains, plains, and coastal zones. Though there are many cities that are densely populated with more manmade features than natural ones, there are also vast rural areas that are far more sparsely populated. The climate ranges from subtropical to arctic, with a corresponding breadth of flora and fauna.

Electricity

120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs have two flat pins with or without a third round grounding pin.

2020

New Year’s Day: 1 January 2020
Martin Luther King Day: 20 January 2020
President’s Day: 17 February 2020
Memorial Day: 25 May 2020
Independence Day: 3 and 4 July 2020
Labor Day: 7 September 2020
Columbus Day: 12 October 2020
Veterans Day: 11 November 2020
Thanksgiving Day: 26 November 2020
Christmas: 25 December 2020

All information subject to change.

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show is five days of gardening fun, live music and food and wine that will entertain the whole family. Expect a wide range of spectacular show gardens on display put together by expert florists, gardeners and designers. There is also a great flower market, and several gardening professionals are available to share tips, tricks and ideas at over 100 seminars. And there is a section for the kids as well. A very popular feature is the floral contest, attracting plenty of local talent each year.

A celebration of Japanese culture with dance, music, colourful costumes, martial arts and tea ceremonies. There are Taiko drumming displays, artisan demonstrations and food stalls dishing up Japanese delicacies from curry-rice to octopus dumplings to Manju sweets. The festival was founded after Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Miki gave Seattle 1,000 cherry trees on the occasion of the USA’s bicentenary.

A celebration of folk music, art, dance and stories, the Northwest Folklife Festival has been entertaining fans since 1972. As well as a packed programme of performances encompassing the region’s ethnic and cultural diversity, there’s a family zone with hands-on activities, crafts, singing, dancing and games. Each year also has a special cultural focus centred on a particular group or community.

Screening a great programme of over 400 features, shorts, documentaries and animation films, the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is one of the biggest events of its kind in the USA and one of the most influential film festivals in the world. Over more than three weeks, it attracts thousands of visitors ranging from film professionals to students of the art form. Celebrating the art of the moving image, the event aims to inform, educate and entertain its audiences.

Each year the community of Fremont celebrates the Summer Solstice with a weekend programme of free events and entertainment spanning art, music, dance and performance. Music is performed on three different stages and the festival site is bursting with activities and entertainment ranging from yoga and art workshops to the lavish Fremont Solstice Parade. Although entry is free, the event aims to raise money to help support non-profit Fremont organisations.

Bite of Seattle is a three-day food festival at the Seattle Center that ranks among the most popular of the city’s summer events. An estimated 75,000 people attended the first Bite in 1982, with only 25 restaurants taking part. It now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and hosts over 50 restaurants and more than 30 food producers. Food is no longer the only attraction and there is now live music, cooking demonstrations and family entertainment too.

Held annually over the Labor Day Weekend, the Bumbershoot Festival first took place in the 1970s and has become one of the biggest and best-loved festivals in Seattle’s summer calendar. Primarily a music festival, Bumbershoot also features a great line-up of alternative acts and entertainment including comedy, dance, film, visual arts, theatre and literary performances. A great event for visitors of all ages, there are also plenty of children’s events, arts and crafts markets and food stalls. This hugely popular event attracts well over 150,000 visitors each year.

Featuring the biggest beer garden in the Northwest and over 100 microbrews and craft beers, the Fremont Oktoberfest is a fun-filled and charming event with events and attractions for all the family. Among the ingredients of this Oktoberfest are a 5K beer run, live Seattle bands, Dogtoberfest Sunday, a kids’ area with zucchini (courgette) racing, and the incredible spectacle of the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving.

Two events, ‘Dine Around Seattle’ and ‘Seattle Restaurant Week’, merged into a big gastronomic event. It is a bi-annual dining promotion (spring and autumn) and a chance to enjoy prix-fixe dinners and lunches at some of Seattle’s top fine-dining establishments. Prices do not include drinks, tax or tip and each restaurant decides whether they want to offer lunch (two courses), dinner (three courses) or both.