Celebrating 55 years, the U District Street Fair is the longest running festival of its kind west of the Mississippi. Originally conceived in 1970 as a way to bring the community together through the celebration of art, the Street Fair began as a stoop-and-blanket-vending event with lots of free live music. Over the last fifty years, the event has developed into a regional celebration that is known to kick-off the summer festival season in Seattle. Regularly attracting over 50,000 people, the Street Fair features handmade products by hundreds of individual artists and makers, in addition to food and music, and entertainment from across the Pacific Northwest.