Set Fire to 2022: 1st Annual Des Moines Burning Boat Festival

SEATTLE (November 30, 2022) – Explore Seattle Southside (Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) is excited to announce the 1st Annual Burning Boat Festival.

Who:
All ages welcome at this family-friendly indoor/outdoor event

What:
1st Annual Burning Boat Festival with food & drink, entertainment, local vendors, s’mores fire pits, and a burning boat full of personal, hand-written notes.

When:
Saturday, December 31, 2022 from 6:00pm - 12:00am

Where:
Des Moines Beach Park & Event Center, 22030 Cliff Ave. S., Des Moines, WA 98198 & via Livestream on Facebook

Cost:
$25 per person; children under 5 admitted free

Join the local community for a historic indoor/outdoor New Year’s Eve celebration that will culminate in a spectacular, fiery display. While enjoying entertainment, refreshments & goodies from local vendors, s’mores fire pits, special guests, games for kids, and more throughout the evening, celebrants will write down their past year’s regrets or new year wishes and have them sent in smoke to the sky above aboard a custom-built boat that will be set ablaze on Des Moines Beach at the stroke of midnight.

For visitors who can’t participate in the event, Explore Seattle Southside has provided dozens of participating local hotels with notepads and private boxes. Placed in hotel bars and public spaces, these boxes will invite guests to write their own anonymous notes for 2022/2023, which will be delivered and burned at the event—all livestreamed via Facebook.

Students at local Maritime High School in Des Moines are building the vessel to be burned as a class project, and a contest will be held in early December to help name the boat, which is being handcrafted from dry, chemical-free wood. A raffle will be held for the honor of lighting the boat on fire.

In partnership with South King Fire & Rescue and Des Moines, WA Police Department, this first-of-its-kind event in the region will bring the community together for an exciting event while also sending all event proceeds to benefit mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment at Valley Cities Behavioral Health—a local nonprofit that provides inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, along with support services for adults, children, and families living in King County.

Anyone who would like to help can also donate to the cause by texting "Burn" to 53555. Sponsorship opportunities for the event are also available at many levels.

Safety measures are being put in place to make sure that this is a fun, safe, and enjoyable experience for everyone.

About Explore Seattle Southside

Explore Seattle Southside (The Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority) is the official destination marketing organization for Seattle Southside, including the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila and Des Moines. The organization is responsible for competitively marketing the area as an ideal travel destination for leisure and business travelers who wish to explore Western Washington and an idyllic place for meeting and event planners to hold their events. The Seattle Southside RTA is funded by a self-assessed hotel fund. For more information, please visit www.seattlesouthside.com or call 206-880-7168.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Jeff Powell
Communications Manager, Explore Seattle Southside
P: 206-677-0160
E: Jeff@SeattleSouthside.com