Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is headed back to Seattle for what promises to be one of the biggest political rallies of all time in the history of the Pacific Northwest and the United States.
Sanders will attempt to fill the Seattle Mariners’ home stadium of Safeco Field with tens of thousands of supporters for a massive free rally that will take place on Good Friday, on the eve of Washington State’s 2016 Democratic presidential precinct caucuses. Here is the campaign’s guidance for the event:
Join Bernie Sanders for a rally in Seattle, Washington.
Friday, March 25th, 2016
Safeco Field
1250 1st Ave South
Seattle, WA 98134
Doors open at 4 PMThis event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Admission is first come, first served.
For security reasons, please do not bring bags and limit what you bring to small, personal items like keys and cell phones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed through security. Parking is available at the Safeco Field Garage and CenturyLink Event Center Garage for a fee.
Public Transportation: Light Rail stop is on Central Link line stadium station stop. Sounder line is King Street Station stop.
You may RSVP for the Safeco Field rally here.
As the campaign notes, Safeco Field is well served by transit. Take advantage of Sound Transit’s Link light rail or Sounder commuter rail to get to this rally. Or make use of a Metro or Sound Transit route that serves the International District. (For example, the 550 connects Bellevue to downtown Seattle using bus ramps that allow the buses to drive directly off the expressway into the Transit Tunnel.)
NPI will offer live coverage of the rally on Friday evening.
Be aware that that the Secret Service and law enforcement have had difficulty effectively and efficiently moving people through security checkpoints at recent local events for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. If you want to be assured of getting in and getting a good seat, arrive early and be prepared to wait a while.
A few tips:
- Dress in layers so you’ll be comfortable no matter the weather.
- Travel light. Don’t bring a lot of gear. It’ll slow you down.
- Bring a paperback novel to read.
- Go with friends so you’ll have company to talk to while waiting in line.
- Hydrate before showing up to wait in line at Safeco.
- Load up some tunes or podcasts on your smartphone or music player to listen to while you’re waiting to get in.
If you’d rather not fight the crowds, you can follow along with us here on the Cascadia Advocate and on In Brief, as well as watch a livestream.
Also, for those on the other side of the mountains: Bernie Sanders will be coming to Yakima for a rally on Thursday afternoon. Doors open at 4 PM.
Thursday, March 24th, 2016
Yakima Valley SunDome at State Fair Park
1301 S. Fair Park Avenue
Yakima, WA 98901
10 Comments
If doors open at 4, what time will he be speaking?
Most likely the speaking program will be at around 7 PM or so.
Serai, bring your medication, and be sure to let the Secret Service know about it as you approach the security checkpoints. Have a doctor’s note handy for them.
Hi there,
I want to attend the rally on Friday, but I have a medical condition that requires me to carry to large a package of 2 seringes filled with diazepam, for seizures. Am I able to bring my purse into the stadium?
Thanks!
Will Bernie speak to the Black Lives Matters activists who have tried to talk with him on previous Seattle visits? I’d like to see their concerns addressed.
Joining because of your support for Bernie Sanders for President
I loved Bernie’s speech at Key Arena on Sunday, BUT the Secret Service did a TERRIBLE job of being staffed for the crowds. There were only (4) metal detectors for 17,000 people.
How many metal detectors and inspection personnel will the Secret Service have for 54,000 people? That’s absurd that I pay federal taxes for Secret Service, but I felt that they completely understaff for the task at hand.
Arrive early, wear good shoes, bring water bottles and snacks (that you will consume in line and dispose of before entering), no lighters, no backpacks, and ideally no purses just a woman’s small wallet and that will help. No strollers.
Good luck! See you there!!!
Will Safeco Field be selling food?
This is very important as people will be there a long time and get hungry.
Jeff: Yes, the concessions are open, and doing brisk business.
So glad to see all the people at this rally!
It was a fantastic event!