Women’s March 2018: Seattle route, street closures, and time

After the success of the 2017 Womxn’s March—which saw millions of people gathering to support women’s rights over the weekend of President Donald Trump’s inauguration—a coalition of organizers and nonprofits have announced an anniversary event set to take place on Saturday, January 20.

In Seattle, that means another march. Last year, thousands took to the streets for the Seattle satellite of the Women’s March—officially known here as the Womxn’s March—starting in the Central Area.

The route for the 2018 march will be different. This year, it’s starting in Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park instead of Judkins Park. The end point is the same, though: Seattle Center.

On the most basic level—politics aside—this means street closures, which means traffic around the city core will be a bit of a mess on Saturday, whether you’re in a car or riding transit. Whether you plan to participate in the event, or just want to know how it’ll impact your commute this weekend, we’ve got you covered.

When will the 2018 Seattle Women’s March take place?

The event happens this Saturday, January 20. Marchers will gather at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill at 10 a.m. for a rally and start marching around 11:30 a.m.

What’s the route for the Seattle Women’s March?

Here’s a handy map from the organizers themselves:

Courtesy of Seattle Women’s March

Which streets will be closed for the Seattle Women’s March?

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) confirms that the streets the march will walk down will be closed: Marchers will travel from Cal Anderson Park down Pine Street, then head north on 4th Avenue to Cedar Street, east on Cedar Street to 5th Avenue North, then into Seattle Center on Thomas Street. (Official city documents say Harrison Street—not that it’ll make a huge difference either way, traffic-wise.)

The downtown closures will be especially impactful: Beginning at noon, Fourth Avenue will close north of Pike Street to all traffic for the duration of the march. Sound Transit Express and Metro buses will be rerouted, and ST Express Route 512 will end its run at Westlake Station during that time.

SDOT expects the march to last from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 40,000 people participating.

What’s the best way to get to the Seattle Women’s March, and what will the public transportation be like on Saturday?

Your best bet to the starting line, if you have access to it, is going to be Link Light Rail. The Capitol Hill station is right up against Anderson Park, and even has one exit directly to the park grounds.

Riders who aren’t coming from anywhere on the light rail line can transfer to the light rail downtown. A ton of King County Metro routes also go to the park—the 8, 10, 11, 43, 49, and 60—but expect more delays and overcrowding that way.

Sound Transit will be operating extra light rail trains on Saturday to accomodate what the agency is expecting to be a massive influx of passengers. Some ST Express buses will also run some extra trips: 512, 550, and 554.

King County Metro is operating on its normal Saturday schedule, but may add extra trips to routes 8, 41, 44, 101, 150, and 255, plus RapidRide C, D, and E Lines.

The extra buses won’t appear on schedules or One Bus Away—they’ll just appear to help accommodate overcrowding, which both Sound Transit and King County Metro are expecting despite extra buses.

A group of volunteers are running shuttle buses from Issaquah and Sammamish, too.

This article has been updated to clarify march start time and route.