Bellevue residents can sign up now for four free guided Discovery Tours that turn the city into a classroom on Sept. 19, as part of the Experience Bellevue! celebration at City Hall.
The tours offer a hands-on way to explore neighborhoods beyond the main festival stage. The city's event page and 425 Magazine list the four options:
- Bellevue restaurant tasting tour
- Grand Connection walking tour
- Photography tour
- Mercer Slough Nature Park tour
Spots are limited.
The city urges residents to register ahead of time at ExperienceBellevue2026.eventbrite.com. Registration closes Sept. 17, and tickets are free.
The Discovery Tours and Workshops portion of the day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE. The broader Experience Bellevue! festival kicks off at 10 a.m. with multicultural performances, a City Hall scavenger hunt, salsa lessons, tai chi and mahjong workshops, a police drone demonstration, a fire truck display, a KidsQuest Children's Museum Kid Zone, global food vendors and a storytelling showcase. Free coffee and pastries will be available until noon while supplies last.
The Bellevue Beacon previously covered the broader festival; the biennial event began as a neighborhood conference and has grown into a citywide celebration of Bellevue's cultural diversity. This year it also serves as the flagship event for Bellevue's Welcoming Week, which runs Sept. 14–19.
Residents with questions can email [email protected].
