The Greentrike Back to School Festival returns on August 31 for its second year in downtown Tacoma, centrally located in Tollefson Plaza. The Festival is Pierce County’s most playful event celebrating the return to school for students in grades pre-K to 12. The Festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring live performances, a DJ dance party, food trucks, special discounts from local businesses, activities for students and families, and a giveaway of backpacks filled with school supplies.
The Back to School Festival has gathered students, families, and the community for over ten years. In 2021, Greentrike became the official host of the Back to School Festival, bringing the festivities to downtown Tacoma. The 2021 Festival was an astounding success that drew over 800 students, families, and caregivers, and Greentrike provided them with over 800 backpacks filled with school supplies.
As part of Tacoma’s Safe Youth Campaign, Seeds of Peace (SOP) members will activate three projects during the festival. The first is a youth-led dance party from the Child and Youth Centered Community Playbook. The second project will be team gaming through a mobile video game truck. Lastly, SOP will be holding a foam party at Playground Ish, located behind the Children’s Museum of Tacoma. Seeds of Peace welcomes youth of Pierce County to come to the Festival, build community, and learn how to help make Pierce County the best place to grow up.
Backpacks and school supplies are limited to one backpack per child attending the event (children must be present) and one backpack per household if children are not in attendance. We want to ensure every student that attends the event will go home with a backpack and school supplies.
As part of Greentrike’s commitment to accessibility, Pierce Transit is giving free bus passes to and from the event to ensure that transportation is not a barrier to joining the festivities. To sign up for a free transit pass, fill out the registration form at the bottom of the Back to School Festival event page.
Support from sponsors, local businesses, and the community makes it possible for Greentrike to host this annual Festival in service of students of Pierce County. Businesses interested in sponsoring the Back to School Festival fill out this form and return it to jwinston@greentrike.org. Individuals can help support the Festival by donating here.
