Tulalip Swap Meet opens April 24

The swap meet is held every weekend through September and is in a new location for its 10th year

The Tulalip Swap Meet plans to open for the season on April 24 in a new location at the parking lot of the old Quil Ceda Creek Casino. The new location for the meet this year will be at 6410 33rd Ave NE in the north parking lot.

It’s also a big milestone year for the swap meet.

“I started the swap meet nine years ago, so this our 10th year,” said Les Parks, Tulalip Tribal member, whose daughter Mackenzie now runs and organizes the event.

“She’s got some big things planned for the 10th anniversary so there will be live music, food vendors will be allowed this year and there will be a lot of interest,” said Parks.

Entertainment such as music, raffles, pony rides and family festival activities are being planned as potential additions to celebrate 10 years for the swap meet.

“Just trying to make it a fun, family-friendly event,” said Parks.

The swap meet usually has between 150 to 175 vendors, said Parks. “This year we’re expecting to be packed. Just a lot of interest this year."

He expects that many people will be excited to get out and go to a warm-weather event like a swap meet, “just to get out of the house and have something to do,” he said. “The customers and vendors have been in what I call ‘COVID jail’ for a year and they’re just anxious to get outdoors where they couldn’t before."

The Tulalip Swap Meet had a summer season last year but missed most of their spring months.

COVID safety precautions will be encouraged while at the meet.

“We will have COVID rules this year,” said Parks. “We’re urging everyone to wear masks.”

Over the last few years the Tulalip Swap Meet remains as one of the last swap meets still going, said Parks

“Most of the swap meets have shut down so we’re really the only game in town,” he said.

There are a wide variety of products available at the meet.

“For the most part you can find anything you could want,” said Parks, including arts and crafts, household tools, jewelry, furniture, plants, and kitchen wares.

The swap meet is usually at Boom City, however one of Snohomish County’s mass vaccination sites has been set up there so the swap meet has had to move.

“This is actually going to work out better,” said Parks. “We won’t have to shut down like we typically do for fireworks."

They won’t have electricity this year for the vendors, but the old parking lot is a lot more accessible for many people.

“It’s paved, which is really nice, because walking on gravel all day long is pretty tough on the customers,” said Parks.

Parks said he hopes the swap meet can stay in the new location for the long term.

“It really depends on what they do with this building [the old Quil Ceda Creek Casino],” he said.

The exact fate for the aging facility has not yet been decided by the Tulalip Tribal Board of Directors.

The swap meet will have this year’s opening on April 24 and continue every weekend until mid-September.

More updates and information about the Tulalip Swap Meet are available on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/boomcityswapmeet/.