Love to hate it or hate to love it, Seafair is undoubtedly a Seattle obsession.

Most of the city fixates on the Blue Angels. I've heard about them plenty since moving here just before Covid struck. Yet a pandemic pause means this weekend will be the first time I and so many other transplants can finally form our own takes about the cacophonous air show and the many other events that cap the summer festival.

Perhaps you're one of these newcomers to the region. Or maybe after many years of exuberant Log Booming, you just need a refresher on one of our city's most bewildering and beloved annual happenings.

No matter why you're a little foggy on the details, here's a primer on what all the fuss is about at this year's Seafair Weekend Festival on Lake Washington.

Blue Angels

The U.S. Navy jets taking off from Boeing Field and performing aerobatics above the city are perhaps the weekend's main attraction. We've covered where to watch them in full, but in short: They'll be airborne around 3:05pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They'll make a lot of noise. And, with an array of synchronized aerial moves over Lake Washington, they'll impress the masses.

Hydroplane Races

The Blue Angels draw the headlines, but the boats skimming over the surface of Lake Washington at over 220 miles per hour can be just as breathtaking. A Boeing engineer honed the propeller that revolutionized this form of water travel in 1950. This year's HomeStreet Bank Cup will commemorate more than 70 years of hydroplane tilts on Lake Washington with multiple classes of races held north of Seward Park and south of the I-90 bridge. Check the daily schedule and watch from shore or the Log Boom as these vessels go full-throttle, leaving clouds of water in their midst.

Log Boom

"Presented by Bud Zero" says it all. Not necessarily an event, but an anticipated scene nonetheless, festivalgoers tie up boats to anchored logs along the perimeter of the hydroplane races and try not to get too tipsy. The bacchanalia conjures the rowdiness of Andrews Bay which, incidentally, is closed for Seafair. Log Boomers with stamina are rewarded with killer views of the Blue Angels later in the day.

Other Military Jets

Not to be outdone by the Super Hornets and "Fat Albert," less ballyhooed planes like the U.S. Navy's Growler and U.S. Air Force's F35 Lightning II will serve as de facto openers for the Blue Angels. Here's the full Boeing Seafair Air Show schedule.

Parachuters

The Golden Knights, members of the U.S. Army's aerial parachute squad, will jump out of planes at 11:15am Friday, 11:55am Saturday, and noon on Sunday. Where will they land? You'll have to go to find out.