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The 75-year-old tradition of Miss Seafair is being scrapped by the festival, replaced by a program meant to be more “inclusive.” The Seafair Festival is calling it an “evolution” of Miss Seafair, but opponents of the move say it’s erasing women.

Miss Seafair, previously known as Seafair Queen, was meant to help provide women with new opportunities to showcase their leadership and community service. The program came with a scholarship for women.

Perhaps the focus on biological women became too controversial for Seattle in 2025. The festival announced that Miss Seafair was being replaced this year with the Seafair Community Hero program.

“The Seafair Community Hero program allows for a more inclusive representation of the diverse voices that shape our city, and we’re excited about the future and the many remarkable leaders it will highlight,” a spokesperson explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Is ditching Miss Seafair about appeasing woke Seattle mob?

News of the decision came as a shock to supporters of the Miss Seafair program, and former Miss Seafair honorees, wondering why the Seafair Festival couldn’t simply add a heroes program without ditching a 75-year-old tradition.

“I want to start off by sharing that I do like the idea of the Hero role/program, but do not believe it should come at the expense of the Miss Seafair program,” a former Miss Seafair wrote in an email and first reported by “unDivided with Brandi Kruse.”

The unidentified former Miss Seafair explained that the replacement Seafair Community Hero program sounds nearly identical to Miss Seafair, “except the person chosen could also be a male.”

What’s the difference between Miss Seafair and the replacement?

The Seafair Festival as “designed to connect with and reflect the diverse communities we serve, highlighting individuals who demonstrate leadership, resilience, and a passion for creating change.”

That’s very similar to the Miss Seafair program, minus the requirement that the honoree be female, which was meant to “philanthropy, diversity and community engagement,” while creating change via community events and engagement.

“Despite decades of activism and work, women are clearly not yet equal to men in our society (and women of color even further behind), as much as we would like that to happen, so I believe it is essential and important to protect and nurture programs to help foster more opportunities for women at every level of society,” the former Miss Seafair noted.

Similarly, on Facebook, users responded to the news.

“Why would we not continue with something that has such a long tradition and lifted up so many young women?” one user noted. Another argued, “At a time when women have fewer rights than men, face economic disparity, are under assault from an anti-woman agenda, etc, etc…. this is not the move.”

Seafair Festival defends move

A Seafair Festival spokesperson explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH that this isn’t intended to sleight women, and that the change is “much more than” simply including males.

The festival argues that it’s a way “to better reflect the diverse community we serve and to recognize leaders who are making a positive impact across a variety of fields.”

“We recognize the concerns expressed by some of the former Miss Seafair participants, and we understand that change can sometimes feel difficult. However, we firmly believe that this shift is not about diminishing the role of women in Seafair, but about expanding the opportunity for all community leaders, regardless of gender, to be celebrated and have a platform to make a difference,” the spokesperson explained.

“We remain committed to supporting women in leadership roles across all aspects of Seafair,” she added.

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