Chelsea Riddick-Most gives update on Seattle Center events including BlastFest
Photos by Susan Fried
Chelsea Riddick-Most, the director of programs and events at Seattle Center recently joined host Trae Holiday on The Day with Trae. At Seattle Center, Riddick-Most manages six operational groups, which encompass arts and community programming, cultural programming, and emergency services.
Riddick-Most grew up in the Central District and went to Garfield High School. She was raised by a single mother after her father passed away when she was 12, her mom was a big advocate of bridging people and bringing people together.
“I couldn't help but be a part of something bigger,” Riddick-Most said. “When I left Seattle for college, at Howard University, I majored in communications, and got into television production, because I wanted to be a part of change.”
She has since worked internationally, serving as a freelance producer and music video producer. Notably, she collaborated with Nelson Mandela on a project with the African National Congress. Eventually, she joined Nickelodeon Networks, where she remained until the onset of the pandemic. Recognizing the pandemic as an opportunity for change, she decided to pursue new endeavors.
“When the pandemic hit, I knew that it was an opportunity for me to do something different, and doing something different meant coming back home,” Riddick-Most said. “I always reflect on what a friend of mine said to me, she said, ‘There's all this talent that comes from Seattle and shares it with everyone else.’ At the moment that this opportunity presented itself, I said, ‘Well, this is an opportunity for me to come back and share those talents.’”
As a kid, Riddick-Most spent the weekends and holidays riding her bike down with her cousins to Seattle Center. She recalled wearing her Mary Janes, with her crayons and baggy pants. For her, there is an emotional connection with space.
“I want to make sure that everybody feels welcome,” Riddick-Most said. “I want to make sure that we feel welcome because it was such a big part of me growing up and it's where we gathered. I want to make it more of a community gathering space.”
For Riddick-Most, this begins with her team, she and her team need to feel the energy for others to feel it as well. One of the big endeavors they have taken on this year is the second year of BLASTFEST in July. BLASTFEST is a celebration of Seattle's vibrant and diverse population, uniting people through the vibrant sounds and cultural richness of Afrobeats music.
“This was the first Afro beats concert on Seattle Center's campus,” Riddick-Most said.
Working together with DJ Blast BLASTFEST is returning to Seattle on July 27. Tickets have already gone on sale and can be found here.
In May Seattle Center will host the Spirit of Africa, a free All-Day event. For more information on other events going on at Seattle Center go to seattlecenter.com.
For more interviews about fun events coming up in Seattle, tune into Trae every weekday at 11 a.m. on all Converge Media platforms and The Day With Trae YouTube Channel.
