On the Water, a City Finds Connection: Inside the Lake Union Concerts Story

Dock Rock: Portage Bay — A Paddle-Up Concert for a Great Cause

Event Details

• What: Dock Rock — Portage Bay, a paddle-up concert

• When: Saturday, August 22nd, 2:00–5:00 PM

• Concert info: lakeunionconcerts.com

• Where: Portage Bay (music stage on a floating home, across the water from UW)

• Parking: Park on the UW side of the lake and paddle across — please avoid parking in the Portage Bay neighborhood

• Boats: Welcome, but must stay clear of paddleboarders

• Security: Harbor Patrol on site

• Cause: Benefiting Doctors for Clean Water / 👉 charitywater.org/doctorsforcleanwater

Saturday, August 22nd | 2:00–5:00 PM | Portage Bay, Seattle

Grab your paddleboard, kayak, or canoe! Dock Rock: Portage Bay is a paddle-up concert taking place entirely on the water, with music from a floating home just across the water from the University of Washington.

A Concert Like No Other

Forget lawn chairs and parking lots. This show calls for something that floats.  The stage is set on a private floating home, and the "seating" is the open water of Portage Bay itself. Paddle out and let the music drift across the lake.

Boats are welcome to join the fun, but out of respect for paddlers, all boats must stay back and give paddleboarders plenty of clearance. Harbor Patrol will be on hand throughout the event to keep everyone safe and the water traffic flowing smoothly.

Getting There: Paddle, Don't Park

Because the venue is a residential floating home, we're asking land-based visitors to help us be good neighbors. Please avoid parking in the immediate Portage Bay neighborhood. Instead, park on the University of Washington side of the lake, where there's much more space, and paddle across. It's a short, scenic crossing — and honestly, one of the best parts of the day. Just stay alert and aware of your surroundings once you're out on the water.

And - just like the Eastlake Dock Rock last month - please stay off the private homes and docks.

The Hosts

A huge thank-you to John Burgess and Sarah Dick, who are generously opening up their floating home to host this event and helping bring the community together for a great cause. The concert is organized by Lake Union Concerts, with logistical help from the Floating Homes Association.

The Cause: Clean Water for All

Dock Rock: Portage Bay isn't just about great music on the water — it's about raising support for Doctors for Clean Water, a campaign benefiting charity water. It's the fourth water concert for this charity on Portage Bay.

As host John explains:

"We have supported charity: water for a number of reasons. Access to clean water is a basic human right. charity: water is the world's leader addressing it around the world. We love their 100% model where every dollar from a donor goes directly to support the costs of installing a clean water project."

Every donation goes directly toward funding clean water projects around the world. You can contribute here: 👉 charitywater.org/doctorsforcleanwater

Pack your sunscreen, bring your paddle, and come support clean water access around the world — all to a great soundtrack, floating on one of Seattle's most beautiful bays.

We can't wait to see you on the water!

More about the concerts series...

In a city known for the "Seattle Freeze," one lakeside tradition is proving the opposite is true right on the water.

Lake Union Concerts, founded by Erik Hillesheim of Paddlerave fame, has spent two summers bringing music, community, and a little bit of magic to the shores of Lake Union.  "In a city that likes to talk about the Seattle Freeze, we haven't seen it on the lake," Hillesheim said. "Lake Union Concerts was founded on the idea that water is an amazing conductor of connection and our goal is to connect people to music, nature, and each other."

That mission has been supported by Stafford Green, the Floating Homes Association (FHA) president, from the very start.  And FHA members that have kindly opened their homes to host the 2026 events.

"Goodwill in this city doesn't have to be complicated," said Stafford Green, President of the Floating Homes Association. "Sometimes it's as simple as the kindness of Melanie Markle, John Burgess, or Sarah Dick opening up their homes, a supportive thumbs up from their dock members, and then turning up the music. It lets a younger generation fall in love with the lake — a chance to introduce a lifestyle many of us in the Floating Homes community have cherished for years."

For Hillesheim, the impact of these nights goes far beyond the music itself.

"It's been the highlight of our summer hearing people make their first friends in the city, reacquaint with cousins, start relationships, and spend a fun night out on the lake with their close friends," he said.  Melanie Markle, Eastlake floating home resident who loaned her home for the July concert, adds “It was epic.  The band was full tilt boogie and the crowd was really going for it!”

"As the Floating Homes community, we're really happy to open volunteer homes and share our backyard to Lake Union Concerts," Green said. "Seattle can be a hard city to break into, and if we can help a young person make a friend or fall in love with this lake, maybe one day they'll call a floating home their own."

This year Lake Union Concerts hosts two houseboat Dock Rocks on the water — one off Eastlake and another off Portage Bay. Organizers acknowledge that parking was tight in the surrounding neighborhoods on concert days, and are grateful for the patience of the larger land-based community and nearby docks who made room for the crowds these nights drew.

As the summer draws to a close, both Hillesheim and the Floating Homes community are reflecting on what the partnership has meant for the city.

"Lake Union Concerts wants to give a huge thanks to the Floating Homes community for letting us share your backyard for an event that is helping this city experience so much happiness and connection," Hillesheim said.