Published on August 18th | Updated on August 23rd
📆 Saturday, September 2nd – Sunday, September 3rd
📍 Seattle Center: 305 Harrison St, Seattle
🎟️ $75 – $130
The Bumbershoot Arts + Music Festival is back and turning 50 🎉
🗞️ More from the Seattle Times:
Bumbershoot at 50: WA artists share stories, hopes for fest’s future
Seattle Center’s biggest summer festival returns this Labor Day weekend (September 2nd + 3rd). After former producer AEG backed out of the historic Seattle music fest, a group of local producers took hold of the fest’s reins. And this September, that group will produce a new reimagined Bumbershoot for its 50th year, making it one of the oldest recurring festivals in the country.
Curated and produced by New Rising Sun, the revived Bumbershoot will feature many events under one, well, umbrella:
🎸 Multiple music stages: Headliners like Sleater-Kinney, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Band of Horses will perform at stages throughout Seattle Center.
🎨 A visual arts exhibition: The fest will present over 80 artists from the Pacific Northwest, filling up the Fisher Pavilion and transforming the Pacific Science Center’s courtyard into an outdoor sculpture garden.
🥟 Over a dozen local restaurants: Local James Beard Award-nominated chef Ethan Stowell curated a stacked lineup of restaurants, including Local Tide, Musang, Pie Bar, and Dumpling Czar.
👒 A fashion district: The PNW design community will come together to present beauty, apparel, and body art, including runway programs and a “Nail Art Dome.”
🛼 A recess district: Roll Around Seatown will “blur the line between performer and performance,” says Bumbershoot, with agility rollerskating performances—alongside wrestling and pole dancing.
🧙♀️ A witch temple: Actually! The Living Alter will offer tarot, past-life, astrology, and palmist readings.
That’s a lot, and also barely scratching the surface, so let’s break it down a bit more.
Tickets 🎟️
Ticket Pricing$50 early bird 50th Anniversary GA single day ticket SOLD OUT!$85 early bird 50th Anniversary GA two day ticket SOLD OUT!$65 Tier 2 GA single day ticket SOLD OUT!$110 Tier 2 GA two day ticket SOLD OUT!
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$75 Tier 3 GA single day ticket
$130 Tier 3 GA two day ticket
📸: Thee Oh Sees | Courtesy Bumbershoot 2023
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The Music Lineup 🎷
Bumbershoot announced that on Saturday, the big headliners include Sunny Day Real Estate at the Mural Amphitheater, Brittany Howard at the Fisher Stage, Sleater-Kinney at the Fountain Stage, and a late-night performance from ZHU at the Mural Amphitheater. On Sunday, expect Uncle Waffles at the Fountain Stage, Bomba Estereo at the Mural Amphitheater, and close-out performances from Band of Horses, Phantogram, The Revivalists, and Fatboy Slim.
🥳 Read the full Saturday lineup
🥳 Read the full Sunday lineup
Full 2023 Music Lineup:
A-Trak, AFI, Algernon Cadwallader, Anabel Englund, Band Of Horses, Benny The Butcher, Beverly Crusher, Black Ends, Bomba Estéreo, Breaks and Swells, Brittany Howard, Cassandra Lewis, Chimurenga Renaissance, Chong the Nomad, Dave B., Debby Friday, Descendents, Destroy Boys, DOMi & JD Beck, Durand Jones, Fatboy Slim, Fouad Masoud, Girl Trouble, Gustaf, Hunx and his Punx, Jacob Banks, Jawbreaker, King Youngblood, Long Dark Moon, Major League Djz, Massy Ferguson, Matt and Kim, modernlove., Morgan and the Organ Donors, Phantogram, Pink Boa, Pressha, Puddles Pity Party, Radioactivity, Rebirth Brass Band, Reignwolf, Ride (performing “Going Blank Again”), Scarves, Screaming Females, Simone BG, Sleater-Kinney, Slift, Sol, Spirit Award, Sunny Day Real Estate, Sweet Water, Temples, The Black Tones, The Dandy Warhols, The Dip, The Revivalists, Them, Thunderpussy, Trinix, True Loves, Uncle Waffles, Valerie June, Wimps, Zhu
Developing the Next Bumbershoot 🎓
Something cool about the new Bumbershoot: In April, the non-profit producing partner Third Stone announced a tuition-free Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program that offers 16 participants aged between 17 and 25 workshops and shadow shifts with industry professionals. The participants work with venues and groups like The Crocodile, The Triple Door, and TeenTix to learn skills associated with music festivals, like event production and talent buying. Third Stone says they’re using a “festival as classroom” philosophy, and they hope that “in ten years, the festival will be managed by alumni of the program.”
📸: Courtesy Bumbershoot 2023
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The Arts Lineup 👩🎨
New Bumbershoot also means the return of Out of Sight, a vast survey of contemporary art in the PNW. Originally created in 2015 in response to the Seattle Art Fair, Out of Sight will take place each day of the Bumbershoot festival.
Curators include Emily Zimmerman, Jaleesa Johnston, Rana San, and Roya Amirsoleymani, and the team will fill Fisher Pavillion and the Pacific Science Center courtyard with over 80 artists in disciplines ranging from painting to installation.
Full 2023 Out of Sight Lineup:
Adetola Abatan, Alla Goniodsky, Amanda Morgan / The Seattle Project, Anastasia Babenko, Anh Nguyen, Anida Yoeu Ali, Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi, ariella tai, Berette S Macaulay, Bogosi Sekhukhuni, CHARI, Christine Miller, Corrie Befort, Dez’Mon Omega Fair, Ella Ray, Erica Meryl Thomas, Fernanda D’Agostino, Francesca Lohmann, Humaira Abid, jade wong, James Reed, Jeffrey Heiman, Jia Jia, Jo Cosme, Julia Freeman, Kalimah Abioto (Dr. Woodchopper), Kamari Bright, Katy Stone, Kelly Bjork, Laura Hart Newlon, Leon Finley, Leslie Vigeant, Maria Zamora, Mary Ann Peters, Maura Campbell-Shun, maximiliano, Mel Carter, Melanie Stevens, Molly Alloy, Neely Goniodsky, Patricia Vázquez Gómez, Reese Bowes, K̲aachgóon Rochelle Smallwood, Roger Peet, Romina Del Castillo, Romson Regarde Bustillo, Rubin Quarcoopome, Sa’rah Farahat, Satpreet Kahlon, Schona Christie, Sharyll Burroughs, [sic][redacted] Alan Page, Stefan Gonzales, Stephanie Simek, Susanō Surface, Tannaz Farsi, Taravat Talepasand, Timothy White Eagle, Travis Johnson
The Fashion District 👜
Focusing on emerging PNW designers, vintage sellers, and creators, Bumbershoot’s new Fashion District will include fashion designers like Fuchsia Lin and Janelle Abbott, as well as runway programs by Laura Cassidy, Nahaan, Mona Real, and Ellie Fein. Peka Grayson will curate a “Nail Art Dome,” and the popular Burleskaraoke will make an appearance, too. Also, the festival is promising a “tattoo runway” on both days of the fest.
📸: American Donut Makers | Bumbershoot 2023
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The Culinary Lineup 👩🍳
This is way more than a few food trucks. James Beard Award-nominated chef Ethan Stowell programmed a giant food lineup featuring local favorites. Expect treats from Local Tide, Mamnoon Street Eats, MARKET Seattle, and more listed below.
And if you’re sober, you’re in luck: The fest has partnered with Three Magnets Brewing to drop a limited edition non-alcoholic craft beer called the “Bumberbrew PNW Pils.” “We’re very excited about the BumberBrew collaboration with Three Magnets,” announced Sean Hunter, Head of Bumbershoot’s Culinary Program. “If you’re looking to have a sober day at the festival, have chosen a sober life, or are just curious and want to try a non-alcoholic beer between some of our other great options, Three Magnets have created a wonderful brew.”
Full Culinary Lineup:
American Donut Makers, Big Max Burger Co., Candela Wood Fired Pizza, DD’s Juice, Delish Ethiopian Cuisine, Dirty Dog, Dumpling Tzar, Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Eva’s Wild, Gold Coast Ghal Kitchen, Jack’s BBQ, Local Tide, Mamnoon Street Eats, MARKET Seattle, MexiCuban, Musang, Neon Taco, Pablo y Pablo, Pizza Romana, Shus
The Recess District 🤼♂️
Another fun district that’s appearing: The “Recess” District will host BUMBERMANIA!, an athletic performance curated by Grit City Wrestling School, Roll Around Seatown, and a pole dancing program curated by The AERO Space and Ascendance Studios. Yes, that’s wrestling + rollerskating + pole dancing. We’re told there will also be double dutch.
In general, there’s a lot going on all at once. The team at Bumbershoot has more rundowns and lineups on their site.
