📆 Thursday, November 2nd – Sunday, November 5th
🎟 Tickets start at $45
📍 Venues including:
🎸 Salmon Bay Eagles: 5216 20th Ave NW (21+)
🎸 Conor Byrne: 5140 Ballard Ave NW (21+)
🎸 Ballard Smoke Shop: 5439 Ballard Ave NW (21+)
🎸 Sunset Tavern: 5433 Ballard Ave NW (21+)
🎸 Tractor Tavern: 5213 Ballard Ave NW (21+)
🎸 Caffe Umbria: 5407 Ballard Ave NW (FREE and ALL AGES)
🎸 C.C. Filson: 5101 Ballard Ave NW (FREE and ALL AGES)
Early November is one of my favorite times of year in Seattle—not because of the fall weather, changing tree colors, and general hygge-ness, but because the exuberant, psychedelic romp that is Freakout Festival takes over Ballard. For one raucous fall weekend, the annual fest brings in bands from around the world to melt Seattle concertgoers’ faces off at venues up and down Ballard Avenue.
Since the festival went non-profit mode earlier this year, this November’s event is more focused but aims to pack as hard of a punch as years previous. Headlining the four-day fest are L.A. garage rockers Allah-Las, Detroit-based punk trio The Gories, and two nights of The Spits‘ dirty, punky fun. Here’s what they sound like:
Other sets to watch for: Mexico City’s Carrion Kids (a band that consistently has the most deliciously chaotic shows), psych rockers Levitation Room,and Seattle’s own riot grrl-inspired outfit Lemon Boy. Also coming back is Mad Alchemy’s Analog Liquid Light Show, a festival favorite that adds a visual layer of trippiness to the proceedings. For the full lineup, give this playlist a listen:
Run by the Seattle-based Freakout Records label, the festival is now in its 11th year of debauchery. You might not recognize many of the acts on the lineup, and that’s sort of the point. The magic of all fests, particularly Freakout, is discovering bands you might never have had the opportunity to otherwise. It’s a way to get out of your corporate streaming service algorithm rut and get into a mosh pit with other music nerds. So see bands you’ve never heard of! I know you’ll come back with a new band you love.
DAILY SCHEDULES
THURSDAY 11/2
SALMON BAY HI
Chokecherry – 7 pm
Tuesday Violence – 8 pm
Nestter Donuts – 9 pm
Carrion Kids – 10 pm
The Spits – 11 pm
SALMON BAY LO
Rat Queen – 7:30 pm
Sugar Tradition – 8:30 pm
Joudy – 9:30 pm
Floating Witch’s Head – 10:30 pm
Death Valley Girls – 11:30 pm
THE SUNSET
Peyote Ugly – 8 pm
Black Maracas – 8:45 pm
Windows – 9:45 pm
El Khat – 10:45 pm
Levitation Room – 11:45 pm
BALLARD SMOKE SHOP
Beautiful Freaks – 7:30 pm
Axxident – 8:30 pm
Sun Atoms – 9:30 pm
Dark Dazey – 10:30 pm
Zookraught – 11:30 pm
CONOR BYRNE
Diminished Men – 7:30 pm
Supermother – 8:30 pm
TV Star – 9:30 pm
Bike – 10:30 pm
Vondre – 11:30 pm
FRIDAY 11/3
SALMON BAY HI
The Shivas – 7 pm
Sam Burton – 8 pm
Death Valley Girls – 9 pm
Allah-Las – 10:15 pm
Night Beats – 12 am
SALMON BAY LO
Denim Genie – 7:30 pm
Moonwalks – 8:30 pm
Dark Dazey – 9:30 pm
Moon Owl’s Images – 10:30 pm
Forty Feet Tall – 11:30 pm
THE SUNSET
Tuesday Violence – 7 pm
Nestter Donuts – 8 pm
Sugar Tradition – 9 pm
TBD – 10 pm
Shadow Show – 11 pm
BOOTS! Dance Party – 11:45 pm
TRACTOR TAVERN
95 Bulls – 7:30 pm
Las Pijamas – 8:30 pm
Mala Suerte – 9:30 pm
Daiistar – 10:30 pm
The Spits – 11:30 pm
BALLARD SMOKE SHOP
Lobo Lara – 7 pm
Vondre – 8 pm
Bike – 9 pm
The Bunyans – 10 pm
Dreckig – 11 pm
General Mojos – 12 am
CONOR BYRNE
Mold Mom – 7:30 pm
All Star Opera – 8:30 pm
Taleen Kali – 9:30 pm
Goon – 10:30 pm
Laith & The Texas Birds – 11:30 pm
The Brightlight Social Hour – 12:30 am
CAFFE UMBRIA
Race to the Light – 7 pm
Day Soul Exquisite – 7:50 pm
Linda from Work – 8:45 pm
SATURDAY 11/4
SALMON BAY HI
King Youngblood – 6 pm
The Grizzled Mighty – 7 pm
The Darts – 8 pm
Acid Tongue – 9:15 pm
The Gories – 10:20 pm
Orquestra Pacifico Tropical – 11:45 pm
SALMON BAY LO
Screen Frogs – 7 pm
Blix – 7:45 pm
The Funerals – 8:45 pm
Tilden – 9:45 pm
Family Worship Center – 10:45 pm
95 Bulls – 11:45 pm
Midnight High – 11:45 pm
THE SUNSET
Joudy – 6:45 pm
Biblioteka – 7:45 pm
Shana Sarett – 8:45 pm
Frankie – 9:45 pm
Fauxes – 10:45 pm
Oble Reed – 11:30 pm
Moonwalks – 12:30 am
TRACTOR TAVERN
Gift – 7:30 pm
Federale – 8:30 pm
Mengers – 9:30 pm
Acid Mother’s Temple – 10:40 pm
Sextile – 12:05 am
BALLARD SMOKE SHOP
Las Pijamas – 7:30 pm
Sunset IMages – 8:30 pm
Ritmo Cascabel – 9:30 pm
Annabelle Chairlegs – 10:30 pm
Shadow Show – 11:30 pm
Daiistar – 12:30 am
CONOR BYRNE
TBD – 7 pm
Maura Samanego – 8 pm
Archer Oh – 9 pm
Michel Rault – 10 pm
Pearl Charles – 11 pm
Lola Kirke – 12
CAFFE UMBRIA
Serafima – 7 pm
Ismay – 7:50 pm
Brittany Davis – 8:50 pm
SUNDAY 11/5
SALMON BAY HI
Ritmo Cascabel – 6 pm
Ramona – 7 pm
Jonathan Bree – 8:10 pm
Son Rompe Pera – 9:45 pm
SALMON BAY LO
Sugar Tradition – 5:30 pm
The Wind Ups – 6:30 pm
Moonwalks – 7:30 pm
Nestter Donuts – 8:30 pm
The Macks – 9:30 pm
Lobo Lara – 10:30 pm
THE SUNSET
Forty Feet Tall – 6 pm
Namesake – 7 pm
Sunset Images – 8 pm
Marion Raw – 9 pm
Zzzahara – 10 pm
Mystery Guest – 11 pm
BALLARD SMOKE SHOP
Midnight Marauders – 5:30 pm
Plum Vision – 6:30 pm
Dirt – 7:30 pm
Careen – 8:30 pm
Lemon Boy – 9:30 pm
Alex Vile – 10:30 pm
