Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival

I always looked forward to bumbershoot as a highschooler! This was a great way to spend time with friends every summer. It is pricey so the alternative is to be a volunteer. During the event days, I would volunteer with some friends and we would all get in for free, stay for the festivities and listen to free music. What more can you ask for :)

Home girl has realized that she is now majorly old.
Not only did I take a full on nap at the memorial stadium during Robert Delong’s set, but it was so satisfying that the festival wasn’t freakishly packed with half naked girls/​fellas, so that I could sleep in peace. I know what you’re thinking who naps at a music festival. Let’s be real I’m a lightweight, and had one too many. And it was so roomy, I’m pretty sure I could have busted out a pillow and blanket as I sprawled out on the benches in the stadium.
But, I super enjoyed this festival, and the amount of room there was. I didn’t feel like I was going to get trampled, there were public bathrooms that I could use, not limited to the portable kind, abundant food choices, with indoor seating?!
This festival is one I would return again, because of its chill atmosphere, not to mention the view of the Space Needle, thanks for the instagram worthy pics! Liked the awesome vendors selling art/​jewelry. Not to mention Starbucks was giving out free samples, and Otterbox had a free phone charging station!
I truly enjoyed this festival, but be warned if you’re into that fist pumping edm ezoo edc umf experience, this is not what you’re going to get. This ones for the old timers! Looking for a cushy, comfortable, pg-​13 festival experience.

I’ve lived in WA for about 15 years and this was my first time going. I saw that The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, Jhene Aiko, Flosstradamus, Zedd, ELLIE FREAKIN GOULDING and Bassnectar were on the list and I just had to go!
First day was rainy and SUPER packed. I had alligator on a stick which I swear was chicken. Wouldn’t say that it was worth $ 9 but whatever. Event food is always expensive. The Weeknd played and we got pretty close to the stage but bops kept pushing which totally killed my vibe. ABEL IS PERFECT YALL. But the crowd sucked. It started raining and there were so many people that we just decided to miss Chance the Rapper and go home.
Second day was so much better! FLOSSTRAMDAMUS AND ZEDD OMG. The line for the pit was too long so we decided to go up to the bleachers. I was kinda sad at first but it turned out to be pretty cool up there. I had so much fun dancing with my friends and new faces and I swear this Asian guy in a cowboy hat came up to us and started singing Beautiful Tonight in our faces but it was awesome!!!
Third day and we saw ELLIE FREAKIN GOULDING WHO WAS AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL OUT THERE. HER VOICE WAS SO UNFFFF AND LOOKED SO GORGEOUS. You should’ve seen me when Love Me Like You Do played. I lost my shit. I literally started crying. Yall have no idea how much I love Ellie Goulding. As soon as she left the stage, we ran to see Bassnectar and it was LIT. We got awesome spots and danced so hard I swear I lost like 3 lbs lol.
The best thing about Bumbershoot are the weird people you meet. I can say my boyfriend and I made so many new friends from around the area and even from different states lol. We were even free to smoke which was a plus. I can’t wait for the line up next year!

Okay, it’s my first rodeo so I’m a novice at Bshoot. I wanted to meet up with a pal and his family in Bellingham during this time so that we could kill two stones with one bird (I prefer Chuck Norris’ way).
We came early and parked in an unnamed garage (unnamed because we got killer parking) and made our way to the center. We entered a line together, with me behind him. I am next and dude who just patted bud down said, I can’t pat down girls step to the next line. I did, but that meant my bud had to wait for a few minutes. I yelled to the girls in dude’s line, All chicks move to a different line, dude will not pat you down.” Gotta help where and when I can. Remember this last line, boys and girls, it’s important.
We walk through the park and have a great time perusing the stands, listening to music, visiting the Starbucks cream coffee shots. Some of the bands we watched was Eliot Sumner, The Melvins, Brand New, Social Distortion, and Faith No More. There was a couple more, but I forgot the name of one and one ended early so we missed it. Knowing music at concerts is loud so we brought ear plugs (thanks Dittles). We found a booth with free ear plugs and both grabbed a pair to have some as backup.
What we didn’t know was the amount of inept and clueless people out there breeding with complete disregard to child welfare. It’s a conundrum that people can afford a $ 100 ticket, but not appropriate child care. At The Melvins I encountered a couple with a small boy of 3 with no earplugs and the show was about to start. I walked over and tapped pops on the shoulder and said this is for the small child on your shoulders. Oh thank you. We forgot his headphones! BS says I, because they put them in the small child’s ears and he removes them and that was it; They only moved because a mosh pit started in front of them.
Second, Social Distortion is going up next and we had electronically gauged the last band (Brand New) to 101 dB, with the interim music being slightly lower that we could yell a conversation at each other. What do we see? A couple with a small girl, no more than a year and without ear gear or proper clothing for the chilly air, playing on the floor of the Memorial Stage area. My buddy and I were griping and decided to stop by on our way to the floor to stake space to give them a pair of plugs for the small girl. Dude was like, no we have headphones! Grahhhh! Use them then d-​bag! You obviously have no idea what you are doing to a small being!
So, we have that last pair of earplugs left, and we are about to watch Faith No More. We spot yet another tot, no more than 2, and dude says your turn. I walk over to pop and tap and say, Here, these are for your boy. He’s like, thanks dude! I mean really! I know it’s supposed to be a family fun event, and it’s not the event’s fault for shitty parenting, but to see so much in one day! I’m sure there was much more. Next year we plan to bring many more ear plugs to help parents cope with child hearing care.
All in all, we had a fantastic time watching Social drummers kill, and Faith No More give me faith in attending live showings of bands that I, previously, wasn’t too excited about.
Faith, man, that was great…

Saw some great acts the first day of 2015 Bumbershoot. But what good was the VIP pass? Some how I thought VIP would mean you could get in a few minutes early, use restrooms, find seats/​places to watch. However, VIP entry to most venues were late opening the doors, causing the missing of first acts at those venues. (Those first in line for regular tickets got in earlier.) Also the souvenir benefits for VIP were located by the regular entrance not the VIP entrance, so picking up those in the early crowds was ridiculous. We decided we would pick them up when we left, but that was so late we did not see where that was. How things were blocked off to where things were located seemed very convoluted. We did not see the food booths until we were ready to leave. I imagine those vendors are not going to be very happy about this year’s Bumbershoot!

One star because I purchased tickets on my phone for the wrong day for my Mom and I. I’m coming from Los Angeles for this. They would not exchange my tickets for the day. I won’t even be there for. Made me run around customer service. I am from Seattle and now I feel aeglive and Bumbershoot are about profit and not respecting the spirit of Seattle or Labor Day. They seem weak that they cannot exchange tickets. Someone is driving a Ferrari. Hopefully I can find someone I can mail my bracelets

Loved the Bumbershoot Festival! It’s is a wonderful weekend of music, shows, comedy, food… I didn’t expect it to be so fun! Being from California, one thing that tripped me out at the festival was how people ignore the rain. I, of course was the nerd with the umbrella, but everyone else embraced the rain, dancing and rockin out like it was 80 degrees out. That being said, it’s for all ages. I saw seniors enjoying the Big Freedia twerk contest, and youngsters listening to folk. It was seriously unlike any event I’ve been to in Cali, and I can’t wait to go again, especially since you can enjoy «smoking» legally… which is always a bonus at any concert :)

The best part of Bumbershoot is playing weather roulette. You never know if it’s going to rain or be sunny or at a minimum, have wet ground which makes for muddy grass.
If you’re thinking about going to Bumbershoot, get on their email list early. That way, you’ll get early access to ticket discounts. Ticket discounts are the way to go. I typically buy an any day pass since I don’t plan that far ahead to figure out which day I’m attending.
The main acts I saw this year was Elvis Costello and Panic at the Disco. Both were great! I’m not a fan of Memorial Stadium being the location for the main stage. I liked it better in Key Arena. I saw tons of other artists and what I love is that people of all ages are enjoying the music.
If you’re interested in comedy shows (particularly famous comedians) secure your spot early since it’s often hard to get into a show without pre-​planning.
Why a 3-​star review? The staff was very hit and miss. Two staff members I encountered were amazing! Four staff members were adequate. Two staff members were terrible. One of the «terrible» ones was actually a supervisor, denoted by clear power between him and the person stationed at the gate, head set, clip board and bossy tone. When I stopped to ask him a question, he was derogatory and judgmental as if I’m supposed to know that they had only one access point into Memorial Stadium.
Lines are sometimes an issue here. Getting in wasn’t a problem — you have a barcode and they scan it — no problem. However, if you’re there all day and night, you may want to re-​enter. For instance, their food is not great so I go out to eat and come back. Each time I re-​entered, my ticket had to be scanned. That doesn’t seem like a big deal but there were often 30 people waiting to get out, three staff members with phones to scan (two of which were not working) and extremely agitated people. Honestly, there has to be a better way.
I’ve already mentioned the food. The choices are truly sad. Fried, soggy, bland, etc. It’s not worth it — go out to eat.

What a great way to spend Labor Day weekend! I have been to quite a few music festivals and Bumbershoot is one of the good ones for a few reasons:
— since it is in Seattle Center, they use the existing infrastructure to the fullest. This means that there are real restaurants, real bathrooms, and lots of places to sit or to find shade.
— sound on the stages is great, with good sightlines and convenient beer/​alcohol areas
— really cool vendors, including Flatstock (poster haven)
— lineups are diverse (not just music, but art and comedy) — there really is something for everyone.
— cost is relatively cheap (before lineup is announced you can get weekend passes for about $ 120)
I had a great time at Bumbershoot this year and will definitely plan to return for this festival!

Each year I would do research on every band and discover new music, however, the new music line up was a bit weak. I went in blind for most of it. I did do 2 days of it and saw a few amazing acts, however, Monday was a dude.
Some of my favorite food carts weren’t there, therefore, I bought more inside food in.
The «Market» didn’t have a lot of cool diversity.
I miss the Key Arena shows even though it was a fight to get in.
Atmosphere was friendly enough, however, not enough activities.
Staff were amazing and show price was good.

The annual Bumbershoot always has amazing lineups good for hearing old favorites or for discovering new bands (often with electric banjos). Over the years, it’s evolved into more of a music/​arts/​folk life/​local flavor fest (aka a sh*t show), but at its heart, Bumbershoot is a music fest and always has amazing people (The Head and the Heart, Wiz Khalifa, Wu Tang Clan, to name a few)… but did you know Bumbershoot also hosts amazing comedy acts (Amy Schumer, Mark Maron, Doug Benson!!), street food and poster exhibitions?! We always head over for an afternoon of roasted corn, rocking to the main stage from the beer garden, and also the possibility of getting new posters or tee shirts at the Flat Stock Poster Show. It’s really quite chill and lovely… Occasionally we do some planned activities, but honestly those can be more frustrating than enjoyable since you might be waiting in line to see a band or comedian you really want to see and there’s always the possibility you won’t even get in or you’ll be standing in the nosebleeds. Boo for lines!
The other bummer is that the beer garden is the only place you can have an open container (It’s kind of a kill joy… like being a dog with an electric collar on. NnnnOoOoO!).

They should rename this festival teenagerfest. Couple of quips here– If you’re under 25, like punk rock, alternative rock, indie rock and/​or fit the urban outfitters mold, I’d say go! There were too many teenagers impatiently running around. I felt like I was in a third world country but with generation x hipsters running around. And I still consider myself relatively young/​fit so I’m not sure how middle aged people/​parents felt. Also the comedy show (comedy on trial) had a lot of raunchy topics. They should rate that R because there were kids in the audience and if I had kids I would not expose them to the weed-​smell/​profanity of bumbershoot. Plus one star and another for trying to put art and words and music all together in one festival. Also freebies galore (though who doesn’t love those).

3 days of sweet music for the mass’s. Now not every artist maybe for you, however for $ 50 per day you can see new artists playing on stage and walk 50 yards and see HEART or Motörhead on the main stage. Also you have comedians in other venues plus music poster art exhibits for you to preview or purchase. Food & beer is also available for your consumption. In fact several stages have beer gardens set up so you can drink & watch the band.
So if your a music aficionado or just a kid wanting to inundate yourself into music culture then Bumpershoot is your Mecca of
Music every Labor Day weekend.

Music rejuvenates my soul!
I’ll travel space and time to immerse myself in bubbles of sound. This jaunt to Seattle was no different. We enjoyed new stuff, fell back in love with old stuff and had a bit more fun than we should have.
Silly memories were made. New hippy dances evolved from the shaking and shimmies of the music surrounding us. The lineup crossed the gamut of genres. The undulations of the audience alone is worth the $ 150 for 3 days of music.
The food selection was alright but there’s a great grocery store a block n some change away from the festivities.
The lines for the bigger acts got ridiculous enough that I skipped all those shows.
Finding water refilling areas was a big ol’ challenge.
Booze was reasonably priced. Added perk was the lack of bag checks. Days 2 and 3 got just a bit rowdier…
Bathrooms…why must it be so torturous.
The amount of fun we had inspired us to make a repeat of bumbershoot next year. See you then!
Smooches!

Word on the street this festival has been going on for 25 years? Whaaaat? That’s awesome! Well it definitely has grown since then, and the organizers need to acknowledge that and roll with some punches.
Overall, festival is pretty rad. Music, art, comedy, film… yeah! But some things are outside where everyone can enjoy them and some things are inside with limited seating. Limited seating creates chaos. UTTER CHAOS.
Let me paint a small picture without sounding too ranty. Key Arena is the main stage, which has limited seating. It’s also where the biggest acts be playing… so peeps be freaking the eff out to see them. Limited seating leads to anxiety leads to chaos leads to massive lineups leads to crazy waits leads to what the hell are you thinking about outside/​inside festival organizers?!
This B waited 4 hours to see Death Cab for Cutie (the anchor of this years festival) as I had to wait in line for the band on deck first in order to guarantee a spot. I started milling before you were «allowed» to line up and endured the Staff Pro peeps megaphone yelling at everyone to leave the area until it was «time». As if anyone listens to that, we want in! Go «time» happens and it is a sticky squishy mob sea of people rushing to get a seat.
This was 4 hours that I could have spent pouring money into the event at the beer garden, at the numerous deep fried stands, artisan shops, or just seeing other acts that would be rad too.
Oh would you look at that? I sounded ranty. BECAUSE IT WAS MENTAL.
I loved the outdoor stages — everything was just far enough away from each other that performances were not impacted by others and everyone that wanted to watch was able to.
Same goes for the Comedy and Film venues… obviously I know those are tricky to house outside… but you get the picture.
It would be cool to have some stands just like the info booths or the comedy tickets box where you could have your ID checked and receive a wristband for the entire weekend. Standing in line to have your ID checked for the bagillionth time is not the best set up.
Death Cab was worth it. I loved the vibe in the grounds. But I did not enjoy paying full price for all 3 days just to stand in a perpetual line up. Would I go back? Oh probably, but I would base my decision on the acts NOT on the main stage.
Bumbershoot needs to call up Goldenvoice and ask them how they manage to pull off Coachella year after year without this mess. Yeah I get it, it’s on a Polo Field and not in the middle of a city proper, but pick up what I am laying down.

Absolutely worth every penny of the ticket price. My parents told me Bumbershoot used to be just a hippie fest and basically a lot like Bite of Seattle is today, but man has it matured into a full-​blown and well-​regarded festival! Tickets go on sale about nine months in advance, and you might as well just buy the three day pass then. Parking is fairly easy considering how packed this festival gets (about 100k people in one weekend) and the center truly shines on Labor Day Weekend. It’s a cool mix of the great local bands from the Seattle area who still play the Showbox/​Chop Suey and acts that made it big.
Just a couple of negatives: The festival has outgrown the comedy venues available at the center, and they need to go back to the good ol’ days when Memorial Stadium was the main stage! Much easier to manage AND larger capacity than the Key Arena. For Death Cab and Fun this year, I chose to get in line an hour ahead of when the band BEFORE them was scheduled to play, and still didn’t end up with great seats inside the Key. I didn’t even bother with the line for Bassnectar as I would have sacrificed seeing four other acts just waiting in line… ridiculous.
I am considering getting Gold/​Platinum passes next year just to avoid a lot of the lines. Seeing a comedy show is a great way to get out of the heat for a bit, but you either need a pass (which pretty much requires getting to the festival before gates open), or have to wait in another line line for about a half hour before the show to ensure you get in.
Random note: They have a daycare facility thingy, but I still think it seems like a terrible idea to bring a young kid to something like this. Parents on Unilocal may feel free to take my opinion with a grain of salt, as I am only 24…
TL;DR Awesome festival in a great city with a growing population. Buy tickets early, you can always sell them later (at a premium!) Consider Gold/​Platinum passes if you don’t like lines.

It was first time at Bumbershoot and I absolutely loved it! The tickets are relatively cheap compared to other festivals (although I heard prices have gone sky high compared to how cheap they once were –free? really?).
I love the wide variety of entertainment. We saw top notch comedy acts (Doug Benson, Todd Barry, etc), which were probably the highlight of the festival for me! The outdoor stages were great too! There’s also film screenings, talks and theater, which we didn’t get to check out, but I love that they were there. We did explore the art, so that was fun to do between sets.
There’s ample bathrooms! There’s loads of indoor venues and plenty of clean bathrooms with no waits. This was a serious plus about this festival!
I loved all the FREE things inside the festival! The Starbucks lounge ruled. Free Starbucks drinks all weekend long, and the line was almost always pretty short. The free Talenti Gelato ice cream bars were delicious. Also, McDonals’s was giving out free smoothies. If you were short on cash, you could subsist on freebies alone — with all the free granola, protein bars, coconut water, vitamin water, etc.
It was easy to get into the festival grounds. There were a few different entries, and they didn’t even do bag checks! Forget the $ 7 beer, I got my own drinks — thanks! Also, we brought in our lunch and some munchies too. Score!
I also never get sick of looking up at the Space Needle or the interesting grounds in the Seattle Center.
The only thing I didn’t like about the festival was the Main Stage. Thankfully there weren’t many acts I wanted to see there, because it was such a pain to get in there. The doors were supposed to open 1 hour before the first band starts (there were 2 bands per a show). And supposedly you were allowed to line up, one hour prior to door time — «could» being the operative word here. People started lining up WAY before, so if you wanted to check out a Mainstage show, you had to get there MANY hours before. If you only wanted to see the opening mainstage band, you were in the same line with the people waiting to just see the headliner. This was a really bad system. They should just pass out wristbands or tickets for which band you wanted to see — like how they do for the comedy shows. I would NOT waste my time trying to see Mainstage show again.

I have been going to Bumbershoot since as far back as I can possibly remember, my mother used to take my as a child & now that I am older. I still go! I go for the music, the comedy, the films– From experience, Bumbershoot is an incredibly diverse festival with lots to offer for people of ALL ages. I hear a lot of people always complaining about the long lines. and I used to be one of those people until I finally gave into getting gold/​platinum passes. it’s basically pre-​paying for all the expenses for your entire weekend… which I believe is completely worth it! If you go Gold/​Platinum: No Lines pretty much everywhere you go, free alcoholic drinks, and 3 free meals a day (good meals), and the benefit of always having a location to refuel and get refreshed… I love this festival so much and it’s in the heart of my favorite city.

Bumbershoot has changed quite a bit over the years… you’d be pleasantly surprised if you haven’t gone in the last 5 years. Yes, the ticket prices are higher, but this means it’s not overcrowded with people who just come to walk around aimlessly eating fried food. The three main outdoor music stages had great programming last year, and the addition of large video screens and live camera work added a level of excitement and intimacy at the same time. They’re doing a great job curating the local art and theatre presentations, and the comedy line-​up is usually top notch. Buy your tickets early for the best deal, and check it out!

2011 Update. It was okay. The crowds here are noticeably smaller than when I last attended in 2009. I think this has much to do with the lack of name recognition of the bands/​music acts playing here. The DMB caravan at the Gorge running in competition with Bumbershoot seems to have cannibalized the number of acts available. Still despite the relative lack of star power, I think that I enjoyed it somewhat.
I like that they have moved the Mainstage to KeyArena. I hated the Memorial Stadium setup. At least now rain or shine, you can see headliners play in relative comfort. Whether you prefer to stand on the floor or take a seat, it is up to you. The Broken Social Scene and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis sets here were good.
The venues are hit and miss. The Starbucks and Fisher Green are great. And the Intiman is an excellent venue for comedy. The Fountain Lawn stage is okay. But a lot of people like to sit by the fountain, so it is a bit tough getting to this stage. So much that I do not bother.
The EMP Sky Church stage is interesting. It is devoted to electronic music. Typically the music plays with some visuals on the screen behind. It is a visual-​audio trip. Though the music is electronic, it is not much of a space for dancing. Too small. Especially when there is plenty of people venturing in, only to leave after a few minutes.
But I have to say the Exhibition Hall stage is the worst. They put all the heavy music acts there. The venue looks like an underground rave space with strobe lights even. The sound is particular deafening. Hearing loss bad. I could not comprehend much of anything from Atari Teenage Riot’s set here. It was just painful noise that I practically retreated from the venue from.
As always, the food and drink options are quite overpriced. But there are still several companies passing out freebie sample snacks. Plus there were other freebies like photos and Toyota was offering a print screen tote. Though the line was immensely long for the bag. Also, had a nice free Starbucks mocha frappuccino in their Insider Lounge to cool off.
It was not the best Bumbershoot that I have attended, but it was alright. I think the smaller crowds had a good deal to do with that.