Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival

Unveils 2024 Arts Lineup

Legendary Festival Returns this Labor Day Weekend at Seattle Center 

$70 Single Day Pass and $125 Two Day Pass

 On Sale This Friday, March 8th at 10AM via

www.bumbershoot.com

Arts Programming | Download Hi-Res Here

SEATTLE (March 8) – For over 50 years, Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival has brought the Pacific Northwest’s best artists, creators, and festivalgoers to Seattle. Today, the iconic arts and music event announces its 2024 return to Seattle Center over Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1), with a preview of its ambitious and inventive arts programming.

Producers at New Rising Sun, in collaboration with their non-profit partner Third Stone, embarked on a Bumbershoot revival fueled by fresh ambition, optimism, and a mission to uplift and honor the diverse community of artists, creators, and performers who proudly call the Pacific Northwest home.

“Last summer, 40,000 people took the leap with us to usher in a new generation of Bumbershoot,” said New Rising Sun principal, artist, and producer Greg Lundgren. “Built on a promise to return to the original mission of the festival, we broke the stereotypes around who we celebrate, assembling a wide cast of the artists, makers and performers who call the Pacific Northwest home. Bumbershoot is our moss-covered Mardi Gras, and we are thrilled to create a festival lineup that is a vibrant and diverse celebration of our region’s robust arts community.”

Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 8th at 10:00 AM PT via bumbershoot.com. Pricing starts at $70 for a single-day pass and $125 for a two-day pass. Fans are encouraged to purchase in advance and stay tuned for exciting announcements in the upcoming months, which include large-scale installations, culinary arts, and a comprehensive music lineup.

This year, Bumbershoot is reinforcing its commitment to the regional community with the return of fan favorites like the Fashion District, Out of Sight exhibit, and film program while also introducing new programming like a unique partnership with NASA, a Bigfoot deepfake animation competition, and a Comedy Dome curated by Seattle comedian, writer, and disability rights activist Dan Hurwitz.

Bumbershoot’s 2024 arts lineup includes:

• Century 21 District: The Century 21 District at the Pacific Science Center will bring a transcendent and awe-inspiring experience to Bumbershoot attendees. In the iconic mid-century designed courtyard, a “Sculpture Parking Lot” will populate the outdoor space with large-scale contemporary sculpture. “Songs for Space,” in partnership with NASA, will project James Webb Space Telescope images in the PACCAR IMAX theater alongside a range of different vocal groups, including gospel, opera and Gregorian chanting. Inspired by The Golden Record which NASA placed on the Voyager 1 and 2 launched in 1977 – “Songs for Space” creates the immersive environment of deep space paired with live vocalists meant to convey the depth and diversity of Earth’s many cultures and our relationship to the heavens.
  
  
• Animation District: The newly launched Animation District will introduce a Bigfoot Deepfake Competition. This creative, international competition welcomes people to submit their best deepfakes of Bigfoot, as a comedic and harrowing portrait of current deepfake technology. Also in the Animation District, experimental animator and artist Stefan Gruber directs Rock, Paper, Scissors – a material-based group film program. Other programs in this district include virtual and augmented reality, gaming, contemporary art animations and film screenings.
  
  
• Recess District: The Recess District presents the art of performance, featuring roller-skating, gymnastics, breakdancing, double-dutch jump rope, and cheerleading. Seattle Skate Shop 35^th North leads a skateboard competition on a newly commissioned half pipe by Dope Planet. Bumbermania! wrestling showcase returns to the festival under the curation of Grit City Wrestling School.
• Fashion District: Despite outdated stereotypes, our region is brimming with apparel designers and bold fashion talent. The Fashion District returns to Bumbershoot with a wide range of performances, vendors and runway shows. Expect vintage to the avant-garde, hair and nail art, jewelry and a slew of choices to inspire and transform you.
  
  
• Out Of Sight: Out Of Sight is a large-scale group exhibition of contemporary art in the Pacific Northwest. Located in the Fisher Pavilion and throughout the Seattle Center, the group show represents an annual survey of contemporary visual arts from throughout the Pacific Northwest that blends commercial and non-commercial art, installation and new media presented by a team of regional curators.
  
  
• Geodesic Domes: This constellation of micro-environments includes a new Comedy Dome curated by Seattle comedian, writer and disability rights activist Dan Hurwitz. Back by popular demand, the Cat Circus will return with new death-defying stunts and the Pole Pavilion celebrates the art of pole dancing throughout the region. Those seeking an immediate transformation can head to the surreal Wig Farm and pick a new head of hair from a garden of wigs.
  
  
• If You Know You Know: Art Not Terminal Gallery presents If You Know You Know – a group photography exhibit documenting three underground music communities from the Pacific Northwest.
  
  
• Exceptionally Underrated: Bumbershoot TV (BTV) invites regional musicians to submit original music videos as part of the Exceptionally Underrated film series at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF). There is a $5,000 cash prize for best in show.
  
  
• Free-Range Artists: Artists will be roaming the grounds of Bumbershoot. From traditional Lion Dancing to contemporary performance, you’ll discover a variety of performances and installations woven into the fabric of the audience. “Kind of Important Seating” and a Kissing Booth round out this spontaneous and interactive program.

Also returning after its debut last year is the tuition-free Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program, designed to create a pipeline to support the next generation of music industry professionals and lay the groundwork for a more equitable and inclusive music scene. You can find more information on the program and apply here.

About Bumbershoot:

A celebration of the Pacific Northwest’s unique culture, Bumbershoot is a full-spectrum arts and music experience—from punk to performance art, ballet to wrestling, pole dancing to roller skating, food to fashion, and all manner of ingenuity in between. Celebrating creators and innovators of all kinds, Bumbershoot breaks stereotypes, champions a more inclusive art community, and bets on the dreamers, makers, and performers who call the Pacific Northwest home. It is Seattle’s moss-covered Mardi Gras, daring everyone to join in the spectacle. First produced at Seattle Center in 1971, Bumbershoot is Washington’s legacy arts and music festival, made for community by community. We believe everyone in the region—from individuals to corporations—has a role to play in supporting the power and vitality of the arts. That’s why we amplify the Pacific Northwest creative community, cultivating professional opportunities for artists, welcoming diverse crowds by the hundreds of thousands, and training the next generation of event producers. We strive to be as accessible as possible—whether in our programming, our physical footprint, our subsidized ticket prices, or otherwise. Today, Bumbershoot is produced by New Rising Sun, a seasoned team of concert promoters and visual arts producers dedicated to supercharging the iconic Bumbershoot brand. New Rising Sun manages and operates Bumbershoot on behalf of Third Stone, a nonprofit that houses the annual Bumbershoot Festival and its workforce development program for underserved young people. Third Stone’s mission is to foster an inclusive and sustainable Pacific Northwest arts economy through youth education and community-driven programming.

About Third Stone:

Third Stone’s mission is to help foster an inclusive, energized, and sustainable arts economy in the Pacific Northwest through festival, artistic spectacle, and community driven programming. Their primary purpose is to support the Bumbershoot brand by producing a main campus event on Labor Day that is equitably programmed, affordably priced, and accessible to all. Third Stone houses Bumbershoot’s workforce and education program, providing critical business skills to youths aged 17-25 using a “festival as classroom” philosophy. Inspired by, and collaborating with, the wildly successful Concert Career Pathways Education Program (CCP) from UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA, Third Stone’s program focuses on serving youth from communities that have been marginalized. Third Stone also has a goal that at least 80% of the graduates will find employment after completing the Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program. By partnering with the UC Theatre and other local non- profits like The Vera Project, Friends of the Waterfront, Teen Tix, and more, Third Stone works collectively to build a more equitable and sustainable creative arts ecosystem. If you or someone you know is interested in joining Bumbershoot’s Workforce Development Program, you can sign up here.

About Seattle Center:

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region. Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.

For more information on Bumbershoot, please contact Grandstand Media:

Kate Jackson | katej@grandstandhq.com

Nik Soelter | niks@grandstandhq.com

Sarah Haberfeld | sarah@grandstandhq.com

C+C for Bumbershoot

May Wildman | mwildman@cplusc.com