Bumbershoot, Seattle’s marquee summer festival, is back Aug. 30-31 at Seattle Center, with this year’s bustling event led by hometown indie music heroes Car Seat Headrest. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are other stellar musicians, food from acclaimed hot spots, a cat circus, a wrestling showcase and much more. Here’s what you can see, do and eat at this year’s festival.
Music
Beyond Car Seat Headrest, Bumbershoot’s marquee acts include alt-rock heroes Weezer (performing their seminal Blue Album), pop/R&B progressive Janelle Monáe and Norway’s ethereal alt-pop heavyweight Aurora — easily the biggest artist Bumbershoot old-timers may not be familiar with, a sign of contemporary music’s increasingly diffused nature. Bolstering the top lines are electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso, still coasting on 2022’s “No Rules Sandy,” and the Conor Oberst-led indie rock vets Bright Eyes, who last year dropped their second album since returning from an eight-year hiatus in 2020.
Now in the third edition under the stewardship of New Rising Sun, organizers have streamlined the festival’s music slate this year, ditching one of the twin main stages near Fisher Pavilion and stacking the bulk of the local artists at The Vera Project. Among the Vera highlights are psych-glazed folk rockers Small Paul, who dropped their mellow-grooving sophomore album “I Was Love, I Was Light” in June, and Seattle genre-buster TeZATalks. The self-described “hardcore pop” artist has been tearing the roof off her local festival slots in recent years, to the extent that an eventual call-up to a larger outdoor stage seems destined.
As for the hometown heavy hitters performing on the Fountain main stage and Mural Amphitheater, jazz-rap pillars Digable Planets — featuring Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler and a stellar Seattle band — are set to play their cult classic sophomore album “Blowout Comb” on Sunday, about an hour before garage-punk greats The Murder City Devils destroy the Mural Amphitheater. Saturday’s Mural slot with Pretty Girls Make Graves (featuring MCD’s Derek Fudesco) ought to mark the 2000s post-hardcore darlings’ largest local showing since starting a reunion swing in 2023.
Saturday’s early afternoon itinerary is well worth checking out, too. After easing in with neo-soul singer Madison McFerrin, Tacoma’s Sub Pop-inked experimentalist J.R.C.G. gets artfully freaky on the Mural stage before New York funkstresses Say She She and Seattle favorites Great Grandpa play quick sets on the main stage. In 2019, Great Grandpa released “Four of Arrows” — one of the best Seattle indie rock albums of the past 10 years — before dissolving into a pandemic hiatus as members scattered around the country. The quintet made its warmhearted return on this year’s “Patience, Moonbeam.”
Other highlights
If you’ve never been to an SOS Pro Wrestling show, prepare yourself for a highflying spectacle unlike any other with Bumbermania. This special showcase, taking place 1:30-3:30 p.m. and 8-10 p.m. both days, is curated by the local group whose monthly Tacoma shows are a blast with eccentric characters galore and plenty of silly surprises. Promising pirates, monkeys and local celebs (oh my!), you can check this out in the Recess District.
Speaking of flying high, there is also the chance to see some of the best Pacific Northwest skateboarders out there taking to the half-pipe at Gravity Park 2:30-3:30 p.m., 4-5 p.m., 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 7-8 p.m. both days. Don’t try these tricks at home.
If you’re looking to experience something on the more supernatural side of things, you can check out the Witches Temple in the Geodesic Domes. Curated by the multimedia artists and community witches known as the Living Altar, there will be opportunities for personalized tarot readings, detailed astrological charts and more. Then, you can swing on by the Pole Pavilion for pole-centered performance and dance curated by Alyssa Kjormoe of Lilith Pole Studio. All of these installations run 12:30-10 p.m. both days.
For those looking for feline-related fun, there is the return of Cat Circus led by the local Motley Zoo Animal Rescue. While the promise of “death-defying” stunts won’t actually put any adorable little furry creatures at risk, you may find yourself willing to die for each and every one of them. The circus runs 1-7 p.m. both days.
At the Art Not Terminal Gallery, there is a group exhibition called “My City’s Filthy” from Vanishing Seattle that will have you reflecting on how Seattle is rapidly changing as it pays tribute to the city’s past and present cultural landmarks, historical storefronts and street scenes. The gallery and the exhibition will be open 12:30-10 p.m. both days.
If you’re seeking the chance to laugh, local comedian/writer/filmmaker Dan Hurwitz is bringing back his curated stand-up programming, the Comedy Coop, this time at SIFF Film Center. It’ll be not just Hurwitz, but a wide variety of comedians, each setting out to give your funny bone a workout, 3-9 p.m. both days.
With all that going on, you’re likely to need plenty of food and drink. This year, the festival has plenty of options to choose from. There is the James Beard Awards semifinalist restaurant Homer, Japanese-style soft serve ice cream from Indigo Cow, fusion tacos from Mexican Seoul, Puerto Rican plates from Lenox, seafood dishes from Local Tide, Filipino food from Musangtino’s x Musang, beef patty burgers from Big Max Burger Co., West African cuisine from Gold Coast!, barbecue from Jack’s BBQ and more. There will also be specialty and craft beers at the BumBEERshoot beer garden, wine at VineShoot and cocktails in the Cocktail Corner to wash it all down with. All these offerings will be available throughout the festival on both days, but BumBEERshoot and VineShoot will be 21-and-older-only after 9 p.m. while the Cocktail Corner is 21-and-older all day.
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