Bumbershoot In Seattle
Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Arts & Music Festival has revealed their lineup for 2023- and it doesn’t disappoint! There are tons of heavy hitters from all across the globe including many up and comers. This is the 50th installment of this festival and they plan to bring out all of the stops. The fest takes place September 2-3 at the Seattle Center campus. Ready for some of the best acts in indie, punk, soul, folk, dance, and more? In addition, festival producers New Rising Sun, alongside partner/non-profit arts and education organization Third Stone, have launched 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.
Ready to hear some of the lineup? The eclectic mix includes several artists from the local region such as Olympia’s indie/punk trailblazers Sleater-Kinney, Seattle’s very own emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate and the Grammy-nominated Band of Horses. Other nationally recognized acts include Grammy-winner Brittany Howard, hardcore-punk hitmakers AFI, alt-rockers The Revivalists, post-punk innovators Jawbreaker, jazz phenoms DOMi & JD BECK, superstar electronic artist Zhu, Libera Award-nominated soul artist Durand Jones, and world-renowned U.K. DJ and producer, Fatboy Slim. This will be Fatboy Slim’s first Seattle show in nearly 25 years. Additionally, Bumbershoot continues to spotlight Pacific Northwest-based artists on the local and national level such as electronic artist Chong the Nomad, ‘70s inspired female-rock quartet Thunderpussy, brother & sister duo The Black Tones, rock artist Reignwolf, plus Morgan and the Organ Donors featuring Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill, University of Washington Jazz/pop exports The Dip and more to be announced in the coming weeks. Sounds fun!
There is so much good happening with this festival! To usher in this new era, Third Stone, the non profit arm of Bumbershoot, is proudly delivering on its promise to bring opportunity and remove barriers of entry into the live music business for marginalized communities of the Pacific Northwest. Third Stone has successfully launched their Workforce Development Program which will offer young adults aged 17-25 the opportunity to learn critical business skills within the festival and live music setting. In partnership with The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways (CCP) program, this six-month tuition-free, hands-on education experience and paid internship begins in April 2023 and will culminate in the opportunity to work on the grounds at the festival.
Says Third Stone’s Executive Director, James Miles, “We are thrilled to partner with The UC Theatre’s Concert Career Pathways to guide our workforce development program. Together, we will expand the pipeline and close the gap that addresses the barriers of entry into a career in the live music industry here in Seattle.” Miles continues, “When you buy a ticket to Bumbershoot, or make a donation to Third Stone, you are supporting more than just the music and arts festival on Labor Day weekend. We believe that in 10 years, Bumbershoot will be staffed and run by the program graduates. This is how we and other institutions activate social change and how Bumbershoot becomes much more than a music festival.”
Using a “festival as classroom” philosophy, inspired by and collaborating with, Concert Career Pathways Remote Extension Program (CCP-X) from The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA and other community partners like Seattle Children’s Theatre, Friends of the Waterfront, The Vera Project, TeenTix, Climate Pledge Arena and more, Third Stone’s goal is that at least 80% of the graduates will find employment after completing the Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program.
In addition to the extensive arts programming and music lineup, stay tuned for more exciting announcements in the upcoming months. Please visit www.Bumbershoot.com for more information.