What are you doing Labor Day weekend? Today, the organizers of Bumbershoot revealed the highly anticipated lineup for the 52nd edition of the annual music and arts festival, and it’s a pretty well-rounded list: Headliners include emo-tinged indie sad boys Bright Eyes, Seattle sensation Car Seat Headrest, Afrofuturist-inspired star Janelle Monaé (who stunned in Thom Browne and a monocle at Monday’s Met Gala), electropop duo Sylvan Esso, and Weezer performing their debut Blue Album for the millennial pop-punk nostalgia crowd.
Other highlights: The preternaturally talented young punks the Linda Lindas, introspective singer-songwriter Indigo de Souza, experimental Oakland artist Spellling, local garage legends Murder City Devils, Chicago rapper Saba, trailblazing hip hop trio Digable Planets, married couple Tennis, and jangly alt rockers Real Estate. RuPaul's Drag Race winner (and recent Traitors contestant) Bob the Drag Queen is slated to deliver a DJ set.
Personally, I’m also excited for the ebullient Grammy-winning group Tank and the Bangas (check out their 2017 Tiny Desk concert performance, which helped put them on the map, for an instant dose of pure joy) and for post-hardcore icons Pretty Girls Make Graves (read Megan Seling’s touching tribute and oral history of the band here).
Besides music, the festival will also offer a selection of food from local restaurants (full culinary program TBA), plus a “Cocktail Corner,” “VineShoot” (a wine garden), and “BumBEERshoot.” On the visual arts side, you can look forward to a cat circus, “free-range artists weaving and activating throughout the crowd,” comedy at SIFF, runway shows and a fashion marketplace at the Fashion District, witches and pole-dancing (!) at the Geodesic Domes, a Bumbermania! wrestling showcase and skateboarding at the Recess District, and Vanishing Seattle’s portrait of the city at ANT Gallery. (More details about the arts programming are yet to be announced.)
New this year: The event producers New Rising Sun and Daydream State have teamed up to offer a “Big Gulp” joint ticket option that grants festival goers admission into both Bumbershoot and Capitol Hill Block Party, available for $340 for 21+ attendees only beginning on May 9.
Otherwise, Bumbershoot weekend passes are available beginning today for a discounted early bird price of $199 until tomorrow (May 8). Starting on May 9, single-day tickets are $125 and weekend passes will increase to $225. If you’re rolling up with an entourage, you can also opt for the new “Crew Pack” option, which includes weekend passes for four guests for a total of $800.
