Skip to content

Food & Drink

How to Get the Most Out of Your $100-Plus Bumbershoot Ticket

Don't make rookie mistakes. Take these festival tips from veteran Seattle music writer Chris Kornelis.

By Gwendolyn Elliott August 31, 2017

bumbershoot-pic

This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.

The annual Bumbershoot music and arts festival, which goes down this weekend at Seattle Center, has been a Seattle tradition since 1972. We asked Seattle music journalist and former Seattle Weekly music editor Chris Kornelis for his insights into how to experience the best of the fest.

1. Go on Friday.
Especially if you’ve never been before. It’s the lightest attendance day and gives you a chance to get to know the grounds.

2. Put a few must-see music acts on your daily schedule.
Then spend the rest of the day exploring other arts. See some theater, film shorts or stand in line for one of those Funny or Die conversations.

3. The best bathrooms are at the armory.
These aren’t just the best facilities at the festival. These are the best public bathrooms in the city of Seattle!

4. Don’t miss flatstock.
This concert poster exhibition—presented in the food court at the Armory—is, for first-timers, the best surprise of the fest. Browse hundreds of pieces of art from some of the nation’s best poster artists. It’s fun just to look, and most prints can be had in the $20 range.

5. Pack essentials.
Plenty of water (natch), unsalted peanuts (they’ll keep you full and won’t make you thirsty) and a pair of socks (trust me, there’s a 90 percent chance you’ll be glad you have them at 11 p.m.).

6. Skip the beer gardens, hit Lower Queen Anne. When you need a drink, wander out (reentry is allowed until 8:30 p.m.) to nearby establishments. McMenamins Queen Anne and Caffe Zingaro have been my Bumbershoot breaks for years.

7. Definitely go. Especially if you’ve never been before. Bumbershoot, on the whole, is more interesting than any marquee headliner (even though Lorde and Solange are probably going to be great). Not all of it’s for you, but it’s an essential Seattle experience.

Bumbershoot
Sept. 1-3, Prices vary; Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.; bumbershoot.com

 

Follow Us

Preston Singletary: The Harmonic Alchemist

Preston Singletary: The Harmonic Alchemist

Multi-talented Seattle artist fuses sound, cinema and glass artistry

In Tlingit lore the raven is a supernatural being who steals the moon, sun, and stars from a powerful man. Seattle artist Preston Singletary can be forgiven if he is confused for the modern-day manifestation of the raven, also described as a shapeshifter in mythology.   Singletary has been enlightening audiences the world over for decades with his…

Prominent Seattle Arts Organizations Seal Merger

Prominent Seattle Arts Organizations Seal Merger

ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Co. began discussing the proposal last spring

Eight months after first floating the proposal, two Seattle arts heavyweights have announced plans to merge. ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Co. will officially join forces July 1. ACT’s downtown Seattle space at 700 Union St. will become home for Seattle Shakespeare productions. Seattle Shakespeare Executive Director John Bradshaw will become managing director of…

Secrets of the Sound

Secrets of the Sound

A new mystery novel by local author Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum draws from her personal experiences

Writer Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum grew up surrounded by words. As children, she and her sister enjoyed falling asleep to their mother’s voice as she read books before bed, and their father — a Lutheran pastor and poet — spent every Sunday working on his sermons, reciting the words aloud as he wrote.  “Being around a…

Rain and Red Lanterns

Rain and Red Lanterns

A guide to Lunar New Year events across the city

Midori in Japanese translates to “green.” Though born “green,” violinist virtuoso Midori Goto matured quickly into one of the most coveted soloists in the globe. Now 53 and referred to simply by a single name (achieving the status reserved for megastars like Madonna, Beyoncé, Adele, Prince, Shakira, Usher, Cher and others), Midori headlines at the Seattle Symphony performing Brahms Violin Concerto Jan. through Monday at Benaroya Hall.   Midori will be…