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Today, Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Arts & Music Festival along with non-profit Third Stone and other community partners, announces its highly anticipated return to the Seattle Center this Labor Day weekend, September 2 - 3, 2023. This year’s event marks the festival’s 50th anniversary, cementing its legacy as one of the oldest recurring festivals in the United States. This year will see curator and producer New Rising Sun bring their expertise in immersive programming to the festival - an experience that amplifies the art, music, food, technology and culture that permeates the region. "We are thrilled to be back and leading with an arts program that reflects the founding principles of Bumbershoot,” says Steven Severin, co-president & Director of Music Programming. “We heard from our community and took action - fulfilling our promise of affordability and inclusivity. When re-imagining our festival for this return, we examined everything through an arts lens and expanded upon what art is and can be. We look forward to sharing our vision this Labor Day weekend."
To celebrate its golden anniversary, Bumbershoot has teamed up with Amazon to announce a special early bird $50 single day and $85 two-day general admission ticket, 50% lower than when the event was last held in 2019, and creating an opportunity for more of the Pacific Northwest community to enjoy the festival by turning back the clock significantly on ticket prices. Together with Third Stone, Amazon is also supporting the distribution of 5,000 free tickets directly to nonprofits and communities that have been underserved. “The Bumbershoot Festival is a legendary cultural institution in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re proud to support its 50th anniversary as the festival returns to its roots, creating an inclusive celebration of Seattle’s artist community,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon Senior Vice President and long-time Bumbershoot fan. “As ticket prices steadily climb for concerts and events around the globe, we’re excited to support reduced and free ticket prices, creating opportunity for more of our community to enjoy the diversity of Seattle’s creative ecosystem, participate in Bumbershoot’s exciting education programs, and immerse themselves in the arts.”
Tickets will go on sale this Friday, February 24 at 10:00 AM PT via bumbershoot.com. Fans are encouraged to purchase in advance as these tickets will sell quickly.
Bumbershoot today reveals a sneak peek of its multi-disciplinary lineup, leading with its eclectic and visionary arts program which marks a momentous return to the festival's original mission to gather the community with art and education at the center. “The long-awaited return of Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival will bring new energy and inspiration to Seattle, showcasing the creativity that helped put our city on the map,” says Mayor Bruce Harrell. “As we activate and revitalize our downtown, I’m particularly excited about the next generation of artists, who will use this space at our cultural heart of Seattle Center to showcase their craft. Beyond a set of fantastic shows, Bumbershoot is a critical opportunity to grow our city’s creative economy and embrace our One Seattle vision -- bringing communities together through shared experiences.” Marshall Foster, Seattle Center’s Interim Director, adds: “From its inception, Bumbershoot has been an expression of our values at Seattle Center – bringing community together through music, arts and the one-of-a-kind culture that is Seattle.”
New Rising Sun principal, artist, and producer Greg Lundgren leads a curatorial team presenting an array of creative visual offerings and mediums. A highlight of Bumbershoot’s 2023 arts programming is Out Of Sight, a large-scale group exhibition in Fisher Pavilion and throughout Seattle Center. The group show represents an annual survey of contemporary visual arts from throughout the Pacific Northwest that will blend commercial and non-commercial art and showcase artists assembled by a team of regional curators. The Art Not Terminal will house the Bumbershoot 50th Anniversary Retrospective: a visual and atmospheric reflection on Bumbershoot’s half century of history as told through crowd-sourced photography, posters and memorabilia. Bumbershoot asks the public to participate in the retrospective and share their documentation of the festival to help compile a colorful and celebrated audience-driven portrait.
Additional creative zones will include: A Fashion District, focused on the Pacific Northwest’s design community with creators working in beauty, apparel and body art such as regional fashion designers Fuchsia Lin and Janelle Abbott, a Nail Art Dome curated by Peka Grayson, runway programs by Laura Cassidy, Nahaan, Mona Real and Ellie Fein, plus Burleskaraoke curated by Ruby Mimosa. The Recess District will redefine the word “play” and blur the lines between performer and performance featuring SOS Professional Wrestling and Roll Around Seatown plus agility performances and more. Some additional offerings include a large-scale sculpture from renowned local artist Wolf Deluxe, and a witch temple curated by Ylva Mara Radziszewski and Kiki Robinson of The Living Altar, featuring tarot, past-life, astrology and palmist readings. The AERO Space and Ascendance Studios will curate a pole dancing program that breaks stereotypes and celebrates pole dancers from throughout the region and prepare to be amazed by BEYOND, the art and technology program curated by Sandy Cioffi and Gretchen Burger of Fearless.
Fans are encouraged to stay tuned for exciting announcements in the upcoming months, which include large-scale installations, culinary arts, and a comprehensive music lineup.
Please visit www.Bumbershoot.com for more information.
Ticket Pricing
$50 early bird 50th Anniversary GA single day ticket made possible by Amazon
$85 early bird 50th Anniversary GA two day ticket made possible by Amazon
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$65 Tier 2 GA single day ticket
$110 Tier 2 GA two day ticket
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$85 Tier 3 GA single day ticket
$130 Tier 3 GA two day ticket
About Bumbershoot:
Established in 1971, Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Arts & Music Festival takes place over Labor Day weekend and stretches across the 74-acre Seattle Center beneath the city’s iconic Space Needle. The festival, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023 under new leadership of New Rising Sun (Joe Paganelli, Greg Lundgren and Steven Severin), is a celebration of the art, music, food, technology and the culture that permeates the Pacific Northwest. In a return to Bumbershoot’s origin, it is an embrace and elevation of art and community. The programming is built locally and managed by a team with deep roots in regional arts production, working in tandem with local non-profits, public schools and historically marginalized voices.
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. Website | Instagram | Twitter
About Amazon:
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
CONNECT WITH BUMBERSHOOT
WWW.BUMBERSHOOT.COM
PRESS KIT HERE
For more information on Bumbershoot, please contact Jessica Puchli and Sarah Haberfeld at Grandstand Media:
Jessica Puchli | [email protected]
Sarah Haberfeld | [email protected]
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