Bumbershoot: Seattle\u2019s Arts & Music Festival\u00a0has revealed the 2023 music lineup featuring luminaries from around the globe, Pacific Northwest heroes and the best of emerging music. The 50th annual installment of Bumbershoot will take place September 2-3 at the iconic Seattle Center campus, boasting a previously announced eclectic arts program and now an equally varied musical lineup that includes indie rock, punk, soul, folk, dance and more. In addition, festival producers\u00a0New Rising Sun, alongside partner\/non-profit arts and education organization\u00a0Third Stone, have launched the tuition-free\u00a0Bumbershoot 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.<\/p>\n

Returning to the Bumbershoot stage this year are some of the region’s finest artists, including Olympia\u2019s indie\/punk trailblazers\u00a0Sleater-Kinney, Seattle\u2019s very own emo pioneers\u00a0Sunny Day Real Estate\u00a0and the Grammy-nominated\u00a0Band of Horses. Other nationally recognized acts include Grammy-winner\u00a0Brittany Howard, hardcore-punk hitmakers\u00a0AFI, alt-rockers\u00a0The Revivalists,\u00a0post-punk innovators\u00a0Jawbreaker, jazz phenoms\u00a0DOMi & JD BECK, superstar electronic artist\u00a0Zhu, Libera Award-nominated soul artist\u00a0Durand Jones, and world-renowned U.K. DJ and producer,\u00a0Fatboy Slim. This will be Fatboy Slim\u2019s 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\u00a0Chong the Nomad, \u201870s inspired female-rock quartet\u00a0Thunderpussy, brother & sister duo\u00a0The Black Tones, rock artist\u00a0Reignwolf, plus\u00a0Morgan and the Organ Donors\u00a0featuring\u00a0Tobi Vail\u00a0of Bikini Kill,\u00a0University of Washington Jazz\/pop exports\u00a0The Dip\u00a0and more to be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

The festival footprint will boast\u00a0multiple music stages\u00a0where fans can catch their favorite bands and experience the incredible arts programming. Bumbershoot will utilize spaces throughout the Seattle Center complex including Fisher Pavilion for Out of Sight, The Art Not Terminal for the Bumbershoot 50th Anniversary Retrospective and so much more.\u00a0As part of Bumbershoot\u2019s Workforce Development Program,\u00a0Climate Pledge Arena\u00a0will host students on a production tour of the arena giving future production and tour managers a live look at one of the busiest music venues in the world. Further details to be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n

To usher in this new era,\u00a0Third Stone, the non profit arm of\u00a0Bumbershoot, 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\u00a0Workforce Development Program\u00a0which will offer young adults aged 17-25 the opportunity to learn critical business skills within the festival and live music setting. In partnership with\u00a0The 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.<\/p>\n

Says\u00a0Third Stone\u2019s Executive Director, James Miles,\u00a0\u201cWe are thrilled to partner with The UC Theatre\u2019s 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.\u201d Miles continues, \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using a \u201cfestival as classroom\u201d philosophy, inspired by and collaborating with,\u00a0Concert Career Pathways Remote Extension Program (CCP-X)\u00a0from The UC Theatre in Berkeley, CA and other community partners like\u00a0Seattle Children\u2019s Theatre, Friends of the Waterfront, The Vera Project, TeenTix, Climate Pledge Arena\u00a0and more, Third Stone’s goal is that at least 80% of the graduates will find employment after completing the Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program.<\/p>\n

In addition to the extensive arts programming and music lineup, stay tuned for more exciting announcements in the upcoming months. Please visit\u00a0www.Bumbershoot.com<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n