Bumbershoot 2025 Recap
Bumbershoot has always been a vibrant collection of arts and music that started originally in 1971 as a city-funded “Mayor’s Arts Festival”, but rebranded as Bumbershoot, 2 years later in 1973. I could ask myself how it took me so long to go to my first one, but the answer is likely related to the fact that the event takes place every year on Labor Day, a wonderfully coveted 3-day weekend to escape the corporate grind. For some, this might just be the Labor Day event they can look forward to regularly.
While I expected a great time enjoying musical artists for 2 full days, I was not expecting to be blown away at how much fun taking a break from running between 3 stages of music by watching skateboarding, cheering for themed wrestlers, and perusing a huge selection of unique and thrifted clothing items. Bumbershoot really is a solid mix of music, art, and food.
Before I dive into the music, I wanted to touch on the other events a bit. The first of which was the food truck that kept me alive and well through the whole event. Chicken Supply is a local restaurant that popped up in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle in 2021. While everyone was excited about it, I initially delayed my visit as folks were saying how fast their self-described Filipino-inspired fried chicken was selling out. Somehow that delay made its way all the way to 2025 when I saw a short line at the food truck right around dinner time on day 1 of Bumbershoot. I enjoyed my spicy chicken bites so much that I came back for day 2. The guy taking the orders immediately greeted me with “welcome back”. A few days later I finally made my way to their brick and mortar where I ordered way too much food, but would absolutely do it again. While they don’t have the food truck chicken bites available at their shop, the chicken stick is a next level choice.
As I took my first steps into the Fashion District, the level of style around me immediately spiked. I looked to my left and I thought, “that guy looks kind of familiar…” Two seconds later, a woman tapped on my shoulder and asked me, “Was that Macklemore and his daughter?” Confirmed by an Instagram post the next day, I can officially say yes, it was him and his daughter popping some tags at the thrift shops. With a mix of locally owned clothing brands like La Paisa, a mix of thrift shops, and even haircuts being done by stylists from Rudy’s, it’d be an easy afternoon browsing and enjoying the full runway setup. Bonus points if you were able to grab your free Yerba Mate from the Yerba Madre VW Bus.
A standout for me was the SOS Wrestling setup. Staged right in between my walk from the main stage to the mural stage, it was the perfect break between musical acts. The Fisher Pavilion grass made for the perfect relaxing spot to chill out while enjoying Spiderman clutch a victory, or watching (not the real) Macklemore and Sir Mix-a-lot battle it out for Seattle’s favorite. Many sidebends and sit-ups must have been done to prepare for the fight.
Between the 15 year return of Weezer and Janelle Monae’s artistic masterpiece, I’m sure I’ll miss something amazing that happened this year at Bumbershoot, but here we go. While I wish I had gotten to stick around for every act, running between stages to get photos is a fitness act of its own.
I started my adventure with the only reasonable option of someone with the same name as myself, Kyle Dion. He immediately had the early afternoon crowd dancing around in the grassy mural stage perfectly placed under the Space Needle. Having seen them once before, I had to run over and experience Indigo de Souza sounding blissfully wonderful on the main stage. They’re no strangers to touring through Seattle, so I’d definitely recommend keeping your eye out for their next route. Following that, I immediately made my way back over to the mural stage as I had to experience Scowl just one month after experiencing their intimately intense moshing at Barboza. The band’s energy is addicting and filled with a slightly more hardcore punk Paramore energy. They even have a track titled “B.A.B.E.” on the new Skate 4 game!
After a tasty break with the aforementioned spicy chicken, I was able to make my way into the pit for Quasi playing on the mural stage. This high-energy duo felt like real couple goals. They both looked like they were having a great time, and the crowd was feeding off the positive energy. It’s hard to go wrong when Janet f*cking Weiss is involved. Supporting the release of their 2024 album Five Dice, All Threes, Bright Eyes played to a hyped crowd filling the main stage area next to the International Fountain. Having dealt with a vocal condition that required attention earlier last year, the crowd was ecstatic at how well Conor sounded singing new and old music alike.
After a quick stop at a fun-filled intro from Grammy-nominated Tank and the Bangas playing soul-filled New Orleans R&B, I made my way back over to the main stage to finish out the night with Car Seat Headrest and Weezer. These two bands were consistently mentioned as bands that attendees said required their attendance. After graduating and moving to Seattle from Virginia, Car Seat Headrest’s frontperson Toledo recruited the extra band members through our own local Craigslist listings. I’m pretty sure I recall mentions of them taking local bus lines and the light rail to make their way to the show. Another testament to the breadth of musical talent that walk the streets and play at Seattle’s wide range of small, local music venues.
While I expected a huge turnout for Weezer due to the great depth of their discography and popularity, what I didn’t expect was the number of younger fans face-painted with Weezer logos lining the front rows even starting with Car Seat Headrest’s set beforehand. Playing their Voyage to the Blue Planet tour setlist, Weezer’s set felt like the perfect nostalgia to close out the night. Memories of high school nights filled with the full range of Guitar Hero games, Rock Band, and even DJ Hero, songs like “My Name is Jonas,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Beverly Hills,” are always worth spending a night to enjoy.
Cue day number 2. I was NOT going to miss my chance to see The Linda Lindas. After their viral 2021 release of the Live at LA Public Library YouTube videos, I was instantly hooked. The 2022 release of their Tiny Desk (Home) Concert also played in a library was icing on the cake. Experiencing their punk-filled youthful energy is something we all need to help keep the spirits up. Whether it was projection or not, their live performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” almost sounded like they were singing “Racist, Sexist Pig” to an audience shouting in solidarity. The phrase, “The kids are alright”‘ comes to mind.
I eventually was informed that the band Tennis was performing their final tour together. Having not previously listened to them, it’s another case of “How did I not know about this sooner?” As popular as bands can get, sometimes you just can’t keep up with every piece of art that exists in the world, and that’s alright. Festivals like this give us the opportunity to experience a taste of everything. Following Tennis I finally made my way over to the Vera Stage to enjoy Day Soul Exquisite, a 6-piece group based and formed right here in Seattle playing a mix of Neo-Soul, Psychedelic R&B, and Jazz. Their Live on KEXP YouTube video will have you bobbing your head at your desk with the funky bass lines and brass build ups throughout every song.
Never in my life did I expect I would get to experience “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like That),” in person. Originally formed in 1987, Digable Planets felt like a wildcard thrown into the weekend mix. Unfortunately starting a little late, the intro was easily worth it. With the band playing in the background, each rapper made their way on to the stage one by one with their own verses of the song “It’s Good to be Here.”
Starting with a ton of bass and a small mix up on the first loop that made band member Nick laugh and cover his face causing everyone to laugh with him, Sylvan Esso made gravity feel like it was a little bit lighter. This married duo’s music gives a sense of ease and flowy goodness that just makes you want to move your body like a slow-motion waving tube man on the side of the road. Why did I think they were Scandinavian?
Another run over to the Vera Stage allowed me to catch the very beginning of MegaCat‘s set which started with a cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name.” MegaCat is another locally formed band made up of members of Smokey Brights and other fantastic Seattle musicians. Adding a bit of brass to any song will usually get my approval, so MegaCat’s saxophone and trumpet layers really jazzed me up to vibe with their rendition of the song. With little time to make it to the next act, I hurried back over to the main stage.
Calling Janelle Monae a musician would be an understatement. Not only is she an amazingly accomplished musician, she’s also been in award winning movies such as Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and Glass Onion. Filled with colorful flowers and stunning black and white outfits for the whole band dotted with vibrant red flowers, the whole stage was filled with eye-catching entertainment in every direction. Each band member with an instrument was playing with so much energy worth watching. Monae and her dancers took center stage with their own choreography filling every part of the show. An earlier tip told me that she was going to drop down into the pit to mingle with the crowd, but I was long gone from the pit enjoying the show from behind the crowd, so I didn’t get to see if the fans were so lucky.
A short visit over to the mural for Saba’s set allowed me to grab a quick snap before the third song finished. Chicago-born rapper not only releases stuff under his name, but he’s also part of a collective of hip hop artists called Pivot Gang. Saba commanded the mural stage moving back and forth across the whole stage rapping songs that talk about hardships and life’s larger issues. After another short break at the wrestling ring, I came back to the mural stage to enjoy the crowd work of Bob the Drag Queen. While she was originally set up to start her DJ set, it was quickly decided that there were some issues with the decks. Bob the Drag Queen then took the time to come out on stage and chat with the crowd which felt like it turned into a comedy show with just the right amount of crowd work. After a bit of back and forth, she eventually made her way back on stage and started playing hits like “Dancing Queen” and mentioning that there was music in the set for millennials, boomers, and Gen Z-alike.
Aurora has been everywhere recently. Her newer songs being title tracks for a new release on Genshin Impact, or the intro track for Kaiju No. 8 one of hottest anime’s airing right now, her unique vocal talent and style are hard to ignore. As a scandipop fan, I’m no stranger to enjoying Aurora’s earlier hits like the 2015 release of Running With The Wolves. Nicknamed the “Fairy of Pop” this Norwegian artist was also involved in the making of the hit track from Frozen 2, “Into The Unknown.”
Shoutout to the two guys who I fangirled with over Aurora before the Janelle Monae set who mentioned the recent release of the Genshin Impact song. I was a little sad to not see any stuffed Dr Simi toys tossed on stage for her, which was a popular trend in 2021 after her visit to Mexico where she played at the Corona Capital Festival. Aurora even mentioned the sister-city connectedness of Seattle to Norway through the city of Bergen. If you’re ever making your way through Ballard and visit Bergen Place, the corner park close to Sonic Boom records, you’ll see a little plaque that mentions this city connection. I’ve been lucky enough myself to visit Bergen and see the totem pole that exists in Nordnesparken with a plaque that mentions Seattle.
Arts, Camera, Action. We’ll see what crazy mix of fun Bumbershoot has to bring us in 2026.