Bumbershoot 2026 Recap

While the city hosted innumerable events for Labor Day weekend including PAX West and the opening weekend of the Washington State Fair, we still made our way into a sold-out two-day Bumbershoot for Saturday and Sunday. Originally started in 1971 as the “Mayor’s Arts Festival,” Bumbershoot celebrated its 53rd year of almost continuous yearly celebration in Seattle Center. I was obviously excited for all the musical acts on the lineup, but it was also great to see the return of SOS Wrestling from last year, along with new introductions like Seattle Film Society hosting Northwest-based film shorts. My goal next year is to make it to at least one standup comedy set.

For me, it’s hard to get a sense of the layout simply based on the map released prior to the event, so showing up early and wandering around works best. An added benefit is finding the secret little free items dotted around the grounds. This could be fun little stickers or keychains, but this year’s standout was a free can of Monster energy. After 25,000 steps per day, it’s nice to know I have the opportunity to wander by and get a boost if I need it.

The setup this year moved the main stage across the fountain back over to the Fisher Pavilion, similar to 2 years prior but with the back set against the pavilion itself. This gave great views to folks set up on the Western lawn and halfway up the lawn, but not so great views to those further back and behind the test on the Eastern lawn. There were also some folks stopping by throughout the day to hang out outside the fences on the Western side to enjoy the music from the Fisher stage. This setup may have been forced due to the current construction in Seattle Center, but I’ll always give faith that they did the best with the options they had for the year.

Kicking off Saturday was a whirlwind of acts including the local neo-soul band Hard Maybe, LA-based hardcore punk band XCOMM, Burien-born rapper Travis Thompson, and singer/violinist Cain Culto. Cain Culto’s music is an eclectic mix of genres, but what really impressed me was his visual artistry and stage presence across the Mural stage. What started as an entrance with a burning wood object raised high, he then continued with entrancing violin solos and used the bow to wave his clothing around like some sort of flag.

After that I spent some time listening to Pixel Grip’s dark wavy club-pop tunes on the main stage. Lead singer Rita Lukea kept the crowd entertained with very animated facial expressions that matched the industrial energy of the music. This was my first chance to wander over to the Upper Courtyard stage tucked on the other side of the Fashion District next to an open garage door of the KEXP Gathering Space. This stage hosted so many fun hyperlocal acts that it was always a tough balance bouncing between stages.

I know I’ve been told countless times to go see Bexley as well as Juliet Daniels when they’ve played shows in Ballard, but this was my first time watching their sets, and neither disappointed me. Both artists had the crowd captivated with very different energy. Bexley’s guitar intros were reminiscent of Turnstile but screams like those of Linkin Park’s Chester made for a fun mix. Now LA-based Juliet’s indie pop girly aura left the crowd vibing and swaying along to each track like a higher-energy Clairo. In between those two acts was Aryana Leon, Leon being Spanish for Lion, a Seattle-based R&B artist calling for more sapphic R&B. Having seen her many times, her ability to include fans, known as the PRYDE, into her sets is always impressive. Whether it’s spelling out her name or singing “pass the light,” she always welcomes participation. Continuing on with the Upper Courtyard stage, I also caught a little bit of Sera Cahoone’s soothing practiced vocals and Oble Reed’s super fun “Upper Left Energy” hip-hop.

While standing in the pit before Silvana Estrada’s set, it was obvious that the barrier was filled with her biggest fans. Hanging over it were handmade signs and what I assume were vinyl records people hoped to have signed. If you want to experience the passionate Spanish lyrics that captivated the crowd, check out her Tiny Desk Concert from last year on YouTube. With a big shift in energy, I headed back over to the main stage for my first Die Spitz experience. After missing them a couple times in Seattle, it was a joy to finally see their chaotic rock music wash over the crowd. Each member cohesively rocking on their instruments created a blend of music someone referred to as “Kings of the Stone Age.”

From there it was an artistic performance from iconic feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist, Peaches which can better be explained by pictures than words; a hip-hop duo performance from Beastie Boy-inspired childhood friends Joey Valence and Brae; and a collective emotional experience with Lucy Dacus, singer songwriter and member of the supergroup boygenius. I unfortunately missed out on what sounded like an amazing show from Olympia, Washington formed legends, Bikini Kill.

After a quick stop at the Belarusian artist Molchat Doma’s set to experience the synthy new wave tunes, what followed was a full body experience for many over at the Fisher Stage. At some point during Dev Hynes’ musical project Blood Orange, a light rain slowly made its way over the crowd. This was just enough rain to set a relaxing and toned mood for the crowd to fully embrace the soulful music from this project. A great moment of calm before the proverbial storm of Turnstile that was to follow.

Sometimes at festivals with so many stages, you really have to make hard decisions, and this was one of them. While I tend to listen to Chase & Status quite a bit on my own, after catching the first few songs from them, I just had to make my way over to catch the start of Turnstile’s set knowing that they typically start it off with “Never Enough.” Unfortunately, this was not one of those times to the surprise of myself and many others. Turnstile’s set started with Islands in the Stream and BIRDS, which is typically one of their many moshpit-heavy closers. This caused a quick round of crowdsurfers and thus a quick removal of photographers from the pit. After a bus ride home and a little bit of sleep, it was time to do it all over.

Leading up to the festival, I was already shouting from the rooftops that Atarashii Gakko! was my most anticipated band. What I didn’t anticipate were their fans who showed up at the festival’s opening time to be at the front for them going on 5 hours later. I’ll talk more about them later. Noire Svlon, a project originally inspired by an exploration of the Black hair experience started by Adra Boo and Blake Madden, kicked off the main stage on day 2 with soulful and bass-y tunes. She eventually brought up other family members to sing backing vocals and then her mom and kids. The kids tried to follow her mom out but were quickly told that they weren’t supposed to come out until the following song; it was adorable.

Another highly anticipated act for me commenced the first set on the Mural Stage. Takuya Nakamura is originally from Tokyo, Japan, and moved to the United States in 1990 to study under the legendary jazz theorist and composer George Russell at the New England Conservatory of Music. Using this knowledge, Nakamura eventually started playing trumpet into a mixer and using that live sound right alongside electronic jungle and drum & bass. I kind of wish there was a chance we could’ve seen him paired up with Chase & Status.

Some funky tunes ensued from Oklahoma-raised rapper PawPaw Rod. After that, LA-based duo Sextile danced around on stage to music that made me feel like I was at a modern-day college house party, but in a good way. Their fast-paced synthy beats mixed with high-energy punk-style vocals helped transport the crowd into an underground dance party.

Following a few songs and a land acknowledgement from the Muckleshoot Canoe Family, a band originally known as Kingfisher, now known as Racing Mount Pleasant, filled the stage with its many band members including a couple of brass players. I hadn’t previously listened to this band, but the mix of heartfelt vocals, lightly plucked guitar notes, epic backing drums, and passionate brass additions really struck the right chord for me. I’m looking forward to diving more into them.

Arriving as early as I could to catch Atarashii Gakko!’s set gave me plenty of time to talk to the hardcore fans that posted up when the festival started. I came to learn that this group of fans had their own group chats of folks dedicated to seeing as many shows as possible, most of them had been to at least 30+ shows. Living across places like Ottawa, Tokyo, Austin, and many other cities, these fans felt like dedicated family members. After some fun chatting, one of them gave me a sticker that he made himself that matches the ones the band posts up everywhere from their “Oi AG!” music video. What followed was an unfortunately short, but unforgettable 40 minutes of intense joy. This 4-girl fronted Japanese pop group included beautifully choreographed dances, intensely epic songs, the lead singer Suzuka crowdsurfing and running around the audience and climbing barriers, and each band member putting everything they had into the performance. I’m not sure how I missed their previous Seattle show, and I know I’ll never make it to 30+ shows, but I’m highly anticipating the next chance I have to see them.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her album Telefone was Noname. Filled with smooth, soulful beats, and poetic raps, this album feels like nostalgia and a cozy cup of coffee. While the crowd felt a bit low energy, the mural stage was packed from edge to edge, and folks were even standing on the metal structures protecting the surrounding trees.

Timeless hip-hop legends De La Soul uplifted the crowd after the comedown from the blast of colors from Atarashii Gakko!. The commentary from frontman Kelvin Mercer felt like a comedy set on its own. He even made some jokes about how sad it was that the press only got to hang out in the pit for the first 3 songs of the act as we were walking away. He was super personable with the crowd chatting with every section and calling out the young kids having fun in the crowd. At some point he was even given a bracelet from a fan in the front.

Cain Culto wasn’t the only violinist on the bill this weekend. Sudan Archives learned to play by ear and YouTube tutorials and ultimately created her own style of music she calls “Orchestral Black Dance Music.” Along with her violin bow feeling like a swordlike weapon sheathed and unsheathed during the act, her woodland-fairy-like curiosity dancing around the stage was a performance of its own.

With his latest album releasing next week, anticipation for Orville Peck’s soothing vocals over country pop tunes was high. For his fourth studio album, Orville tackles the stories of his difficult time dealing with addiction, rehab, and finding sobriety. Styled from head to toe in country attire and his iconic face coverings, he put on a stunning performance that included the singles that will be on his latest album. Shoutout to his Calm sleep story called “Tales from the CB Radio” that has drifted me into a cozy sleep many times. At some point I wandered back to watch a bit more wrestling but could still hear his music in the background. It was a surprisingly cohesive combination of arts.

Grammy nominated Tokimonsta closed out the Mural stage with her feel-good electronic dance music that has been the background for many things like Forza Horizon, Google Photos memories, and Peloton. Her positive energy on stage and trippy background visuals emanated across the crowd and felt like a great way to finish off a Sunday.

To fully close out the weekend were the longtime local legends formed in Bellingham, Washington, Death Cab For Cutie. While the photographers were huddled into a small corner for whatever reason, it was cute to see we were standing right next to a group of friends, family, and other backstage folks there to enjoy the set. Frontman Ben Gibbard gave an impassioned performance hopping around stage with his guitar. At some point the audience all collectively worked together to sing “I will follow you into the dark.” It’s hard to imagine what next year’s lineup will be, but it’ll no doubt be another year to look forward to what the team has in store for us.