Bumbershoot Music Festival: Labor Day Weekend in Seattle, Washington

This year at the annual Bumbershoot international music festival hit music artists such as Fergie, the Wu-Tang Clan, Lupe Fiasco, The Shins, and Panic! at the Disco, to name a few, will be performing for all of our enjoyment. Writers, poets, visual artists, comedians, dancers, DJs, Flatstock poster artists, and more will all come out to perform at Bumbershoot during the Labor Day weekend at the Seattle Center. It is a weekend long rollercoaster ride in art and music.

The festival began in 1971 when the city of Seattle started the free admission Seattle Arts Festival and opened up the Seattle Center for Labor Day weekend. When financing the event began to become tight, the city let the non-profit organization One Reel take over. One Reel was able to bring in major music acts and also started charging admissions into the main show.

Standing beside modern art, blow up dolls, and other art weirdness, artists like Tina Turner, James Brown, The Eurythmics, and Spinal Tap took the stage. The show presents us with all different types of art, being bias to no singular way of thinking. With its continueing success Bumbershoot began a revolution in music and art festivals helping to spawn many other great outdoor events, happenings, festivals, and traditions for a new generation.

Since its beginning the festival has continued to adapt to the changing world. Hip hop was introduced into the scene along with a more global relevant staging, with performances by groups such as The Grand Kabuki Theatre of Japan and the Ethiopian Circus. New art forms such as break dancing and poetry slams take place along side classic arts such as contortion, circus, street and aerial theater.