Bumbershoot 2026

Seattle's famed Bumbershoot festival has a long history, dating to 1971, with lots of ups and downs along the way, including a takeover by AEG, who failed to turn the festival into a moneymaker and then abandoned it. That was just before COVID, but a pair of local organizations revived it in 2023.

As usual, it will take place in 2026 on Labor Day weekend at Seattle Center and features both internationally known artists and Pacific Northwest favorites. Bumbershoot has always been more than just a music festival with a wide variety of performances, exhibits and activities. They include nail art, wrestling, drag, pole dancing, sign spinners, free-range artists, performance art, augmented reality, contemporary art, film, vintage clothing, robots, burleskaraoke, large-scale sculpture, modern dance, remote-controlled sculpture, photography, digital arts, culinary arts, tattoo runway, extreme pogo stick, double dutch, make-up artists and a cat circus