Bumbershoot—Seattle’s biggest music, comedy, and arts festival for back with a bang for labor day weekend this year. The festival celebrated its 48th year at the stunning Seattle Center.

The lineup was spectacular and varied—there was a mix of heavyweights such as J.Cole, The Chainsmokers, Ludacris, Chromeo, Fleet Foxes, and Lil Wayne; upcoming and offbeat artists like Great Grandpa, Parisalexa and Superorganism; and hot Seattle favorites such as Travis Thompson and rapper DoNormaal. While it is hard to choose one act, my favorite musical moment was when The Chainsmokers played “Something Just Like This”.

The festival crew was out in full swing with mirrored sunglasses, crop tops, and belt bags. As a Bumbershoot first-timer, I was surprised to see a younger crowd than what I expected with a bit of a very teeny-bopper feel. A lot of the concert-goers looked to be teens and early twenty-somethings. And, it was a lot less crowded than most other music festivals. Not that I minded that one bit. Instead of crazy mobs of people, it was a very relaxed, with only the headliner shows being busier. 

Here are the things that we did that really stood out for me, and made it a special end-of-summer weekend…

Stretched it out at Yogashoot

The best way to kick off a music festival? A relaxing yoga class. And not just any yoga class. Brought together by Yoga Hustle and Seattle Yoga Lounge, Yogashoot did not disappoint! It accommodated 200 students and took place on the mural lawn. With all that crazy jumping and frenzy around, this fabulous uptempo all-levels class really helped with mindfulness and relaxation.

Adjusted the volume at the Silent Disco

It was an incredible experience to dance among glass flowers at the amazing Chihuly Garden and Glass. As the name suggests, it was a no-noise event, with wireless earphones given to participants to tune in directly to the artist’s performance. One of the best parts is that you can adjust the volume yourself! Presented by USC Events & HeartBeat Silent Disco, this was a fun experience with headlining acts by Jack Beats, Sean Majors VS Johnny Monsoon and many others.

Attended a secret party

Bumbershoot revelers could attend a super secret party, courtesy of Uber. Gryffin played a secret DJ set at The Crocodile, at what was a raging Bumbershoot after party on Friday night. We found out about it through the Uber app, as they were the official ride share partner for the festival.

Staying hydrated with all the juice

While music festivals are notorious for libations, I was happy to see plenty of detox options at Bumbershoot. There were plenty of options to hydrate yourself in between sets, or for when you’ve had one beer too many. There was a kombucha tent by Brew Dr. Kombucha, fresh spritzers by Drinkbai and a smoothie van by Odwalla. Cheers!

Tickled our funny bone

What I loved most about the festival was that it offered so much beyond music. The festival hosted some great comedy acts that had us in splits. It was laughter therapy at its best with Eugene Mirman headlining the comedy bill with his uniquely preposterous brand of stand-up comedy. We were able to catch some laughs with Nikkita Oliver and Alex Edelman too!

Indulged in local art

There were so many fun mini-classes and demos at Maker Space, made possible by donations from a bunch of local art organizations. Attendees could learn how to create screen prints at the Vera project, sculpt clay at Pottery Northwest or simply admire local art at different pop-ups throughout the venue.

Photos by Bumbershoot 2018