Music Festivals

In summer, an array of music festivals fills up the entertainment calendar.

Capitol Hill Block Party (capitolhillblockparty.com) shuts down a segment of Pike Street in order to bring some of the hottest names (think Lizzo, RL Grime, Odesza, Father John Misty) in hip-hop, indie rock, and electronic music to Seattle’s trendiest neighborhood. Those wanting to escape the city while indulging in live tunes can head to the majestic wooded campgrounds of nearby Carnation for Timber! Outdoor Music Festival (timbermusicfest.com). Even free neighborhood celebrations like Fremont Fair & Solstice Parade (fremontfair.com), Ballard SeafoodFest (seafoodfest.org), West Seattle Summer Fest (wsjunction.org/summerfest), and South Lake Union Block Party (slublockparty.com) now boast musical lineups with some of Seattle’s best local bands.

For nearly 40 years, the city has wrapped up summer each Labor Day weekend with  Bumbershoot (bumbershoot.org). The event takes over Seattle Center (305 Harrison St; seattlecenter.com).

Festivals also celebrate other musical genres and happen throughout the year. Classical devotees love Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer Festival (seattlechambermusic.org), which mixes the works of composers to serve as a musical discussion featuring local and acclaimed international maestros. Meanwhile, October’s Earshot Jazz Festival (earshot.org) offers a bevy of diverse jazz concerts—including some genre-blurring evenings—across the city for more than a month. Each February, Wintergrass (wintergrass.com) brings the sounds of bluegrass and acoustic music to fill every hall and ballroom at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency.

See who’s playing around town on our Events Calendar.