Bumbershoot '89
Poster Artwork by Carl Smool & Art Chantry
By 1989, Bumbershoot had become inseparable from Seattle’s cultural identity.
Anchored at Seattle Center each Labor Day weekend, the festival continued operating under the production leadership of One Reel, presenting a sweeping mix of music, dance, theater, film, visual arts, and literary programming. Nearly two decades after its beginnings as Festival ’71, Bumbershoot had evolved into one of the country’s most established multidisciplinary arts festivals.
The late 1980s were also a moment of transformation for Seattle itself. The city’s creative scene, particularly in music and independent arts, was beginning to attract national attention. Bumbershoot reflected that shift, continuing to present major touring artists while also providing a large public stage for Northwest talent.
What made Bumbershoot distinctive by the end of the decade wasn’t just its scale, but its philosophy. It was still the rare festival where audiences could move freely between major concerts, experimental theater, contemporary dance, film screenings, literary readings, and participatory art, often within the same afternoon.
By the close of the 1980s, Bumbershoot had firmly secured its place as a defining Seattle tradition, carrying forward the spirit of the original mayor’s festival while continuing to evolve alongside the city that created it.
Bumbershoot 1989's line up included: Al Green, Alexander Cockburn, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Ashi Opera of Japan, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Band, Chris Isaak, Crazy 8’s, Dr. John, Fatala, George Clinton, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Guillermo Gomez-Peña, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Jerome Rothenberg, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Joe Louis Walker, Johnny Winter, K.T. Oslin, Little Richard, Livingston Taylor, Marti Jones, Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88’s, Nana Vasconcelos, NRBQ, Otis Rush with Ronnie Earl, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Phoebe Snow, Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, Seattle Symphony, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Stan Freberg, Tamagawa Dance & Drama Group, Tateyana Shirayuri Orchestra, The Rippingtons, Tracy Nelson, Trilok Gurtu, Valerie Wellington, Victor Hernandez-Cruz, Wayne Horvitz, Zachary Richard, and Zion Harmonizers.
