Overview
Bumbershoot '93
Official Poster Artwork by Laura Castellanos
By 1993, Seattle’s cultural influence had exploded onto the national and global stage, and Bumbershoot stood right at the center of that moment.
Produced by One Reel, the festival continued its now well-established tradition of transforming Seattle Center into a sprawling Labor Day weekend arts gathering. Music, theater, dance, film, literature, and visual art unfolded simultaneously across the campus, maintaining the festival’s multidisciplinary identity.
The early 1990s marked the peak of Seattle’s emergence as a cultural powerhouse, particularly in music. Artists associated with the city’s alternative and independent scenes were reshaping the national music landscape, and Bumbershoot provided one of the most visible stages where regional talent could appear alongside major touring acts.
But even as Seattle’s music scene gained international attention, Bumbershoot continued to resist becoming a single-genre event. The festival remained committed to the expansive programming model that had defined it for more than two decades. The result was a festival that mirrored the city itself, innovative, eclectic, and collaborative.
By 1993, Bumbershoot had firmly secured its place as both a civic tradition and a cultural showcase, offering a platform where Seattle’s creative energy could meet audiences from across the country.
Bumbershoot 1993's line up included: Abdelrahman Munif / Alejandro Escovedo / Ali Farka Toure / Barenaked Ladies / Black Umfolosi / Blind Boys of Alabama / Boukan Guinen / Buckwheat Zydeco / Cab Calloway / Chaba Fadela & Cheb Sahraoui / Charlotte Diamond / Chet Atkins / D’Cuckoo / Dwight Yoakam / Francisco Aguabella / Gin Blossoms / Irma Thomas Band / James Broughton / Jimmy Cliff / Junior Brown / Kofi Awoonor / Les Tetes Brulees / Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials / Los Lobos / Lucinda Williams / Luis J. Rodriquez / Mark O’Connor / Michael Doucet avec Beausoleil / Michael Hedges / Mudhoney / Naughty By Nature / Nawal El Saadawi / Norman Foote / Nuyorican Poets / Ohio Players / Paula Poundstone / Ray Charles / Richard Peck / Robben Ford & the Blue Line / Robert Fulghum / Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings / Sherman Alexie / Terry Bozio / Terry McMillan / The Chambers Brothers / The Klezmatics / The Sundogs / Tish Hinojosa / UB40 / Violent Femmes / War
