Overview
Bumbershoot '19
Poster illustration by Eric Nyffeler and designed by Horse Power Design
In November 2019, Bumbershoot faced one of the most uncertain moments in its nearly fifty-year history.
After several years serving as lead producer, AEG Presents announced it would not renew its contract to produce the festival. The decision came after a period of sustained financial difficulty and mounting operational challenges.
AEG leadership described the decision as “heartbreaking,” acknowledging both the cultural importance of Bumbershoot and the difficulty of maintaining the event under its existing structure. Industry observers estimated that the festival had been operating at annual losses of more than $1 million, reflecting the rising costs of producing a large outdoor event on an urban campus.
Many of those challenges were structural. Because Bumbershoot takes place at Seattle Center, the festival must operate within a complex framework of city ownership, union labor requirements, public safety staffing, and infrastructure constraints. Ongoing construction across the campus during the late 2010s, including the redevelopment of the former KeyArena, further complicated the event’s footprint and logistics.
The announcement raised immediate questions about the festival’s future. As The Stranger reported in the article “After 49 Years, Bumbershoot Faces an Uncertain Future,” AEG's departure left the city searching for a new production model to sustain one of Seattle’s longest-running cultural traditions.
Nearly half a century after its founding as Festival ’71, Bumbershoot once again stood at a crossroads, facing the challenge of reimagining how a large civic arts festival could survive in a dramatically changed festival economy.
Bumbershoot 2019's line up included: The Lumineers / Tyler the Creator / REZZ / Louis the Child / H.E.R. / Jai Wolf / LP / Taking Back Sunday / Hippie Sabotage / Carly Rae Jepsen / Alina Baraz / Summer Walker / Clairo / Rival Sons / Bob Moses / Snow tha Product / Reignwolf / A R I Z O N A / Alec Benjamin / SOB X RBE / Gallant / Bryce Vine / Sol / COIN / Bea Miller / The Midnight / Matt Maeson / Kiana Ledé / Two Feet / Pink Sweat$ / Donna Missal / Flora Cash / Madison Beer / The Dip / The Aces / nothing,nowhere. / Manatee / Commune / Kolars / SHAED / half•alive / MORGXN Ryland James / Y La Bamba / Alex Lahey / Jasiah / The Blue Stones / DJ Scheme / Evan Konrad / Jagwar Twin / School of Rock Seattle / Snotty Nose Rez Kids / Tourist Company / Emily Rowed / Art d'Ecco / Alex Cade / Fuzz Mutt / I///U / Baja Boy / Laza / Tracksuit Wedding / L.A. Edwards / Silent Disco - Hex Cougar / Silent Disco - Lowsh vs. Farraday / Silent Disco - Web vs. Coltan Johnson / Silent Disco - Hherb vs. Vitaman B / Silent Disco - DJ Onyxx vs. Night Audit Bumbershoot 2019's arts line up included: Totally Legit / Seattle Design Nerds / Urban Artworks / Tariqa Waters presents Martyr Sauce / Electric Sky / Trivia Puppet Company / Drag Queens of Seattle with Arson Nikki / Butylene O'Kipple / Cookie Couture / Solana Solstice / Mercury Divine & Britt Brutality / Laser Dome presented by Pacific Science Center / Hair Flip Comix Newspaper / Kelly O / Alchemy Arts Collective / Design In Public / Eric Nyffeler / Yogashoot presented by CorePower / Sarah Lovett / Polite Society / Art/Not Terminal Collective / SIFF
