Bumbershoot's back, with 2023 tickets on sale

After a three-year pandemic break, Seattle's 50-year-old Bumbershoot Festival is slated to return on Labor Day weekend.

Driving the news: Though the music lineup has not been announced, tickets for the well-known Seattle end-of-summer event will go on sale Friday at 10am at Bumbershoot.com.

• To keep the festival affordable for most, organizers teamed up with Amazon to offer special early-bird prices: $50 single-day tickets and a two-day $85 pass, which is about half the price of tickets in 2019.
• Additionally, 5,000 free tickets will be distributed by Amazon and non-profit partner Third Stone to people in underserved communities, according to a Grandstand Media news release.

Flashback: The future of the longstanding Seattle fest was uncertain a few years back.

• Bumbershoot, originally produced by local nonprofit One Reel, was faltering in 2015 when worldwide concert promoter AEG Presents came on in an attempt to reverse the event’s long-standing financial issues.
• But AEG declined to renew its contract in 2019, putting the festival’s future in doubt, Crosscut reported.
• In 2021, One Reel and Seattle Center, which hosts the festival, decided to reassess, according to The Stranger, and they put out a call for proposals that was answered by New Rising Sun.

In addition to lower ticket prices, New Rising Sun's festival will feature more local art and a greater mix of eclectic draws, including fashion from local designers, a witch temple, pole dancing and wrestling.

What's next: The musical lineup is expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks.