We’re headed back to the PNW next weekend to attend our second Bumbershoot in Seattle: a two-day festival jam packed with live music, art exhibits, fashion, stand up comedy, and local cuisine. Bumbershoot is one of the longest independently-ran festival in the world: originating back in 1971 before taking several years off between 2019-2023, then returning with full force back in 2024.
Now, the festival is produced by New Rising Sun, whose mission statement online says it “champions a more inclusive art community and bets on the dreamers, makers and performers who call the Pacific Northwest home.”
We’re looking forward to returning for our second year! In preparation, we’ve compiled a list of some of our most anticipated acts to see. Check out last year’s coverage HERE!
In chronological order:
Pixel Grip | 3:15-3:45pm | Fisher Stage
Chicago electronic trio Pixel Grip brings a sexy, synth-heavy blend of industrial music, Chicago house, and dance-pop to Bumbershoot. Drawing heavily from queer club and disco culture, the band is known for its bold aesthetic, attitude, and high-energy live performances. After opening for HEALTH and building a devoted hometown following, Pixel Grip has become a standout act in Chicago’s industrial scene. Tracks like “Demon Chaser” and “ALPHAPUSSY” are some of my favorites. Expect a sultry dance party with hot fashionistas to start your festival day. – Jan
Die Spitz | 4:15-5pm | Fisher Stage
Austin, Texas’ Die Spitz is coming in hot! Best known for their explosive live shows and being a unique, multi-talented group rotating their instrumental roles and creating politically charged songwriting. After their 2023 EP Teeth, the band released their debut album, Something to Consume, in September 2025 and has since gained national attention through tours and opening slots for major punk and rock acts. With their buzzy, loud sounds and captivating energy, it’s no surprise to see how Die Spitz fangs have stuck in their fans’ skin. – Jan
Joey Valence & Brae | 5:30-6:15pm | Fisher Stage
If you read my review of Joey Valence & Brae’s New York show earlier this year, you’ll know that their live performances are high-energy, borderline chaotic, and an absolute blast. The Pennsylvania duo, made up of Joey Valence and Brae, have built a devoted following with their rowdy blend of hip-hop, punk energy, and old-school influences, all of which translate perfectly to the stage. If you’re looking to “rage,” so to speak, at Bumbershoot, their Saturday set should absolutely be on your schedule. Just a word of warning: unless you’re ready to mosh, you might want to stay toward the back. – Jesse
Bikini Kill | 6:15-7:15pm | Mural Stage
If you’re a fan of basically any woman currently making loud, unapologetic rock music, you owe it to yourself to see Bikini Kill at Bumbershoot. Formed in Olympia, Washington in the early ’90s and fronted by Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill are THEE riot grrrl band, helping spearhead a movement that brought feminism, punk, and conversations around sexism and misogyny to the forefront of the underground music scene. Their influence can still be heard and felt across generations of female and femme rock stars today, whether those artists explicitly identify with riot grrrl or simply inherited the space Bikini Kill helped carve out for them.
There’s also no better place to see them than back in Washington, especially during a weekend when they’ll also perform at Daisy Chain Fields. If you’re heading to Bumbershoot, make Bikini Kill a priority. With their music and the riot grrrl movement continuing to find younger generations of fans, it feels like Bikini Kill are primed for yet another resurgence. You might as well be able to say you saw one of the bands that helped start it all. – Jesse
Lucy Dacus | 6:45-7:45pm | Fisher Stage
Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus is best known for her deeply personal storytelling and emotionally resonant songwriting. A member of boygenius alongside Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, Dacus has also built a beloved solo career spanning four albums, most recently Forever Is a Feeling (2025). Her ruminative lyrics and intimate performances make her a standout singer-songwriter of her generation. If you want something softer, Lucy Dacus is a great fit in your festival schedule. Dacus often draws her inspiration from personal experiences as she explores themes of love, identity, and queerness. Take it slow and embrace your inner hopeless romantic with Dacus. – Jan
Blood Orange | 8:15-9:30pm | Fisher Stage
Blood Orange, the ever-talented British singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Dev Hynes, offers a uniquely immersive sensory experience if you watch his set at Bumbershoot. Raised in England, Hynes began his career as a teenage punk musician before launching his acclaimed solo project. His lush blends of R&B, funk, pop, and electronic music have made him one of contemporary music’s most distinctive voices.
Blood Orange is a major creative force, exploring race, identity, queerness, trauma, and hope through dreamy, deeply personal songwriting. He has also collaborated with artists including Solange, Britney Spears, Tinashe, and Carly Rae Jepsen, composed scores for film, and worked extensively as a producer. His most recent album, Essex Honey, reflects on grief, his upbringing in Essex, and the role music has played throughout his life. – Jan
Goldie Boutilier | 3:45-4:30pm | Mural Stage
One of the best parts of any music festival is stumbling upon a smaller artist before everyone else catches on, and Goldie Boutilier is exactly the kind of name worth getting to Bumbershoot early for. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been making music in various forms for years, but her current work feels like a fully realized world of its own, blending country, folk, Americana, and vintage pop with a glamorous, slightly off-kilter edge. Her songs often pair cinematic production with sharp storytelling about love, heartbreak, ambition, and the darker side of chasing a dream.
Goldie already feels like an artist on the verge of becoming much bigger, which makes catching her at a festival particularly exciting. If you’re drawn to artists who can make classic sounds feel completely their own, add her set to your Bumbershoot schedule now. There’s a very real chance you’ll be bragging about seeing Goldie Boutilier on a festival lineup like this before she starts appearing much closer to the top of the poster. – Jesse
Hannah Duckworth | 4:30-5pm | Upper Courtyard
If your top artists played in Warped Tour, Hannah Duckworth is your Bumbershoot diamond in the rough. Hannah Duckworth is a Seattle local whose music is a love letter to grungy 90s and Y2K alt rock and punk. She brings a refreshing blend to today’s music, especially with her catchy lyrics and sweet-sounding voice. I saw her at Seattle’s Emerald City Comic Con earlier this year; Hannah Duckworth has an amazing stage presence and is a blast to watch. Her performance of “Ghost” was my absolute favorite, paired with a few solid covers. Definitely won’t be able to get her out of your head after her set. – Jan
Sudan Archives | 6:15-7pm | Mural Stage
Sudan Archives, the alternative R&B project by Brittney Denise Parks, is one of the most unique artists performing live today. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Parks learned how to play the violin by ear, and eventually studied ethnomusicology (the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context), in Los Angeles, dedicating her craft to ‘[showing] the Blackness of the violin.”
Her live show incorporates dance, visual elements, and of course, performing the violin. I got to catch her set at Lollapalooza a few years ago, even before her 2025 album, The BPM, was released, and was blown away at her ability to captivate an audience, and general way she incorporates a classical instrument into a sound that’s uniquely her own. At a festival that prides itself in showcasing music, art, fashion, comedy, and more, it totally makes sense that Bumbershoot napped Sudan Archives for their 2026 lineup. – Kristin
Daughters of Venus | 7:55-8:40pm | Upper Courtyard Stage
One of the coolest things about Bumbershoot as a festival is that it consistently platforms local and up and coming Seattle-based artists, and that’s exactly how I discovered Daughters of Venus. The band is made up of five friends who are currently studying at The University of Washington, and decided to make music together with a mission statement of “inspiring girls to pick up an instrument regardless of experience, age, or background.”
I don’t know much about the band, but I enjoyed their music (they only have a handful of singles released currently), and their sound is perfectly at home at Bumbershoot, sitting next to women-fronted acts like Bikini Kill and Die Spitz. If you’re the type of music fan who loves to discover up and coming artists, definitely take a chance on Daughters of Venus at Bumbershoot this year. – Kristin
TOKiMONSTA | 9:30-11pm | Mural Stage
If you want to switch things up and have a real dance moment at Bumbershoot, make time for TOKiMONSTA. The Los Angeles-based producer and DJ, born Jennifer Lee, has spent more than a decade blending electronic music with elements of hip-hop, R&B, house, and experimental pop, creating sets that feel equally suited for getting lost in the music and fully letting loose.
Festivals are always more fun when you give yourself at least one set where your only responsibility is to dance, and TOKiMONSTA feels like the perfect opportunity. Grab your friends, find some room to move, and let her turn Bumbershoot into a dance floor. – Jesse
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