Seattle is home to many music festivals, but there’s something about Bumbershoot that makes it among the Emerald City’s best. Taking place at the base of the Space Needle every year during Labor Day weekend, Bumbershoot celebrates the end of summer and is always chock full of performers. Not limited to just musicians, there is always an eclectic lineup that includes comedy, dance, poster art, food and craft vendors, and many more. Bumbershoot has been the perfect melting pot of national artists fused with local flavor.
This year’s Bumbershoot was distinctly different. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, this was also my fifth year in a row of photographing Bumbershoot. As a result, the differences were noticeably pronounced. With a fantastic lineup that included The Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, and Faith No More, there were noticeably fewer local bands on the bill. In fact, there were few local artists and businesses represented on the grounds this year, with at least half of the usual food stands open. But perhaps the most puzzling part of all were the lack of photo pits at 50% of the stages, which basically meant artists on those stages got little to no press coverage as there was no where for photographers to be during the set. Disappointing features of this year’s event that will hopefully be corrected in future iterations of Bumbershoot, but still a great festival weekend overall.
Check out select images from the festival below.
Bumbershoot 2015 Photos
In the Press
Suzi Pratt is a Seattle event, food, and travel photographer available for hire. She is also a contributing writer at Digital Photography School and runs a blog teaching others how to start a photography business.
