Culture, Cloudbreak and Capitol Hill: Seattle’s iconic festival calendar returns

Tuesday, Feb 07, 2023 0

Known for its huge culture scene, music history and growing gastronomy ventures, Seattle’s festival calendar is a true reflection of the exciting city. Below are five of the best festivals that will be returning to the cultural city for another year.

PrideFest (24 – 25 June)

Located in both Capitol Hill and at the Seattle Center, PrideFest welcomes an array of citywide celebrations and exciting events. With the central focus being the celebration of love in the LGBTQIA+ community, this year’s theme and events calendar is yet to be announced. However, travellers can expect colourful festivities with bright decor, outfits, excellent music, dancing, performances and special guests.

Capitol Hill Block Party (21-23 July)

Celebrating the Capitol Hill neighbourhood in Seattle, Capitol Hill Block Party has 100 local and national acts performing at bars, outdoor stages and restaurants in the area. Known for creating the world’s most influential musicians, such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Seattle is the city for music fanatics and Capitol Hill is where the newest and best in the industry can be found. This year’s headliners are still TBC.

Bumbershoot (Labor Day Weekend)

Bumbershoot was named after an umbrella to describe the wide variety of arts and performances that the festival encompasses. Returning in 2023, attendees can expect an abundance of culture including comedy, film, dance, theatre, literature and visual arts events. The lineup is heavy on music and has previously featured icons such as Bob Dylan and Mary J Blige. Part of the primary focus of the lineup is regional Pacific Northwest talent. Bumbershoot will be held over the Labor Day weekend – seeing out a very busy season of summer festivals.

Refract returns for a 5th year (12 – 15 October)

Bringing together the art community, Refract returns for its 5th year. Celebrating a milestone and continuing to showcase the creative uses of glass in the Pacific Northwest, around 60 local artists will showcase their talent, shining a spotlight on the intricate medium of glass art. During, glass art enthusiasts and newcomers will enjoy artist parties, exclusive open studio tours, special gallery exhibitions, hands-on experiences and intimate glass blowing demonstrations at multiple locations across the city.

Cloudbreak (tbc November)

After a successful first year, Cloudbreak is due to return in late 2023. A true celebration of the city’s vibrant music venues, the once in a lifetime festival is a joint venture between Visit Seattle and King County, inviting travellers and locals to immerse themselves in Seattle’s much-loved live music scene. As part of the music-driven festival, hotel guests at 70 participating Downtown Seattle hotels will gain free access to over 60 concerts across the city throughout the course of the festival. Guests can show their hotel key card along with a special Cloudbreak card on arrival at participating music venues in order to enter, until full capacity is reached.