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Bumbershoot ROCKS!

Lovers of music and art cannot go wrong by spending Labor Day weekend at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival in Seattle, Washington. Held annually under the shadow of the Space Needle, the three-day (previously four days but recently shortened) festival takes place in a 74-acre park called Seattle Center, which was originally built for the 1962 World's Fair.

Bumbershoot is said to be the biggest urban music and arts annual event. It includes a wide variety of artists and performers (both local and from afar) presenting an eclectic mix of live music in many styles, as well as an abundance of visual arts, comedians, poets and writers, and more.

Bumbershoot is a family-friendly festival with lots of crafts and activities for the youngest festival goers. Booths provide many types of food and drinks for all tastes, and beer gardens provide the adults with ample liquid refreshments while keeping the alcoholic drinks away from those not yet of age.

For art enthusiasts, several galleries display paintings, sculptures and other art in a host of styles which can be browsed throughout the weekend. Also, the annual Flatstock poster event presents a huge selection of rock music posters which can be purchased.

In the half-dozen times I have been able to attend Bumbershoot, I've seen a number of great musical acts, including local Seattle favorites The Presidents of the United States of America and Death Cab for Cutie, as well as Kings of Leon, Spoon, Everclear, Iggy and the Stooges, the New York Dolls, Jerry Cantrell, Elvis Costello, Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, The Donnas, Visqueen, Jacob Dylan, Bo Diddley, the Steve Miller Band, Puddle of Mudd, Lou Reed, Nickelback, and many more.

One of the coolest things about Bumbershoot is its great diversity of musicians, allowing concurrent performances on different stages in many different styles and genres of music, providing something for just about everyone's musical tastes.

Although the name "Bumbershoot" might imply that you would need to bring an umbrella, in reality Seattle's weather is usually gorgeous and mild over Labor Day weekend. Seattle isn't quite as rainy as you may have heard, although a jacket is suggested for the cooler evening shows. In a half-dozen festivals over 7 years I think I encountered light sprinkling rain only twice, which soon let up but never dampened the spirits of the festival goers.

For a fantastic way to celebrate the end of summer, the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival really cannot be beat. The festival's entertainment lineups are usually posted in late spring or early summer and can be found on the official Bumbershoot web site at http://www.bumbershoot.org/ .