The ashes of Seattle’s two biggest music festivals have indeed proven temporary. On the heels of an announcement that Bumbershoot will return, the 2022 Capitol Hill Block Party lineup was released this morning, bolstering a faltering will to claw my sodden, vitamin-D deficient way through the rest of winter. The thought of gyrating to Diplo under the beating sun while people in the apartments overhead rain down Otter Pops on the crowd is truly the only thing getting me through the month of February, and I don’t think I’m alone in this.
Alongside the LA-based DJ, other big names on the lineup include Charli XCX, Jai Wolf, Tokimonsta, Beach Bunny, and Toro y Moi. A press release from producers Daydream State placed emphasis on local talent the Black Tones, Enumclaw, and JusMoni, and said that lending exposure to Pacific Northwest indie artists after a punishing two years was one of the festival’s central aims.
Much like Bumbershoot, Capitol Hill Block Party has drawn criticism in recent years for having strayed from its modest origins as a free local music festival, with national headliners and an accompanying flock of advertising sponsors serving to alienate some locals who remember a gritty Capitol Hill of yore. Daydream State seems conscientious of this state of affairs. Associate producer Kate Harris says that they have “worked hard to develop additional free programming that benefits the residents of Capitol Hill, our fundraising partners, and Seattle at large,” and the press release presents the fest’s 2022 reincarnation as a revitalizing infusion for neighborhood businesses that may still be struggling amid Covid.
Click here for more information: https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2022/02/capitol-hill-block-party-seattle-summer-music-festival-is-back-this-year