We here at The SunBreak endeavor to live A Life of Pro-Tips. To that end, here are The SunBreak’s collective hivemind’s tips and tricks for how to best get around the festival, cultivated over our combined decades of Bumbershoot experience and bequeathed unto you.
MvB: The Bumbershoot 2013 app. If you plan to go, I recommend downloading for the schedule alone.
Audrey: With what seems to be a vast improvement to the app, let’s hope that the accessibility of data networks on the Seattle Center campus is also vastly improved. Josh, you have more experience with the previous incarnations of the app.
Josh: I do think that the app is an improvement over last year, but my festival brain requires a grid. I pretty much always find myself clinging to a sheet of paper with the whole schedule blocked out in timeline form. One bright side of the app: it doesn’t require an internet connection. Treasure the pockets of internet that you find hiding at Bumbershoot, for usually as the crowds increase there’s less of it to go around. Maybe this will be the hear that they bring in some extra towers?
MvB: Just bring a refillable water bottle (or two) and save on buying anything at all.
Audrey: Yes, FREE WATER is a pro-tip. Don’t be a chump!
Shawn: However, the mainstage and most of the indoor venues DO check bags and DON’T allow outside water, so keep that in mind. If you are hungry/thirsty, sneak out to QFC or Met Market for a reasonably priced sandwich and drink. Or plan ahead and grab stuff before you head into Seattle Center.
Josh: Be aware: Skateboards are allowed at Bumbershoot but can not be brought into Key Arena. This is just one of the many quirks of the Bumbershoot rules. In general, expect Key Arena to be its own fortress with its own rules and more expensive catering.
Aside from the the “Mainstage,” it looks like almost all of the music is outside, so capacity won’t really be an issue. That said, if there are comedy shows that you absolutely need to see or arena performances that will make-or-break your Bumbershoot, show up early. Comedy passes are Bumbershoot’s hottest commodity — they’re distributed first thing each day and guarantee entry into a given show. Key Arena might not max out capacity-wise, but late arrivals might find the choices of seating vs. standing areas limited particularly for evening shows or if it starts to rain.
Katelyn: Stay hydrated, don’t eat pot brownies made by strangers, and know where the nearest restroom is at all times.
Audrey: My biggest Bumber Pro-Tip is MONORAIL to get you to and from Seattle Center in two minutes flat. Labor Day is the only time all year I take that accursed mode of transportation, so I’m glad it’s running late this weekend (till 11:30 p.m.).
Josh: If you insist on taking the bus, you’ll probably have more luck getting a seat if you pick it up in Queen Anne instead of downstream on Denny.
And if you’re not rolling through the festival with shiny gold or platinum passes around your neck and care deeply about the comedy lineup, be sure to show up early to get a Comedy Pass. The main stage, now in Key Arena though, doesn’t require a special token as all shows are first-come (up to 90 minutes ahead), first-served.
Dana: The comedy shows are a great way to escape the constant crush of people at the music venues and on the grounds. You get to sit on a comfy chair in an air-conditioned room and laugh your ass off! Be sure to arrive early, as there is always a long line.
Josh: When you are tired, you can leave the festival and return. Or check out a movie at the (tiny?) SIFF film center. Don’t forget: Art shows are a nice change of pace and as well as a healthy break from the elements.
MvB: Best bathrooms? I think there are some that end up less “used.” If you get my drift. Generally, those in specific venues, rather than the ones on the main floor of the Center House. There be monsters.
Shawn: Also, the bathrooms in the NW Rooms are usually the least used of the ones you don’t have to wait in a long comedy line to get to.
MvB: Avoid any path lined with food if you’re in a hurry, because you will either wear yourself out playing Red Rover with multiple food lines or end up with a plate of yakisoba on your shirt.
Josh: You’ll want to get a hundred posters at Flatstock; time your purchases so you’re not hauling your merch around all day and starting accidental tube fights during particularly boisterous sets on the Fountain Lawn.
MvB: It’s still summer, so don’t forget some kind of hat and SPF159. If you forget, it would be worth running across the street to Met Market or QFC. You may want to consider buying extra sunscreen and selling it at a huge markup to people turning lobster.
Josh: On the Be Prepared front, get ready for your phone’s battery to fade. Keep a printout of the schedule handy and pick a meeting time and place to find your friends when you inevitably get split up over funnel cakes vs. elephant ears or Key Arena vs. anywhere other than Key Arena.
MvB: Comfy shoes. Ear plugs.
Josh: I find it mentally healthiest to pick 2 to 4 must-see things per day, get there with time to spare, and then just browse around in between. Sprinting through crowds and zombies to stick to a rigorous schedule of seeing absolutely everything gets exhausting too fast and robs the festival of surprise discoveries.
