When you think about huge music festivals, think of...Paul Allen?
The Microsoft founder, real estate mogul and Seahawks owner has announced that he is funding Upstream Music Fest + Summit, a three-day music festival that will take over Pioneer Square. The festival not only includes musical performances but also conference events and presentations all about the Pacific Northwest’s thriving music scene.
Not only that but, just like South by Southwest, the event will also host discussions and presentations related to video games, tech, and film production and how each one intersects with the music industry.
The event will take place May 11-13, 2017 and you’re going to want to block out all of those days if you’re participating.
During the day, everyone will pack the CenturyLink Field Event Center for interactive discussions, breakout sessions, workships, and performances by local artists. At night, artists will perform in more than 25 different places throughout CenturyLink Field’s North Lot and Pioneer Square.
Paul Allen’s Vulcan will manage the event but KEXP and the Alliance for Pioneer Square will also be partners.
There are concerns about the viability of the festival given that multiple ones like it have failed in the past. But backers feel as though the timing is right. It also helps to have access to facilities like CenturyLink Field as well as a Pioneer Square on the rise, development-wise.
So start your planning now. Ticket will go on sale in the fall and in the meantime you can get updates from Upstream from their Facebook page.