DARRINGTON — Organizers of the Summer Meltdown have announced the lineup of performers for the music festival’s 15th anniversary event, Aug. 6 through 9 at the Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater.
“For our 15th anniversary, we wanted to celebrate Summer Meltdown’s grass-roots beginning, as well as revel in just how far we’ve come,” said festival organizer Josh Clauson, who grew up in the Trafton area. “The first Summer Meltdown was a community gathering inspired by the love of danceable music. Fifteen years later we are still at it.”
The festival presents a mix of funk, jam, reggae and bluegrass music, “with some late-night DJs and ambient beats,” said Clauson.
Performers include STS9, Iration, Tycho, Greensky Bluegrass, Galactic, Nahko and Medicine for the People, The Motet, Minnesota, Phutureprimitive, Lyrics Born, Yppah, Brothers Comatose, Fruition, Flowmotion, Polecat, Delhi 2 Dublin, The Dip, Eldridge Gravy &the court supreme, Theoretics, Tubaluba, A Cedar Suede and the Warren G. Hardings. More bands are to be announced in May.
Otherwise known as the Darrington Bluegrass Music Park, the amphitheater near Darrington has on-site camping and is a great home base for outdoor recreation in the area.
Following the fatal landslide on Highway 530 just a little more than a year ago, Clauson said he is trying to promote local businesses and tourism in the Upper Stillaguamish River Valley.
To that end, the festival received a tourism promotion grant from Snohomish County to develop partnerships with Adventure Cascades for river rafting, Northwest Mountain School for rock climbing and the Pack Station for horseback riding.
The festival includes a vendor village for food and crafts, shaded campgrounds, swimming in the river, a yoga tent and a beer garden.
Meltdown tickets include four days and nights of camping and unlimited access to all performances. The festival, free for those age 8 and younger, has a friendly environment for children and features a kids village.
General admission passes start at $165 and passes for youth (ages nine to 15) are $55.
Last year’s festival raised more than $5,000 for families directly affected by the Oso mudslide and $10,000 worth of free festival tickets were given to first responders, volunteers and their families.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Summer Meltdown
Aug. 6 through 9, just off Highway 530, west of Darrington. More information about tickets is available at summermeltdownfest.com.
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