Can Pacific Northwest music festivals find their rhythm?

Can Pacific Northwest music festivals find their rhythm? Monica Nickelsburg August 27, 2025 / 11:11 am

It’s music festival season in Seattle, and while this weekend’s Bumbershoot lives on, the Pacific Northwest is haunted by ghosts of parties past.

Sasquatch!, What the Festival, and Decibel are just a few beloved local festivals that sang their last tune years ago, despite dedicated fan bases. It mirrors a national trend. In the past few years, dozens of music festivals have been cancelled . And even the biggest, most popular events are showing some signs of demand softening.

On the latest episode of Booming , KUOW’s economy team dug into why its so hard for music festivals to find their rhythm.

Risky business

In the streaming era, music festivals have become an increasi