“Bumbershoot Gives Back, Powered by Amazon” Offers New Way for Fans to Access Free Festival Tickets, Tackle Food Insecurity

“Bumbershoot Gives Back, Powered by Amazon” Offers New Way for Fans to Access Free Festival Tickets, Tackle Food Insecurity

Amazon-powered effort to provide 90,000 pounds of food to Seattle-area food banks, mobilize thousands of volunteers

SEATTLE – Today, Bumbershoot Arts & Music Festival and Amazon have revealed plans for “Bumbershoot Gives Back, Powered by Amazon,” an initiative that will donate 90,000 pounds of food to local food banks and connect fans with meaningful opportunities to improve their communities. Participating fans can receive Bumbershoot tickets and exclusive merchandise. This summer, 2,000 2-day tickets to the 2024 festival from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 at Seattle Center will be available to individuals who dedicate their time to selected community-based organizations focusing on food insecurity. In addition, Bumbershoot will soon launch a virtual food drive. Those interested can learn more and find volunteer opportunities at Bumbershoot.com/givesback.

Details of the partnership were unveiled at the Asian Counseling & Referral Service’s (ACRS) Food Bank in the Chinatown-International District. At the kickoff, an Amazon delivery vehicle containing a portion of an initial donation of 30,000 pounds of food was unloaded by Amazon volunteers. Bumbershoot nonprofit Third Stone’s Executive Director Camilla Walter, Amazon’s Senior Manager for Community Engagement Taylor Hoang, and ACRS’ Deputy Director G. De Castro provided remarks.

“Bumbershoot Gives Back is yet another example of how Bumbershoot is showing up for our community by using our influence to impact change,” said Camilla Walter, Executive Director of Third Stone, Bumbershoot’s nonprofit arm. “We thank Amazon for its continued support of Bumbershoot, and are excited to partner again with a renewed focus on addressing the issue of food insecurity in our region. We look forward to engaging thousands of volunteers throughout the community, who will receive tickets to the festival in exchange for their service via this innovative program.”

As part of the Bumbershoot Gives Back partnership, Amazon and Bumbershoot will donate  90,000 pounds of food to regional food banks.

This program is an effort by both organizations to combat food insecurity in Western Washington, an issue that affects over 1.5 million people in the region.  Bumbershoot will soon launch a virtual food drive organized by nonprofit hunger relief organization Conscious Alliance, where a limited edition poster will be available by donation before and at the festival, with each donation providing 80 meals contributing toward the program. 

“We’re proud of our investments across Seattle and the Puget Sound region over the last 30 years, and as we continue to grow, so does our responsibility to the places where we live and work,” said David Zapolsky, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy and General Counsel for Amazon. “Amazon is committed to working with our partners to find creative solutions that empower our community. This year, we’re excited to be working with an iconic local institution like Bumbershoot to have our sponsorship support critical needs in the region. Through this work, our impact will result in thousands of volunteers mobilizing across the Puget Sound while we infuse local food banks with 90,000 pounds of food.”

Volunteer opportunities at the following community-based organizations are available for sign-up:

• Asian Counseling & Referral Service

• North Helpline

• University District Food Bank

• Rainier Valley Food Bank

• Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank

• Tilth Alliance

• Teen Feed

Learn more and give back at Bumbershoot.com/givesback. The limited-edition poster that will raise money for meals for those in need will be available in August.

About Bumbershoot: 

A celebration of the Pacific Northwest’s unique culture, Bumbershoot is a full-spectrum arts and music experience—from punk to performance art, ballet to wrestling, pole dancing to roller skating, food to fashion, and all manner of ingenuity. Celebrating creators and innovators of all kinds, Bumbershoot breaks stereotypes, champions a more inclusive art community, and bets on the dreamers, makers, and performers who call the Pacific Northwest home. It is Seattle’s moss-covered Mardi Gras, daring everyone to join in the spectacle. First produced at Seattle Center in 1971, Bumbershoot is Washington’s legacy arts and music festival, made for community by community. We believe everyone in the region—from individuals to corporations—has a role to play in supporting the power and vitality of the arts. That’s why we amplify the Pacific Northwest creative community, cultivating professional opportunities for artists, welcoming diverse crowds by the hundreds of thousands, and training the next generation of event producers. We strive to be as accessible as possible—whether in our programming, our physical footprint, our subsidized ticket prices, or otherwise. Today, Bumbershoot is produced by New Rising Sun, a seasoned team of concert promoters and visual arts producers dedicated to supercharging the iconic Bumbershoot brand. New Rising Sun manages and operates Bumbershoot on behalf of Third Stone, a nonprofit that houses the annual Bumbershoot Festival and its workforce development program for underserved young people. Third Stone’s mission is to foster an inclusive and sustainable Pacific Northwest arts economy through youth education and community-driven programming.

About Amazon:

Since our founding in Bellevue 30 years ago, Amazon and the Puget Sound have been intertwined. We’re proud of our roots — that’s why we’re committed to taking a hands-on approach to tackle important issues facing our hometown, like affordable housing and hunger. By investing in long-term solutions and working side-by-side with community partners, we’re building a better tomorrow for all of us across the region. Learn more at About Amazon.

About Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)
Grounded in a commitment to social justice, Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) offers hope in over 40 languages and provides a broad array of behavioral health programs, human services, and civic engagement activities that advance the health, well-being, dignity, and empowerment of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other communities experiencing disparities. For more information, visit www.acrs.org.