Capitol Hill Block Party can be overcrowded and hot, and it is admittedly not for everybody. If you've already decided to roll right past it, we suggest these festivals instead, some of which exist in direct opposition to CHBP, and some that are just trying to get their live music vibes on. If you decide to go to Block Party anyway, though, we'll still be here for you with our Capitol Hill Block Party calendar.
FRIDAY
2017 Eastlake Block Party & Razorcake Emergency Benefit
Join up with your Eastlake brethren for a benefit show and anti-Block Party block party that will go to benefit legendary punk press Razorcake. Featured bands will include Snuggle, Mea Culpa, Dagger Moon, Dead Bars, Sioux City Pete and the Beggars, Bad Future, Subsumer, The Lindseys, Bacteria, Nijlpaard, Your Mother Should Know, and DJ Shrimpy Trash.
Lo-Fi Performance Gallery / Black Lodge / Victory Lounge, Eastlake
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
Under The Block Party
For that Block Party experience off, under, or around the block, hit up this weekend of soul music from Capitol Cider, with two nights of live sets from Falon Sierra, Otieno Terry, Holy Pistola, and Tiffany Wilson.
Capitol Cider, Capitol Hill
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Drunky's Two Shoe BBQ Backyard Music Fest
Drunky's Two Shoe has a new outdoor stage, so they'll be celebrating with three whole days of live music from local groups, along with their trademark BBQ and booze specials.
Drunky's Two Shoe BBQ, Fremont
Sebastian Bach Party V.III
Escape the specific fervor of Capitol Hill Block Party with this tribute to Sebastian Bach that has nothing to do with Sebastian Bach a block away from the Pike/Pine Hellmouth. Enjoy three free days of local bands thrashing out their overcast summer energies, with sets by Freeway Park, Filthy Fingers United, Beverly Crusher, Alo, Baywitch, Xurs, Mo Brown and the Shit Downtown, Ferrari Boys, SSNACKSS, Goaways, Dr Quinn, Tres Leches, Cool Ruins, Little Hero, Mind Beams, and many more across a variety of genres, and DJ sets in the evening.
Therapy Lounge, Capitol Hill
SATURDAY
2nd Annual GIBBYFEST
For the second year running, GIBBYFEST, a whole evening of hard-rocking weirdos, will take over a stage and tear your world apart. Bands this year will include The SelfImportanators, Tobias The Owl, Mental Tronde De Jambe, Mother Chorizo, Skull Sick Remedy, Sir Mark The Poet, Guilty Smoke, and Crofoot.
Tim's Tavern, Greenwood
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
Off The Block Party 2017
Promising an immersive experience outside of the city, the second annual Off the Block Party, set on three acres near Snoqualmie, will feature musicians like Briana Marela, Haley Heynderickx, Great Spiders, Gabriel Delicious, and Emma Lee Toyoda, as well as large-scale art installations, camping, and distractions of every kind. This year's theme will be Stranger Things, so don't be afraid to get weird.
Snoqualmie
