SATURDAY 9/5
MUSIC 5 pm, #NeverTamed Stage
Recently re-formed after a 14-year hiatus, Minneapolis, Minnesota's totally ripping Babes in Toyland have reportedly picked up the raw punk rock right where they left off. If Kat Bjelland's vocals are even half as ferocious as they were in the '90s, you're in for a delightfully brutal time. Wear your best doll-dress/combat-boots combo. (Update: Mid-reunion-tour, BiT have replaced bassist Maureen Herman with 22-year-old Clara Salyer from the excellent bands Prissy Clerks and Whatever Forever. Daaanng!)
Nearby snack: Ben & Jerry's knows you have the munchies and is always there for you with decadent ice cream loaded with stoner-approved flavor combos. Mmmm, combos. They should make Combos ice cream, right?? Trademark copyright.
MUSIC 9 pm, KeyArena
LA's Flying Lotus (aka Steven Ellison) weaves cosmic hiphop, future jazz, and experimental electronic music into astral tapestries that J Dilla would surely approve of. Go ahead and time that edible with this (I mean, only if you like edibles, I'm not going to be responsible for some Bumber-freak-out over here).
Nearby snack: Peanut Butter Goodness may be terribly named ("goodness" shall hereafter only be accompanied by "gracious" and even then only by the geriatric demographic), but they serve DEEP-FRIED PB&J SANDWICHES! Other items they've been known to throw into the molten oil: brownies, cinnamon rolls, and pickles.
SUNDAY 9/6
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Subatomic Sound System
MUSIC 4 pm, Starbucks Stage
Now nearly 80 years old, the Jamaican-born "Ganja Man" Lee Perry is a highly (LOL) influential dub/reggae figure whose career began in the late 1950s during the first wave of ska. He's also a gloriously freakadelic sight to behold—Perry can usually be found dressed in a wild garment-collage with his hair/beard dyed neon.
Nearby snack: Smokey's BBQ Grill for sausages, pulled pork, and other things you might find on a, um, barbecue or grill.
MONDAY 9/7
MUSIC 7:15 pm, KeyArena
Hotbox (or dance or whatever) to Peaches, the reigning spandex king of all things provocative and fantastically filthy. Peaches has a new album, RUB, out later this month—one single, "Close Up," features the unmistakable sandy voice of Kim Gordon, and the second, "Light in Places," is accompanied by a music video featuring aerialist Empress Stah performing with a laser-light butt plug.
Nearby snack: Dancing Zorba for gyros and other Greek fare. And lemonade. Most stands at Bumbershoot have lemonade.
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
MUSIC 9:15 pm, #NeverTamed Stage
BEN HARPER IS THE OFFICIAL MASCOT OF THE HIGH LIST. He is SO High List–approved, he practically transcends the list altogether and would be a main character in the High Bible, if we weren't too marijuana-addled to sit down and write such a thing out. For only a prophet would write these words: "If you don't like my fire/Then don't come around/'Cause I'm gonna burn one down."
Nearby snack: For this glorious show, I shall recommend the most sacred snack of Bumbershoot: Shishkaberry's. Strawberries (and, in one case, bananas) on a stick, dipped in regular or white chocolate (or both, if you know what's good for you), and rolled in toppings like sprinkles or cookie crumbs.
ALL WEEKEND
Between Garage & Grunge: Glitter, Glam, and Proto-Punk in Seattle's Subversive '70s
VISUAL ARTS & SPECTACLES International Fountain Pavilion
Before grunge but after garage rock, the 1970s in Seattle's underground saw guerrilla theater troupe Ze Whiz Kidz and synth-punk/glam/drag/proto-punk bands like Telepaths, Tupperwares, Screamers, Lewd, Friends of the Rag, and more making weird music and weirder art from Seattle to LA. Posters, photos, film, costumes, zines, albums, and other evidence of our best-looking era of counterculture will be on display.
Nearby snack: Hawaii's Donut for regular or cream-filled doughnuts (you know what the correct choice is here) and Italian sodas.
Ijeoma Oluo: Why This Why That Why Now
WORDS & IDEAS 2 pm, Words & Ideas Stage
Daily conversations on topics ranging from internet hoaxes and trolling to satire and hipster racism with Ijeoma Oluo, an ace local writer whose words on race, feminism, and basically anything else she talks about are funny, smart, and worth your attention. Oh yeah, furries might come up, too.
Nearby snack: Kaleenka Piroshky serves piroshki (meat, veggie, dessert) and little potato dishes that aren't bad.
Reign Supreme Breakdancing Competition
DANCE Dance Stage
Breakdance competition! Crews like Massive Monkees and BC1 Allstars face off with other talented street-dance competitors from across the globe for a three-day "high-stakes breakdance competition." Winners get cash money and the satisfaction of knowing that their bodies transcend what we know about gravity and rhythm.
Nearby snack: Ziegler's Bratwurst Haus not only has, as you may have suspected, all kinds of tubed meat like sausage and bratwurst, but they also serve up curly fries and blooming onions. For those who know their limits/are not competing in any dance competitions today.
FILM SIFF Film Center
Audience favorites and award winners from SIFF 2015! Films during festivals are actually a great way to duck out of the commotion for a sec. Like at California Adventure, where you can sit in an air-conditioned theater to see the Muppet*Vision 3-D movie with almost no line and it's actually so funny you leave with your face hurting and it's hands-down the best 3-D you've ever seen. Ummm. So yeah. Film is tight.
Nearby snack: Fried dough with sugar and honey, aka the elephant ear. Bumbershoot is legally obligated to offer at least one elephant-ear stand every year, right? RIGHT? If not, shut it down.
COMEDY Comedy at the Playhouse
Hari Kondabolu's stand-up is funny even when you're not high or at a local festival, so imagine how hard/loud you're going to laugh during ALL THREE DAYS OF BUMBERSHOOT! He also is really smart, is a Libra, and released a comedy album on Kill Rock Stars last year called Waiting for 2042.
Nearby snack: Roasted corn! Roasted corn! Roasted corn!
DISCO EMP Sky Church
"Silent Disco" (a silent party where attendees wear wireless headphones and tune into one of two live DJs and dance it out from there) has its own category on the schedule this year. If you've been hesitant to try this trend (I can't imagine why), I'm going to say that there may be no better or less-inhibited time than while brain-meltingly stoned on marijuana and festival tiredness! The DJs on deck include Dr. Fresch, Candyland, Dieselboy, and lots of top-notch local talent.
Nearby snack: If you're gonna dance all evening, get that water. Sparkling water, water-fountain water, Vitamin Water, bottled water. It's good for cottonmouth and for not passing out from dehydration.
See The Stranger's Things To Do calendar for our complete guide to Bumbershoot.