Chinook Fest Returns with Allen Stone in Tow

For the past three years, a grassroots music festival called Chinook Fest has been growing larger in a picturesque patch of forest park near Naches in central Washington.

Started in 2012 as a musical party that Seattle band Cody Beebe and the Crooks threw for its fans, the intimate and community-focused event has become a full-blown Roots Rock (blues- and folk-infused rock) festival.

Due to increasing artist interest (Chinook booked alt-country star Sturgill Simpson last year just before he was featured in Rolling Stone) and at-capacity ticket sales, the organizers have decided to hold an additional festival this season: Chinook Fest Summit.

Taking place at the scenic Summit at Snoqualmie resort July 10-12, Chinook Fest Summit will be an all-ages, easily accessible blowout with the same founding principles of the original–community, sustainability and a hand-picked variety of local and national artists.

So if your ears (and arms and legs) are tingling for the musical Promised Land implied, read on: The following is a need-to-know rundown of Chinook Fest Summit.

Lineup Highlights:
(See the full lineup here)

Along with Seattle’s smashing R&B success Allen Stone, you’ll hear big national acts like Brooklyn’s genre-bending rockers X Ambassadors and local talent like Seattle’s alt-country heartbeat The Maldives (see our profile of them here).
Other performers include Barcelona, Vicci Martinez, Tess Henley, Austin Jenckes, Rust on the Rails, Star Anna, and Tango Alpha Tango.

Stages:

The Mainstage–featuring lots of room and a sloping hillside for seating–will be rocking those big acts hard. It’ll be a great place to lie on a blanket, sit and sway, or get your dance on down near the action.

The Plaza stage–nestled amid Snoqualmie’s facility buildings for a ‘hub’ feel–will feature a mix of local and national artists. Its central location and two roaring fire pits will have it bumping daytime shows and late-night afterparties (hosted by DJ Marco Collins) with equal amplitude.

Site of the Plaza stage – complete with epic background scenery; Photo Credit: Code Beebe

Food, Drink and Facilities:

All stages will be flanked by a variety of food vendors, and local brewers are coming out in force (Bale Breaker Beer, Two Beers Brewing, Seattle Cider Company, Naches Heights Vinyard, Gilbert Cellars). One of Snoqualmie’s lodge buildings will be open for those who want to grub on resort classics or just sit down and take a breather.

Camping:

On-site camping includes a large car park that will turn into a neighborhood of festival-goers and their tents ($10/person) and a designated area for RV camping ($80/vehicle). NOTE: Tent camping is on a gravel lot, so bring padding!

Special reserved spots are available on a leveled hillside cut overlooking the action, and for a VIP experience, deluxe 2- and 4-person campsite tickets are available. These tickets will net you a deluxe site with a tent all set up for you and “outfitted with all of the amenities for the weekend,” like cots, blankets, cooler (word has it that there might be a six pack waiting for you) and the appropriate number of camping chairs. Just bring your sleeping bag and extra goodies for the cooler. (Weekend pass sold separately.)

Photo credit: Eric Miller

If you prefer a more removed retreat, Denny Creek Campground and a bevy of hotels are available nearby.

Vibe:

Chinook Fest is a labor of love, and in some ways a response to the explosion of enormous, impersonal festivals in recent years. Both Chinook Fest Summit and Central are designed to be smaller (more neighborly), less crowded (no sardine-can stage crowds), and more laid back (you won’t feel like part of some police-controlled musical protest). The music selections are carefully picked, meaning every band is talented, but not every band is already in your iTunes library. Beyond that, it’s all about good times.

If you’re looking for a ticket to Chinook Fest Summit, you’ve got a few days left to score one at the early bird price. Tickets for this September’s Chinook Fest Central are available on the same place: here.