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Bumbershoot aims for improved 2011, hopes for better weather

Reggae artist Jimmy Cliff is shown here performing at Bumbershoot in 1999.
AP
Reggae artist Jimmy Cliff is shown here performing at Bumbershoot in 1999.

Seattle's venerable end of summer music festival is making changes to avoid a repeat of last year's event: disappointing ticket sales. Festival organizers cited heavy rains for keeping people away, but the changes suggest last year's tickeing schemes may have played a role.

Bumbershoot producer One Reel announced it will drop a discount ticket plan that excluded main stage shows. Instead, it will return to tickets good for all shows, according to The Seattle Times.

This year, a single ticket will include access to all performances — including those on the mainstage — on a first-come, first-served basis.

Other changes:

  • the main stage is moving indoors, form Memorial Stadium to KeyArena
  • new online deals to entice early registrants

Bumbershoot is scheduled for September 3rd through 5th at Seattle Center. It began as a free program 40 years ago, in 1971, and has evolved into one the nation's largest summer music festivals.

Last year 35,000 attended each day of the Labor Day weekend festival, far less than the usual 40,000 to 50,000 average.