After staying hushed for months, the inaugural edition of the Upstream Music Fest and Summit finally has a lineup. Taking place in Pioneer Square the weekend of May 11–13, Paul Allen's Northwest counter to SXSW will feature Flying Lotus, AlunaGeorge, Shabazz Palaces, and a ridiculously deep collection of local acts. The summit—more a gathering for the music industry—boasts talks from Macklemore, Quincy Jones, and more. While there's certainly plenty of terrific Seattle talent on the bill—Mike McCready, the Maldives, Shelby Earl, Dave B, Chris Staples, DoNormaal, and Tangerine to name just a few—without huge headliners (Flying Lotus and Shabazz Palaces are tremendous, but far from massive draws), it remains to be seen if people will actually drop over a $100 on an Upstream badge when they can see most of the acts around town for a fraction of the cost without the festival chaos.
Passes for Upstream Music Fest and Summit are on sale now at UpstreamMusicFest.com. Basic festival passes run $110–$135, ones that include the summit cost $225–$325, and a VIP option is available for $425.