The Capitol Hill Block Party is becoming downright dependable as its 2024 edition shapes up with a familiar plan — three days in July, eight stages along E Pike, a mix of free events and activities in Cal Anderson and outside the gates, and a mix of bands including national acts on the rise and local favorites familiar to the neighborhood’s stages at venues like Chop Suey and Neumos. The only thing uncertain is the weather.
Producer Daydream State, the production company from Pike/Pine nightlife entrepreneur Jason Lajeunesse that puts on the annual three-day ticketed music festival on the neighborhood’s streets, has dropped the 2024 CHBP lineup that includes headliners “Grammy-winning producer Kaytranada, electropop superstar Kim Petras, and indie rock group Still Woozy.” Passes are now on sale.
The annual announcement of Block Party acts has become a rite of Capitol Hill spring, pairing with the Queer/Pride music festival’s lineup drop for a one-two punch of summer enthusiasm for the neighborhood.
In 2023, CHS reported on the 25th year of the music festival as Block Party producers have continued to grow the festival while trying not to increase its physical footprint and impact on the surrounding the neighborhood. Recent years as the event has grown and ticket prices risen have included ongoing efforts from CHBP organizers to engage with and support local artists and businesses.
CHS stopped through the 2023 festival to talk with some of the people who attend about their thoughts on the neighborhood.
CHS also talked with producers about their efforts to continue to prioritize local acts.
“We love to see someone play the Vera Stage and then grow from there. We’ve had multiple artists come back, and to see them go from Barboza to playing an entire stage is pretty cool,” Kate Harris, associate producer and sponsorship director of CHBP, told CHS last year.
In 2024, Neumos will also remain a center of the festival. CHS reported here on its 20th birthday and Lajeunesse’s integral role in shaping the club’s rise.
The 2023 Block Party was marred by gun violence outside the festival’s gates. 20-year-old Essence Greene died and three others were injured as gunfire broke out while police stood by as crowds formed to watch illegal street racing outside the Block Party fences at Broadway and Pike.
Capitol Hill Block Party 2024 takes place Friday, July 19th through Sunday, July 21st. Learn more at capitolhillblockparty.com.
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Love it, need this to grow and I hope we can ban cars from this area all together some day.
What’s really cool is being banned from blocks you live next to unless you pay up for a ticket. It’s really cool trying to get to the gym and being told by some zoomer security guard that you can’t enter and having them try and physically stop you.
I’m old enough to remember when block party was an actual block party, not just a money grab that locks residents out of their own neighborhood.
Ageism isn’t a good look Tiffany. “some zoomer” neat stuff! Great comment and constructive too and not at all whiny. Sorry three days of the year where the city comes together is such a problem for you in the neighborhood you chose to live at knowing this happens…. must be so hard.
Jason…If it ‘grows” anymore it may get moved to a venue like Memorial Stadium or something.
Then that wouldn’t be Cap Hill Block Party. We need to continue this yearly in Capitol Hill. It’s vital to the neighborhood despite the transplants whining that two days to get home is difficult, when they know way before in advance.
Oh please, I’ve lived on the hill since the mid-90s and remember when this was an actual block party. If the promoters had kept it local like it was in its original incarnation, without the barriers and with local vendors selling to the neighborhood and local bands only, THAT would be a block party. This current incarnation is nothing like one. They bring in hugely popular national acts, charge ridiculous prices to see them, and keep the neighbors from participating in any part of it unless they can pay. Thus, they should move to an actual events venue.
Yah… and it’s fun. Had a ball with my 10 friends seeing Charli XCX. So many memories.
Shit. Get a real outdoor venue already. Hate it. This event needs to shrink, not grow.
Neighborhood festivals are cool but this is too much a behemoth with massive fences. If you don’t live on top of that block it can be harder to realize but This belongs down at City Center.
We gonna be awake till 4AM this year with the smoke show and the killing?
This event invites underage kids from all over the area to come and trash Capitol Hill. Always trash and shit left everywhere. Also- can’t believe they are still allowed to block the public out from the area. Can’t wait til this eventually gets shut down.
Sorry, things happen and you don’t own the Hill. We like this party and it’s easier to just learn to live with it. It will never get shut down.
Promoters and their “block party” also don’t own the Hill.
This event needed to move to a real venue yrs ago.
I really am sorry you hate fun. Earplugs help, you can try that.
I’m sorry you’re so focused on sanctimony that you can’t see there’s issues with this other than noise, even though posters here pointed out several (access to homes, access to businesses that aren’t part of the block party, getting yelled at by hired goons for trying to access those homes & businesses, neighborhood getting trashed, a handful of businesses & promoters profiting at the expense of area residents & employees) But as long as you and your friends have fun everyone else is just a party pooper am I rite?
Hired goons… lol it was a “zoomer guard” now it’s a goon. Geeeze… got any more hyperbole? It’s two freaking days. Plan a little trip out of town or something and leave the fun to us.
It’s unfortunate that this event didn’t follow Bumbershoot’s lead: treat the pandemic pause as an opportunity to go back to basics, jettison the high-priced national acts, focus on local/regional talent, and lower the ticket prices substantially. I don’t object to closing off the street to vehicles (we should probably do more of that), but I certainly understand why the combination of inconvenience AND exclusionary pricing rubs a lot of people the wrong way.