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Despite state’s planned reopening, 2021 Capitol Hill Block Party canceled — UPDATE

(Image: CHBP)

Short, sweet, and to the point, producers of the Capitol Hill Block Party have announced to fans that the annual three-day music festival has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions for the second year in a row:

Greetings CHBP ticket holder, loyal customer and music fan!
Unfortunately we still have no direction for what a 2021 festival season could look like from the city or state. While we are optimistic about the fall season for live music, we cannot plan a proper CHBP for July 2021. We want to be transparent and appreciate the optimism you shared with us for the 2021 season. At this time we are issuing full refunds for all tickets sold, while we work on the season ahead.
– CHBP TEAM.

Since the CHBP announcement was released, Gov. Jay Inslee and state officials have set June 30th for a full lifting of Washington’s social distancing and business restrictions.

We’re checking with producers to learn more about the decision and to find out if Inslee’s announcement could shift any planning.

UPDATE 2:00 PM: In a statement, Block Party organizers said there just wasn’t enough time to make the festival work in July and that guidance from the city and state was unclear.

“Pulling together an event like Capitol Hill Block Party requires a significant runway,” a CHBP spokesperson said. “Without a clear roadmap on the shifting special event restrictions mandated by Washington State and the City of Seattle, we ran out of time to make the proper arrangements for the return of CHBP that our community deserves.”

The producers “wanted to remain transparent with our partners and customers while we refocus our efforts toward preparations for CHBP 2022,” the spokesperson said.

The Capitol Hill Block Party has been produced Jason Lajeunesse, a co-owner of many Capitol Hill venues including music club Neumos which has also been shuttered by the ongoing outbreak.

CHS reported here about how the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program could aid the recovery of Capitol Hill clubs and stages.

Block Party’s organizers say they have hope the live music scene will be in full recovery by fall.

“We are otherwise optimistic about the return of live music in the fall of 2021, and will continue to work with the city’s special events office to determine the viability of future events while ensuring the safety of our fans,” the CHBP spokesperson said.

While organizers of Seattle’s Pride celebrations opted to move the city’s June events and parade online again this summer, organizers are planning late summer and October LGBTQ+ in-person events and festivities now that the state is on track for reopening.

The 2021 Capitol Hill Block Party cancellation will mark the second year in a row that the COVID-19 crisis kept the one of a kind music festival off the streets of Pike/Pine. CHS reported here on the decision to shut the event down in 2020.

Ticket holders were allowed to save their 2020 passes for next year or request a refund. Some major fans of the festival are holding out, no doubt, for 2022.

The 2021 festival had been planned for the weekend of July 23rd.

Elsewhere in the country, some major music festivals are preparing for crowds again this summer. Wednesday, producers announced the lineup for the 2021 Lollapalooza festival in Chicago featuring Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, DaBaby, and… Journey.

In 2020, a CHBP spokesperson declined to comment on the financial impact of canceling the festival and whether producers carried pandemic insurance.

Last year, organizers said they were considering a smaller form of CHBP or an E Pike street party if possible during the pandemic. That opportunity never came to be amid ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

An effort to hold a “CHOP Block Party” anniversary event in Cal Anderson in June is unrelated to the CHBP festival.

Attracting around 30,000 attendees every year, the Block Party is a rarity as a ticketed event that takes place on city streets. In 2019, years of tensions between the festival, neighbors, and some of the area’s business community again bubbled up with the city’s event planning officials promising to take a new look at how the event impacts the neighborhood. Those promises — and the underlying tensions — have now been overshadowed by the pandemic.

(Image: CHBP)

 

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5 Comments
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Rex Herring
Rex Herring
2 years ago

This is great news. Block Party is a pain in the a$$ for the people who actually live here.

Cap Hill Resident
Cap Hill Resident
2 years ago
Reply to  Rex Herring

Amen

CH Resident
CH Resident
2 years ago

I have a very short list of things I am grateful to the pandy for and one of them is not having to deal with the block party for 2 entire years

Derek
Derek
2 years ago

Why do you guys live in Capitol Hill if you hate fun?

The whole city likes it but we better not do it because a couple people don’t like it!

Maggie
Maggie
2 years ago
Reply to  Derek

Eh, I’ve lived here since the early 90s, and the old Block Party was the best. But then they made it ridiculously expensive and so that you couldn’t even walk around and visit the booths, beer gardens, or smaller stages like Wild Rose without paying the cover and it became less a block party and more of a venue they plopped down in the middle of the neighborhood that I couldn’t afford to enjoy. No thanks.