Every May, the Gorge Amphitheater in eastern Washington hosts a massive music festival that lasts for three days. Basically Washington’s version of California’s Coachella festival, Sasquatch Music Festival has been a yearly pilgrimage for people young and old. Presented by the House of Blues, the festival usually caters to indie rock bands, alternative bands, hip hop singers and groups, and even comedians. Over the years the Sasquatch lineup has wavered and sometimes, the drive, price of tickets, and camping just aren’t worth the performances. However, this year, the lineup is top notch.

This year, May 25th through the 28th, performers like Jack White (solo), Beck, Bon Iver, The Shins, Beirut, Feist, Metric, The Cave Singers, Blind Pilot, The Roots, and so so much more will be headlining on Sasquatch’s main stage. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen will be performing their hilarious skits from their newest show Portlandia in the comedy tent along with other comedians.

I’ve been making the pilgrimage to the Gorge almost every year for the past 5 years and  rarely are the lineups this juicy. I’m pretty bummed I’ll be unable to sit on the hillside of the natural amphitheater and watch The Shins jam while the sun sets, casting beautiful reds and oranges across the desert and throughout the gorge. 

Founded in 2002, Sasquatch is the baby of Adam Zacks who saw the need for Washington to have its own great annual music festival, after large festivals like Lollapalooza and Lilith began to diminish in popularity. Since then, Sasquatch has been raging on strong along with national festivals like Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and of course Coachella