Rebecca Black performs at Capitol Hill Block Party. Photo by Danny Ngan
In a city most famous for its grunge era and artsy fests, Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party (CHBP) stands out as a festival centered on pop music, crop tops, and getting hot and sweaty with a whole bunch of strangers.
Founded in 1997 as a one-day event, modern-day CHBP shuts down the streets of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood for three days every summer. (The fest added a second day in 2001 and the third day in 2010.) CHBP is special not only for its emphasis on popular music — including pop, hip-hop, and EDM — but also for its emphasis on local acts. It’s the only large, mainstream festival in the area to do that.
This year’s local acts like the punky Mr. Dinkles; R&B singer, songwriter, and producer Talaya.; and rock band Weep Wave shared the lineup with major names like Sofi Tukker, PinkPantheress, and Denzel Curry. Past lineups have featured Charli XCX, Lizzo, Phantogram, Father John Misty, and Run the Jewels, among others.
Missed the fest this year or ready to relive it? Check out our photo story by Danny Ngan below for all the highest-energy moments from CHBP 2023.
Acid Tongue frontman Guy Keltner’s dynamic stage performance mixes glam and psyche rock.
Acid Tongue on the Neumos stage.
Lemon Boy celebrates two years as a band on the Neumos stage.
Lemon Boy plays to a full house on the Neumos stage.
Avery Cochrane opens Capitol Hill Block Party on the Vera Stage.
Appaloosa brings classic rock energy to the Cafe Racer stage.
Rebecca Black performs on the Vera Stage on Friday in a not-so-subtle nod to her famous viral song from 2011.
The music video for Rebecca Black’s “Friday” has 167 million views on YouTube.
Fans of Rebecca Black pack the streets around the Vera Stage.
Mt. Fog on the Vera Stage.
Mavi is rapper out of Charlotte, NC.
Issaquah-based DJ Surf Mesa shows support for the Mariners during his set.
Surf Mesa gets a huge hometown crowd dancing during the mid-day sun on Sunday.
Sofi Tukker headlines Friday night with their signature bright and cheerful electronic dance music.
The crowd packs the street for Sofi Tukker’s headlining set on Friday night.
Sea Lemon is the dreampop solo project of Seattle-native Natalie Lew.
Rico Nasty.
Puck.
MUNA performs on the Main Stage on Saturday. The indie-pop trio opened for Taylor Swift on select dates of the Eras Tour.
Fans of MUNA fill up Pike Street.
Madeon performs a Good Faith DJ set on Friday evening.
A fan brings a sign asking Madeon to sign their Launch Pad. Madeon obliged later in the set.
Denzel Curry performs a high-energy set to close out Saturday night.
Redveil and Mavi, both of whom performed in earlier sets, join Denzel Curry during his headlining set.
Denzel Curry fans camped out on the barricade for hours ahead of his set.
A fan crowd surfs during Denzel Curry’s set.
Saturday night at Capitol Hill Block Party 2023.
i///u is a Seattle-based neo-soul band that was formed at UW.
i///u lead singer Katyrose Jordan.
Hannah Duckworth at Barboza.
LA-based singer, songwriter, and producer Empress Of performs an energetic pop set on the Main Stage.
Elohim is an EDM artist based out of LA. Her face-covering started a method to cope with mental health issues.
Channel Tres brings confidence and swagger to his Main Stage set.
Louis the Child closes out Capitol Hill Block Party with an energetic EDM set that got the crowd dancing.
Confetti canons celebrate the end of another Capitol Hill Block Party.
Artists featured in photos:
Acid Tongue
Lemon Boy
Avery Cochrane
Appaloosa
Rebecca Black
Mt. Fog
Mavi
Surf Mesa
Sofi Tukker
Sea Lemon
Rico Nasty
Puck
MUNA
Madeon
Denzel Curry
Redveil
i///u
Hannah Duckworth
Empress Of
Elohim
Channel Tres
Louis the Child
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