Day In Day Out Festival
Fisher Green Pavilion Seattle, WA
08.12.23 & 08.13.23

In the ever-growing and evolving Seattle music festival scene, the new kid on the block is the sprawling, yet intimate, Day In Day Out (DIDO) Festival. In just its third year, and couched between Capitol Hill Block Party and the newly revamped Bumbershoot, DIDO is but a short weekend in Fisher Pavilion. Yet, the strength of its lineup certainly suggests it’s here to stay, and may very well be the strongest new music festival in the country.

One would be hard-pressed to find any event – be it entertainment, sports, or your neighborhood block party – that brings out such an enriching diversity of attendees as DIDO. But when the net of headliners cast includes acts as wide-reaching as Leon Bridges, Willow Smith, Bon Iver, Dominic Fike, Explosions in the Sky, Ethel Cain, and beyond, well…that variety is almost a foregone conclusion.

DIDO isn’t a sprawling festival: it’s one main stage and a tiny DJ setup stage right. And while DIDO is rapidly gaining in popularity, evidenced by its reportedly being 99.5% sold out, it still manages to feel intimate given the fact each artist is the sole focus whenever they’re on stage – something to which many music festivals simply don’t lend themselves. 

Day 1 highlights included local opener Enumclaw effortlessly bringing each person through the festival gates straight to the stage with their infectious energy, a star-in-the-making turn by the brilliant Yaeji (whose recent album, With A Hammer, must be heard live to fully experience), Dominic Fike’s rock-punk-folk-rap appealing to both the all ages and 21+ sides of the stage equally, and a truly beautiful headline set by beacon of Texas soul, Leon Bridges.  

Attendance for Day 2 was even closer to capacity, no doubt due in large part to the headline set of indie folk superstars, Bon Iver. While Bon Iver’s set delivered no shortage of emotional catharsis, it’s well-worth noting how thoroughly Yaya Bey, Ethel Cain, and Willow Smith controlled the crowd during their respective sets. The peak of the festival may have been Explosions in the Sky playing the entirety of their legendary post-rock album, The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place. 

DIDO shows no signs of slowing down, and no doubt folks are already queuing to get their tickets for next year. With how triumphantly successful this year’s festival was, it’s abundantly clear that DIDO’s poised to be a Seattle mainstay.

Photos and Review by Sattava Photo