Cloudbreak Music Festival returns to Ballard for its second year

Meghan Walker Ballard

The second annual Seattle music festival Cloudbreak is coming back this fall, with performances planned in Ballard and beyond.

The festival kicks off on Nov. 1 with a performance at The Crocodile before expanding across the city and into Ballard for the following three weeks with 185 artists at 28 venues and 71 hotels.

Cloudbreak was originally planned to be a one-time event, but the positive feedback from last year’s festival prompted the organizers—Visit Seattle and King County Creative Economy—to bring it back for another go.

“Cloudbreak is a celebration of our live music scene, supporting local musicians and the places that bring us all together,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “King County is committed to a thriving, growing music ecosystem, and I look forward to sharing our community’s vibrant venues with fans, artists, and visitors from around the world during this year’s Cloudbreak.”

This year, the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development is partnering with the organizers, boosting creative arts in the City.

The following Ballard venues are part of the festival: Sunset Tavern, Salmon Bay Eagles, Tractor Tavern, Rough & Tumble, Ballard Smoke Shop, Conor Byrne, and Caffe Umbria. A full lineup is on the Cloudbreak website.

Here are some of the festival highlights in the works:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 1 – Cloudbreak launch – Kill Rock Stars & Friends, Ben Hunter & Cameron Lavi-Jones, Rocky Votolato at The Crocodile (including at venues inside The Crocodile, Here-After and Madame Lou’s)
  • Friday, Nov. 3 – Spirit Award and Telehealth at The Vera Project
  • Thursday, Nov. 9 – Jenn Champion at Fremont Abbey
  • Saturday, Nov. 11 – A-Frames Reunion at Clock-Out Lounge
  • Tuesday, Nov. 14 – The Round with local artists, poet & live painter at Fremont Abbey
  • Thursday, Nov. 16 – Shaina Shepherd and Tomo Nakayama at Tim’s Tavern
  • Friday, Nov. 17 – The Fall of Troy at El Corazon
  • Friday, Nov. 17 – Brittany Davis at The Rabbit Box
  • Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 – Smokey Brights at Sunset Tavern
  • Saturday, Nov. 18 – Kuinka at Tractor Tavern
  • Saturday, Nov. 18 and Sunday, Nov. 19 – Mudhoney at The Crocodile
  • Monday, Nov. 20 – Haley Graves at Neumos
  • Wednesday, Nov. 22 – The Dusty 45s at Tractor Tavern
  • Wednesday, Nov. 22 – Enumclaw at Neumos

Photo: Dusty 45s at the Tractor Tavern, Cloudbreak 2022 / by Mike Mitchell