The Downtown Summer Nights Concert Series has grown in each of its first two years. After a successful debut in 2013, the series added more performers to its lineup for the 2014 season. This year’s 10-show series will include no less than 30 musical acts during its run from mid-June through late-August. Each show in the series will focus on specific genres.

Sponsored by Stewart Subaru and produced by the City of Yakima, Townsquare Media, and Chinook Entertainment, the free and family-friendly Downtown Summer Nights series will run every Thursday night from June 18^th through August 20^th on 4^th Street behind the Capitol Theatre. All shows will begin at 5:00 pm and last until about 9:00 pm. Kids activities provided by Yakima Maker Space will take place in Yakima Community Health Kids Area and free face painting will be provided by Face Art Magic.

The 2015 series will get underway with a Blues Rock show on the West Valley Fitness Stage June 18^th featuring nationally-known McTuff, Seattle-based Cracker Factory, and Yakima favorite Nikki J. The June 25^th show focus on Rock and Indie music and will feature Van Eps, an eclectic band from Seattle, The Banner Days, a collaboration between Bradford Loomis and Beth Whitney, and Indigo Kidd, a Yakima group who just released it EP entitled Battle at the Fish Café.

On July 2^nd, Country performers Brewer’s Grade (Oregon), Robbie Waldon (Spokane), and Kate Turner (Tri-Cities) will be featured. The July 10^th will bring Soul and Blues music to Downtown Yakima with New England-based Jason Spooner, the Campbell Davis Band from Walla Walla, and Yakima signer/songwriter Chase Craig. Seattle trio Ayron Jones & The Way will head up the July 16^th Blues Rock show and will be joined by the up and coming Daniel Kirkpatrick & The Bayonettes and Seattle Weekly’s “2014 Best Street Performer in the Northwest” Whitney Monge. The Downtown Summer Nights show on July 23^rd will mix Indie Folk Rock and Country music with performances by Seattle’s Nick Foster Band, Yakima’s own The Common Deer, and the multi-talented Courtney Biggs from Spokane. The month will be closed out with an Americana show featuring the internationally-acclaimed Ian McFeron, Leavenworth’s The Hoyer Brothers, and Northwest singer/songwriter Emily Otteson on July 30^th.

The Funk sounds of Down North (Seattle), Skyler Mehal (Seattle/Ellensburg), and Eden Moody (Wenatchee) will fill 4^th Street on August 6^th. Pop Country performers Aaron Crawford (Seattle), The Olson Brothers Band (Olympia), and Afton Prater (Sequim) will be featured on August 13^th. The series will end its 2015 run with World Music and Bluegrass show featuring instrumentalist Blake Noble, Ellensburg’s Uphill Both Ways, and Yakima’s own These Guitars Say Sorry on August 20^th.

Food vendors and a beer and wine garden will also be part of the Downtown Summer Nights events.

The Downtown Summer Nights website – www.downtownsummernights.com – includes a complete list of musical performers, information about how vendors can sign up for booth space, and other news about the series.