The Downtown Summer Nights Concert Series has grown in each of its first three years. Since its successful debut in 2013, the series has become an important part of the Yakima entertainment scene. This year’s 10-show series will run from mid-June through late-August.
Sponsored by Stewart Subaru and produced by the City of Yakima, Townsquare Media, and Chinook Entertainment, the free and family-friendly 2016 Downtown Summer Nights series will run every Thursday night from June 16th through August 18th. All shows will begin at 6:00 pm and last until about 9:00 pm.
During its first three seasons, Downtown Summer Nights Concert Series shows took place on 4th Street behind the Capitol Theatre. This year the event will move to the Historic North Front Street District due, in part, to the ongoing renovation of a building at the corner of 4th Street and Yakima Avenue.
Yakima’s own The Common Deer will open the June 16th show on the Legends Casino Stage, which will be headlined by Vaudeville Etiquette, recently named one of the “Top 50 Bands Rocking the Seattle Scene”. Sophia Tilley, an 18-year-old singer from Yakima, will lead off the June 23rd show that will be headlined by The Olson Bros Band, a country music duo originally from Olympia. The June 30th performance will start with Indigo Kidd, an Indie-pop band from Yakima, and will be headlined by instrumentalist extraordinaire Blake Noble.
The lineup on July 7th includes Dave McGraw and Mandy Fer (Seattle area) and will feature headliner Polyrhythmics, a Seattle-based band said to be “…redefining the term ‘funk’ for 21st Century audiences”. Nashville-based Slings & Arrows will open the July 14th show, which will be headlined by singer-songwriter Robbie Walden. On July 21st, Spokane’s Courtney Biggs will reprise her 2015 Downtown Summer Nights appearance and be followed by headliners Too Slim & The Tail Draggers, who last played on the Downtown Summer Nights Stage in 2013. Crow and the Canyon will kick off the July 28th show, which will be headlined by Polecat, a multi-genre band from Bellingham.
Camille Bloom, who has toured internationally, will open the August 4th performance that will be headlined by Snug Harbor, an 8-piece funk-soul revival band from Bellingham. Yakima-based Avión, whose performances include songs in both Spanish and English, will start the August 11th show that will feature headliner Rafael Tranquilino, a blues artist from Seattle. The final show of the 2016 Downtown Summer Nights series on August 18th will open with Redwood Son and will be headlined by Yakima’s own Zach Hinson, who appeared on NBC’s The Voice in 2013.
Food will be served during the shows by North Front Street merchants and mobile vendors. A beer and wine garden, kid’s activities sponsored by Yakima Neighborhood Health, a US Cellular phone charging station, and a cooling station provided by Memorial Hospital 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 and other news about the series.