Bumbershoot, a visual and performing arts festival, was first organized in 1971. By 1973, Bumbershoot was a 10-day event with attendance at over 100,000; in 1977, it became a four-day festival held at the Seattle Center during Labor Day weekend. It was administered by the Seattle Arts Commission for its first four years, with oversight transferring to Seattle Center in 1975. These two agencies, along with the Parks Department, sponsored the festival between 1971 and 1976. Originally free to the public, Bumbershoot began charging admission in 1980. The Bumbershoot Festival Commission was created in 1985 to oversee the festival. Following three straight years of financial losses, a restructuring plan was adopted in 1994 that consolidated the management of the festival with production and abolished the commission.

The Bumbershoot records of the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation date from 1973 to 1976 and include minutes from the Executive Committee, a committee coordinating the three sponsoring agencies, and minutes for the Advisory Committee, a citizens' committee providing input on the Festival. However, a complete set of minutes does not exist for either committee. Also included are budget information, press releases, evaluations, and other information on the festival. The records primarily reflect the involvement of Theresa Dinwiddie, Cultural Arts Coordinator for the Department of Parks and Recreation, in Bumbershoot.

Also included in the collection are photographs of the festival, including 3x5” black and white prints from 1974, black and white contact sheets for 1975, and approximately 250 color slides documenting the festival from 1973 to 1975.