2023 Northwest Tune-Up Festival Recap

PRESS RELEASE: NORTHWEST TUNE-UP FESTIVAL
Well over 5,500 people gathered in Bellingham’s Downtown Waterfront district this past weekend to ride bikes, dance to music, and celebrate a shared connection to Pacific Northwest culture during the second annual Northwest Tune-Up festival. Various communities from Bellingham and beyond came together and created an overwhelmingly positive environment, reminiscent of a community block party.

Festival-goers saw a whole new experience for 2023 - a result of the organizers listening to community and exhibitor feedback after the inaugural 2022 festival. The Exhibitor Village, Bellingham Makers Market, Portal Container Market, Kulshan Trackside Brewery and a handful of events—including the Zero Gravity Bike Show and Airbag Jump Session—were part of a new public zone that invited non-ticketholders to be a part of the festival energy. Updates to the festival layout, amenities, hours and flexible ticket options contributed to an improved community experience for all attendees.



Over 50 bike brands set up shop in the Exhibitor Village to let attendees demo bikes, discover new gear or shop for products. For cycling brands headquartered outside Bellingham, the festival was a modern way to connect with new audiences and cycling fans.

“Tune-Up is the most relevant cycle-centric festival that’s happening in the U.S. right now,” said, Allan Cooke, Senior Marketing & PR Manager at Specialized Bicycles, one of Tune-Up’s title sponsors. “A lot of historical [bike] festivals have not kept up with the way that people ride bikes. We want to ride our bikes and have fun at the same time. I come here and I know I have world-class riding at my finger tips the entire time. Everything’s on point. The riding, the music, the people, the atmosphere, the beer garden…it hits all the buttons.”


The bike and music festival unofficially began on Thursday, July 13, during the Freehub PRESENTS Film Festival at the Mount Baker Theatre, where 10 independent cycling films screened in front of over 800 spectators, leaving the audience with anticipation for the weekend ahead.


Doubling as a legitimate music festival, this year's music lineup brought 24 talented bands from around the world to Downtown Bellingham. Music sets started at 2:30pm each day, and played well into the night. Typically main-stage music wrapped at at 10:30pm however, each night held an afterparty with more music from the festival bands.


Even for the artists, the 2023 Northwest Tune-Up was special. Band members form the Brother's Comatose test rode bikes around the Waterfront bike park, and The Crystal Method spent his entire Sunday at the festival with his family, after headlining Saturday night.


“Giving back to Bellingham has always been the intention of this festival—to create more outdoor infrastructure and provide funding for programs that are important to us,” said Northwest Tune-Up co-founder Eric Brown.

Whatcom Mountain Bike Coaltion (WMBC), which managed the festival’s beer garden, generated nearly $100,000 in beer sales that will fund future WMBC initiatives.

“WMBC will use those funds for trail development,” said Eric Brown, who is also the Executive Director of the WMBC. “We’ll put it towards the new trails we’re working on at Galbraith; new trail planning with the Department of Natural Resources at Olsen Creek on Stewart Mountain; and infrastructure and programs that get people outside and on bikes, like the Lummi Island bike park development."

SPECIALIZED P.SERIES PUMP TRACK DRAG RACE
MAXXIS JUMP JAM




Respecting the land that came before us.
Northwest Tune-Up acknowledges that we are residing on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Lummi People, the original inhabitants of Washington's northernmost coast and Southern British Columbia. Since Time Immemorial they have celebrated life on their land, waterways and on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of their People to perpetuate their way of life.

From its inception, partnerships have been integral to the Northwest Tune-Up. Support from the City of Bellingham, the Port of Bellingham, local businesses and countless bike brands have provided a path forward for festival growth. Equally as important is the festival’s commitment to non-profit organizations and community heritage that has contributed to the festival’s distinct energy.