Boomjam Is Building More Than a Festival: It’s Working to Build Spokane’s Music Future

As summer begins to wind down in Spokane, Boomjam is bringing the city together for another celebration of music, art, and the people who make Spokane's creative community what it is.

Photos by: Jenna Mitchell Photography

Returning September 12, 2026, Boomjam is an independent music and arts festival in the heart of Downtown Spokane, built around a simple idea: Spokane deserves a thriving music ecosystem of its own. (Boomjam)

For festival director Tucker Miller, that idea comes from watching Spokane's music scene grow and change over the past decade, and watching promising venues disappear just as quickly. The Bartlett, Lucky You Lounge, and other spaces have each played important roles in bringing touring artists and local musicians to Spokane, only to eventually close or change. Rather than accept that cycle as inevitable, Miller wanted to try something different.

“[The] whole point of Boomjam is to try it a different way,” Miller explained in an interview with Northwest Noise.

That means Boomjam isn't simply trying to create one good day of music. The larger goal is to help develop an ecosystem where young people have more reasons to stay in Spokane, artists have more reasons to come through town, and audiences have more opportunities to discover something new.

And if you've attended Boomjam before, that bigger mission is easy to feel.

Last year's festival was my first experience with Boomjam, and what stood out most wasn't just the music, it was how community-driven the entire event felt. The Spokane Convention Center layout gave each stage its own personality, almost like stepping into a different venue throughout the day. Instead of feeling like you're simply moving between stages, each space had its own atmosphere and charm.

Add in local vendors, art, and plenty of people gathering together at the end of summer, and Boomjam felt like a celebration of Spokane's creative community, not just another music festival.

That spirit continues into this year's lineup.

Boomjam describes itself as a platform for musicians making a “big BOOM” in independent music, and the 2026 lineup spans soulful R&B, indie rock, psychedelic pop, post-punk, and everything in between. Lady Wray, Jacklen Ro, Persona 749, Mamalarky, The Macks, Buddy Wynkoop, TomBoy and more will take over the festival. The festival's two stages also operate without overlapping sets, meaning attendees don't have to choose between two artists they've been waiting to see. 

Lady Wray, TomBoy, and Jacklen Ro are three artists high on the must-see list.

But discovery is arguably the whole point. Miller says the festival intentionally looks for artists who are on an upward trajectory—artists Spokane audiences can discover early, support as they grow, and hopefully welcome back when they're playing bigger stages.

That philosophy is what makes Boomjam particularly exciting. It's not chasing the biggest possible name simply for the sake of drawing a crowd. It's trying to build a culture around interesting music and genuine discovery.

And, naturally, the party doesn't stop when the festival does. This year will feature Boomjam's first official afterparty, a 21+ event running from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. across three venues, with PNW DJs, electronic acts, punk, and rock. There's also an all-ages pre-party at Resurrection Records, free with a Boomjam ticket, featuring a coffee truck, ice cream truck, and more. (Boomjam)

Boomjam is still young, but its ambitions are anything but small. Miller ultimately hopes to see the festival become synonymous with Spokane in the same way some of the city's other major events have become part of its identity.

For now, though, Boomjam remains something refreshingly simple: a place to hear great music, discover your next favorite artist, shop local, see familiar faces, meet new ones, and spend one of the last weekends of summer surrounded by people who simply want to have a good time.

“We're stoked for the lineup. 
We're stoked that we're getting better at this...our timeline is still ahead of where it was last year, and I'm able to have a little bit more interesting marketing efforts with collaboration posts, etc. That's really exciting for us.” Miller says.

Spokane has always had the artists and the audience. Boomjam is betting that, with a little intention, it can help build the ecosystem to keep them here.