The largest music concert in Bellingham history will be held at Civic Stadium on Saturday, May 18 2019. Bellingham residents and visitors should expect impacts to traffic and parking near the concert area. Extra bus service will be provided.

ODESZA and Death Cab for Cutie are performing at “Double Major,” a co-headline benefit show at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium, 1355 Civic Field Way.  The sold-out event is in the afternoon and evening Saturday, May 18. Doors open at 4 p.m, the show starts at 5 p.m., and it is estimated to end by 11 p.m.

The show is a homecoming for both bands, having formed in Bellingham when their members were students of Western Washington University.  In appreciation for the school and the city of Bellingham, net proceeds from the show will be donated to WWU’s Alumni Association Scholarship Endowment. This event is one of several taking place in Bellingham during Western’s Alumni Weekend May 17-19.

“It’s exciting to welcome these internationally accomplished Western alu​mni back home and we look forward to a great evening of music for the Bellingham community,” Western President Sabah Randhawa said. “Western students and alumni go on to achiev​​e great things in every walk of life, but one thing that binds them together is a desire to make a positive difference for others.  Death Cab for Cutie and ODESZA are not only inspiring students by showing what is possible with a Western degree, they’re inspiring the students of tomorrow through their support of scholarships.  We’re grateful and proud of their accomplishments and generosity and know this will be an Alumni Weekend to remember.”

This concert, which is produced by AEG Presents, will be largest concert event in Whatcom County history, with an estimated 13,000 people attending. The event will impact the area, including traffic, parking, noise, and possible disruption of cell phone communications during the concert. Organizers have a traffic and parking plan to help mitigate impacts.

“Our city is welcoming thousands of Western alumni back to Bellingham during this weekend’s alumni association events, and we want to make sure it is a safe, successful weekend for everyone,” Mayor Kelli Linville said. “We are very excited to host these two bands, who got their start here at Western, and while this event will likely impact parking and traffic in the area, we believe there is a positive benefit for local businesses and the overall community.”

Parking

General parking will not be available on site, so concertgoers should make plans for parking off-site before coming to the concert. The parking lots surrounding Civic Field will be used for staging emergency vehicles, production and operations vehicles, heavy equipment parking, human foot traffic, sold carpool vehicle parking, ride share pick-up and drop-off locations coordinated with Uber and Lyft, bike parking, and staff vehicle parking.

Ride-share drop-off and pick-up for Lyft and Uber will be at Arne Hanna Aquatic Center parking lot located at 1114 Potter St.

Limited carpool parking passes will be offered to ticket buyers through AEG. Parking passes will only be valid for vehicles with a minimum of 4 patrons with valid event tickets per vehicle. The carpool lots are located at the Civic Field Main Parking lot from 2 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Additional parking lots are being made available in Bellingham at the following locations:

• Parking passes and shuttle service to and from Civic Field are on sale through the WWU Alumni Association. Register at alu​​m​ni.​ww​u.edu. Parking passes will be issued for each vehicle, and shuttle service will include all registered vehicle occupants. Before the concert, shuttle service will run from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. from Western Washington University 12A and C Lots, located on 450 S College Dr. These parking lots are 2 miles southwest of Civic Field. After the show, shuttle service will pick up at the corner of Civic Field Way and Moore Street from 9:30 p.m. to midnight.
• Lincoln Creek Park & Ride, 800 Lincoln St. This lot is 1 mile south of Civic Field and is on a Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) bus route.
• Commercial Street Parking Garage, 1300 Commercial St. (downtown). This parking facility is 1.5 miles west of Civic Field and three blocks from the WTA downtown station.

Additional parking lots can be found on this downtow​​n Bellingham parking map, which includes City of Bellingham parking lots and private lots in the central business district. Each lot will have access to the WTA downtown routes and ride share.

Overnight hotel guests should leave their vehicle parked at the hotel parking lot and utilize the hotel shuttle if available, or Uber or Lyft services. 

Bus Service

On Saturday, May 18, Whatcom Transportation Authority will provide extra bus service on existing bus routes.

Before the show, concertgoers can catch these bus routes to Civic Field Stadium: 190, 512, 525, 533 and 540.

After the show, riders can catch bus routes 190 or 512 on Puget Street, directly outside the main exit. This will be the only post-show pick-up location. Route 190 will return to WWU and Downtown via Lincoln Street, Bill McDonald Parkway, High Street, and Billy Frank Jr. Street. Route 512 will return to Downtown via Lakeway Drive and Holly Street. Routes 190 and 512 will be the only routes operating after the event.

Post-show, WTA will continue to run until there are no longer people waiting for the bus. Each ride costs $1 cash. Exact change only. WTA will also accept all valid WTA bus passes.

For mor​​​e information

• For general information, ​including updates on parking and traffic revisions, visit www.cob.org/​doublemajor.
• For information for ticket holders, visit doublemajorbellingham.com.
• For bus route and schedule information, call (360) 676-7433 or visit www.ridewta.com.
• For information on Western Washington University Alumni Weekend events May 17-19, visit alumni.wwu.edu/wwualumniweekend.
• For hotel information in Bellingham, visit bellingham.org.