Crosscut Festival
May 3-8, 2021
About the Crosscut Festival
Journalists, politicians, authors, creators and newsmakers from our community and around the nation come together to take a hard look at the people, policy and events that shape our lives.
Stay Connected
Be the first to find out about new speakers and sessions, and special events!
Featured Speakers
Judy Woodruff
Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. She has covered politics and other news for more than four decades at...
Rick Steves
Rick Steves, America's most respected authority on European travel, empowers Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe...
Pramila Jayapal
A former State Senator and a lifelong organizer, Pramila Jayapal was elected to Congress in 2016 to represent the Seattle area. Now in her third term, she...
Robert Reich
Robert B. Reich is chancellor's professor of public policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He has served...
The Crosscut Festival kicks off with the Headliners Night! The night brings our community together to celebrate and support great public media and journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Providing funding for KCTS 9 and Crosscut, this special event honors newsmakers who take us beyond the headlines.
The Experience
In 2021, Crosscut Festival will return in a hybrid format, including virtual sessions and events, plus socially-distanced arts experiences throughout Seattle. This special year of the festival will be available at no-cost.
The Headliners Night will kick-off the festival to celebrate and support great public media and journalism in the Pacific Northwest. A fundraiser for KCTS 9 and Crosscut, this event honors newsmakers who take us beyond the headlines and the creativity of our community.
Festival programming will include a week of virtual conversations available online and select sessions will be broadcast on KCTS. Speakers from across the nation and around the region will join us to consider issues in politics, social justice, the economy, science, the environment, and the arts. Art exhibits, performances and interactive installations will take place around the city, bringing to life and supporting Seattle’s creative community.
Highlights
2021 FEATURES
Virtual Sessions + KCTS 9
Festival sessions will be available for live & on-demand viewing throughout the week and select sessions will be broadcast each evening on KCTS 9
Arts + Experiences
A creative journey around Seattle featuring interactive, socially distant arts and culture experiences
VIP Experience
Exclusive perks like chef meals, mixology classes, gift totes, books, exclusive programming and more
More Features
Festival Tickets
General Admission
- Cost: Free, RSVP required
Includes:
- Access to all of the general admission sessions and events at the Crosscut Festival.
- This event is free to attend but not free to put on. If you are in the position to make a contribution please consider the True Cost ticket or if you would like to donate a different amount use the donation option on the ticketing page.
True Cost
- Cost: $40
Includes:
- Access to all of the general admission sessions and events at the Crosscut Festival.
- This event is free to attend but not free to put on. If you are in the position to make a contribution please consider the True Cost ticket or if you would like to donate a different amount use the donation option on the ticketing page.
Headliners Night
- Cost: $75 (per person, open to Western WA residents only)
Includes:
- Access to all of the general admission sessions and events at the Crosscut Festival.
- Access to the Headliners Night VIP event on May 3rd
- "Date Night" dinner & drinks meal kit
VIP
- Cost: $150 (per person, open to Western WA residents only)
Includes:
- Access to all of the general admission sessions and events at the Crosscut Festival.
- Access to the Headliners Night VIP event on May 3rd
- "Date Night" dinner & drinks meal kit
- Keynote speaker book
- Crosscut Festival tote bag
- PBS Passport annual streaming subscription (one year)
- Crosscut membership (one year)
What is Crosscut?
Founded in 2007, Crosscut was a pioneer in the national landscape of local, online-only news outlets. Working out of coffee shops and hole-in-the-wall offices, its small team of writers broke fresh ground on topics such as transportation, homelessness and the reshaping of the urban landscape.
In 2015, Crosscut merged with KCTS 9 public television under the umbrella of a single nonprofit called Cascade Public Media. Today, our combined staff of reporters, video producers and web developers fills an essential role in the Northwest’s news ecosystem, focusing on politics and public policy, race and equity, arts and culture and the environment. We tell stories and provide context and analysis that helps people understand our fast-changing region and how they can be a part of shaping it for the better.
Media
Crosscut Talks Podcast
Browse the complete Crosscut Talks archives
Crosscut Talks podcasts feature recordings from every session at the 2019 Festival. They are available to listen and download everywhere you get to your favorite podcasts.
Exclusive Interviews on Crosscut Now
Watch more episodes of Crosscut Now
This limited series airs on PBS and features one-on-one studio conversations with headlining speakers at Crosscut Festival.
Crosscut Now Studio Sessions: Janet Napolitano
While leading the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano created the legal framework for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and invested heavily in border and airport security technology. In 2013, she left DHS to become the president of the University of California. She is the author of “How Safe Are We?,” a critique of American security measures in the age of cyberwarfare.
Crosscut Festival in the News
Read more articles on Crosscut.com
Crosscut’s news coverage of Festival topics and panelists will take you behind the scenes and give you deeper insights into the issues that matter to you.
Volunteer
Sign up to be a part of Cascade Public Media’s volunteer program to find out more.
Location
The 2021 Crosscut Festival will include online virtual sessions and events, plus socially-distanced arts experiences throughout Seattle. Stay tuned for more details!
Sponsors
Crosscut Festival would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and partners. See the full list of sponsors and find out about opportunities to support the festival on our sponsor page.
Thank you!
