Gigantic Bicycle Festival is the Pacific Northwest’s annual summer celebration of bicycle culture. The three-day event features a diverse and regionally representative mix of live music, hand-built bicycles, visual and performance art, film, comedy, guest speakers, sculpture, interactive installation, Northwest makers, brews, and camping.

Many festival goers arrive at the grounds via bicycle along supported 100- and 77-mile road rides. Riders depart from Seattle’s Magnuson Park early Saturday morning, to arrive at the festival grounds that afternoon. Rider registration includes a weekend festival pass.

The festival weekend opens Friday, Aug. 21, with camping and outdoor movies at dusk. The free screening of short films is open to all community members, as well.

The movie night is an important addition to the festival, says event organizer Jesse Perrell, who is from the Valley.

The 2001 Mount Si graduate and founder of The Levee Breaking nonprofit foundation which created the festival noted that anyone in the community, festival goer or not, was welcome to the movie night, starting at 9 p.m.

“They’re mostly short films, and the theme wanders a lot, but they’re all bicycle related,” he said.

Perrell hopes community members come out for the event and he’s excited to be able to do what he loves in the town where he grew up.

“The reason that it’s in Snoqualmie is because I grew up there,” he said, adding that he feels very lucky to bring a music and arts festival to “…a town that I’m fond of, and I get to to do all this arts stuff with all these people that I know from growing up.”

Headlining the 2015 festival are The Crash Kings, with Lemolo, Cataldo, Branden Daniel and The Chics on Saturday. Guided cycling tours of the Valley, Truckasauras, Snug Harbor, The Hoot Hoots, Massy Ferguson, Ethan J. Perry, Golden Idols and Harley Bourbon are on Sunday.

The complete schedule, festival passes, camping information and rider registration is available on the festival website at www.giganticbicyclefestival.org.