In just two days, Bumbershoot takes on Seattle for another epic showdown of endurance and sensory overload. The festival at Seattle Center is a sprawling, multi-headed beast of entertainment and memory-making fun. We fired up the Recommend-o-Tron and collected a list of suggestions from Team Metblogs to help you sort through the overstuffed lineup to make the most of the long weekend. Be sure to fill the comments letting us know what we missed, what we should skip, and what you’re most excited to see.

All Weekend:

One Reel Film Festival : No matter what time you stop in for the series of short film programs SIFF is showing all festival long, you’re bound to see some excellent filmmaking. Today’s highlights include Films4Families at 1:00pm and Cuisine Art at 7:00pm. Short films made for children have a way of appealing to everyone, regardless of age, and how could a series of films about food be anything other than tasty? [zee] SIFF Cinema, 12:00 – 9:00 pm

One Pot: This may be your best chance to get something really good to eat at Bumbershoot. Dinner is at 6pm each night; go to onepotbumbershoot.blogspot.com for details. [jameson] 6:00 pm, NW Rooms.

ON THE RADIO: KEXP’s annual broadcast from an undisclosed location deep in the heart of Seattle Center will bring you live performances from a diverse selection of the weekend’s darlingest bands. A few lucky people who signed-up ahead of time will be able to watch for themselves, but everyone can tune in to get a taste of Bumbershoot from the comfort of their own home. [kexp]

VISUAL ARTS: All exhibitions are open 11:00 am to 8:00 pm all three days. Highlights include:

the Power of One : A series of photographs that illustrate the powerful impact a single person can have on global society, featuring works by Charles and Ray Earnes, Nina Berman, Phil Borges, Katharina Mouratidi and Jackie Renin; several of the artists will be on hand during the exhbiition. [zee] NW Rooms

FLATSTOCK 18: Your walls are looking a little empty, Seattle. The country’s best rock poster artists fill the Fisher Pavillion with the artistic ephemera created to advertise shows by your favorite bands. While you’re sure to swoon over the Seattle–Tehran poster show in the NW rooms, you can both adore and buy the ones here. Set aside a healthy budget, plenty of time, and a place to stow your purchases. The show runs all weekend, but the best stuff has a way of selling out early. [josh/samantha/zee]

Saturday-specific picks after the jump.

SATURDAY, in approximate order of appearance

Sara Bynoe, “F**ck Off & Die” : Stand-up comedy, poetry, theatre. The name says it all. [stan] 12:00 – 1:00 pm, Leo K. Theatre.

Neko Case : Admit it, every time you see the New Pornographers, you hold your breath hoping that Neko is part of the touring lineup. [josh] I think it’s a good idea to ease into Bumbershoot weekend by sitting in the stands and letting Neko Case carry you gently into the festival mood. [samantha] 1:00 – 2:15, Mainstage.

The Snow Queen : Gerda’s Journey : theater simple focus on using the power of imagination to fuel their creativity, here on display in a retelling of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most powerful fairy tales, “The Snow Queen”. Appropriate for all ages except for the wee ones under 5 who might be a little frightened by the Snow Queen. She’s scary. [zee] 1:00-2:00 pm, Center House.

Throw Me The Statue : One of Seattle’s best pop acts draws the short straw of having the opening spot on one of my favorite stages. They are sparkly and clever; the change from a bedroom solo project to a real live band suits the material brilliantly; if you want to beat the crowds show up early and be happy to catch these guys. Honestly, if the crowds and lines part of Bumbershoot scare you, you could stake out a place on the Broad Street lawn for the entire weekend and find that you’d seen a great, eclectic rock festival with almost no hassle. [josh] 12:30 – 1:30, Broad Street.

The Girls : The Girls charmed me a couple of years ago by walking onstage at Neumos dressed as Team Zissou with a stack of posterboard messages, but they also play solidly good noisy punk music, which will probably go excellently with whatever light show the EMP comes up with. 2:00 – 3:00, EMP.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down : The Broad Street stage consistently has great bands, and this is no exception. Get some funnel cake and sit down off to the side for a listen of some equally sugar-coated adorable pop music. [samantha] Broad Street, 4:00 – 5:00.

The Walkmen : The Walkmen’s moody melodies are dark and rich, bracing like stepping out into the mist on a dreary, drizzly winter day. Will their evocative songs still resonate outdoors in the blazing hot sun? I’d like to think they’re a band for all seasons. [zee] 5:45 – 6:45 pm, Broad Street

Asylum Street Spankers: You’ve got to love a band that is playing Bumbershoot twice — once for the adults, once for the kids. A good thing, since this quasi-old-timey, hyper-political group is only kid-friendly when they wanna be. [dylan] Kids: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM, NW Court, Adults: 6:45 PM – 8:00 PM, Mural.

Sherman Alexie, “Words and Music” : Novelist, poet, comedian, all-around genius. Bumbershoot has given Alexie free rein to do whatever he wants, even sing. [stan] 6:00 – 7:30 pm, Bagley Wright.

Chrisa Bell, “CoochiMagik”: Poetry, stand-up comedy, feminism, and hip-hop. Don’t be scared, Bell will teach you the “Coochie Mind Trick”. [stan] 7:30 – 8:45 pm, Leo K. Theatre.

Band of Horses : Band of Horses is like that neglectful boyfriend that you just keep going back to. They released two amazing albums, but they moved out of town! Their songs give me shivers but they used a saxophone at the Block Party all those years ago! I break up with them all the time but keep coming back, and I think that Ben Bridwell’s voice might just be perfectly suited for outside at sunset. [samantha] 7:30 – 8:45, Mainstage.

Nada Surf : Years ago I somehow ended up with a Nada Surf CD to which I refused to listen for almost two years because I hated that “Popular” song so much. A friend of mine convinced me to listen to it, anyway; afterwards, I thanked him. With songs that are simultaneously complex and accessible, the hard-working indie band puts on an enjoyable show. [Zee] 8:45-10:00 pm, Mural

!!! : Seriously, were you really thinking of going to see Beck? Again? At the Mainstage? No. It is not 1996 anymore, and if you go there you will get kicked in the head by enthusiastically crowdsurfing teenagers. Trust me. Go see !!!, who will have you dancing your tired face off. [samantha] 9:15 – 10:30, Fisher Green.

Beck: Now wait a second here. It may not be 1996, but so much of what Beck was doing back then has been what this indie-hipster-alt-pop-rock thing every show-going cool kid listens to has been built on. Maybe seeing him now is a bit like seeing Bob Dylan, but at least he can still enunciate. Just sit with the Gen Xers in the stands and get some practice in yelling “YOU HIPSTERS GET OFF MY LAWN!” [dylan] 9:15 PM – 10:45 PM, Mainstage

M. Ward : Remember: If you see Portland’s resident folkie, you’re just one degree of separation removed from the creamy delicious Zooey Deschanel. [dylan] After you’ve taken a moment to pause and wipe away a silent tear that Zooey Deschanel isn’t along for the “she” part, you can remember that the arrangements and guitars were all written by “him”. If you want to mellow out at the end of the night rather than facing the mainstage, find a comfy site on the lawn or a table on the edge of the beer garden. [josh] 9:30 – 10:45 pm.