Dozens of drivers put their vehicles in park during Saturday’s completely stalled traffic on I-5 to celebrate what is still widely hailed as the coolest thing to do in Tacoma: Traffic Jam.
“Everybody’s hanging out here for a few hours anyway, so we figured why not turn it into a pretty sweet tailgate?” said Jose Schmidt, 23, of Central Tacoma. “My friend Larry’s band’s gonna play some sick Sleater Kinney covers while Jeremiah sets up his kombucha bong.”
The Needling’s helicopter cameras captured footage of dozens of drivers exiting their parked vehicles along I-5, opening their trunks, and pulling out small grills and coolers. Clouds of marijuana smoke could be seen above the freeway, and a large tour bus crept up the shoulder as people hammered together a makeshift stage.
As Traffic Jam has gained momentum on local social media sites and blogs as the hottest new concert festival in the Tacoma area, local merchants have been setting up food trucks along the shoulder of the freeway to sell snacks and shoulder-pillows to the stalled drivers.
“I didn’t even need to drive anywhere!” said Fife resident Adrian Fredrick. “This is just the coolest thing going on in Tacoma right now. It was either this or watching Dirty Dancing with my step mom again.”
By sunset, upwards of 15 tents had been erected as traffic had not progressed at all, and a Honey Bucket was being raised by a pulley system up over the side of the freeway.
