Did you know that the Annual Wooden Boat Festival held in Port Townsend is the largest festival of wooden boats in North America, if not the world!? Thousands of people arrive over the weekend from around the U.S. and Canadian provinces to take-in the richness of maritime culture and to view the beautifully crafted wooden vessels.
Come marvel over the display of 300 boats on land and water, listen to over 100 presentations, see dozens of exhibits, and enjoy live music all day. Local foods and drink will keep you energized at provided rest stations.
Schedule. This year’s event runs from September 11-13, starting at 9 am each day, with festival activities until 6 pm on Friday and Saturday, closing at 4 pm on Sunday. Music on the Main Stage continues until 11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday. Go HERE to see the schedule of performances (in red) and other events.
Tickets include access to all festival boats, presentations and demonstrations (except Nigel Calder workshops), exhibits, music performances, vendors, and kids’ activities. Single-day tickets are $33, with discounted ticket rates for seniors, students, and active military with ID. Kids 12 and under get in free.
After purchasing your tickets online HERE, you can collect your tickets during the Festival at Will Call by the main gate. Don’t forget to purchase tickets for the special Half-day Workshops presented by Nigel Calder, including sessions on diesel maintenance, engine troubleshooting, electrical systems, and electrical troubleshooting.
Activities include rowing on Port Townsend Bay in one of the historic longboats, printing t-shirts with real fish or plastic fish molds, or come enjoy building toy boats with your kids. Perhaps you would like to dance the night away on Friday and Saturday music evenings, or take-in one of the day-time presentations.
You can find a list of all the wooden boats coming to the festival and other details at https://woodenboat.org
Header Photo Credit: Mitchel Osborne
Text Photos: Wooden Boat Festival Comt.
