Come help celebrate the maritime and Norwegian heritage in Poulsbo, Washington, hosted by the Poulsbo Historical Society. The festival includes live music, artisan vendors, food trucks, interactive exhibits, and of course the beautifully built Viking Ship, Valkyrie along with the classic “Poulsbo Boats” and the Mosquito Fleet vessels the Carlisle II and the Virginia V. The rare WWII submarine chaser, Air Snipe, with be there too!
Festival Hours
- Friday 2 pm – 10 pm
- Saturday 10 am to 10 pm
- Sunday 10 am to 4 pm
The festival is free for the general public with special ticketed events offered by each organization, most with walk-up ticketing at their booth and some via online, pre-purchased tickets.
Valkyrie. Come visit 56-foot Valkyrie, an authentic, hand-crafted vessel built by Erik Knudsen and his family in honor of their father and their Norwegian heritage. This one-of-a-kind replica is based on the ancient recovered ship Skuldelev 6, unearthed after one thousand years from the waters of Roskilde, Denmark. Valkyrie was built in Anacortes Washington and is now homeported in Poulsbo. Three 2-hour sailings will be offered on Friday and Saturday (10 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm) and two sailings on Sunday (1 pm and 4 pm); sailings are open to all ages. For scheduled sailings and tickets, see https://northwestvikingship.com/calendar
Air Snipe, a rare, historically significant WWII CS-497 submarine chaser is scheduled to be at Liberty Bay Festival and open to the public for tours. Built in 1943, she was deployed to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and later to the South Pacific. After the War, she served as an air/sea Rescue Cutter for the Coast Guard and given the name Air Snipe. The vessel remains operational, sporting her original switchboard and generators.
Poulsbo Boats. Learn how these boats were built in a basement on Front Street in Poulsbo, constructed by Ronald Young. Hear from his grandson and great-granddaughter about building one of these boats in their backyard. You can see several original Poulsbo Boats and meet their owners.
Carlisle II. Come cruise with the Curator aboard this last surviving and operating ship from the Mosquito Fleet era. This is a walk-up only event, offered with donation which supports the Poulsbo Historical Society. Don’t miss this 4-hour storytelling adventure on Saturday, May 30 – Poulsbo to Bremerton and return, with a one-hour break in Bremerton. Poulsbo cruise departure time is 1 pm.
The Virginia V. Come walk the decks of the Virginia V, one of the steamers of the Mosquito Fleet that plied the waters of Liberty Bay and Puget Sound from the late 1880s to the 1950s. The Virginia V is offering cruises and events, scheduled as follows:
- May 25 one-way cruise Bremerton to Poulsbo – boarding 3:30 pm; arrival time 6 pm
- May 28 Poulsbo Dryft Concert aboard the vessel, Breakwater Dock – doors open at
7:30 pm - May 29 Poulsbo Harbor Cruise – boarding at 3:30 pm, return to Poulsbo 6 pm
- May 30 Poulsbo Historical Society Dinner Cruise – boarding at 4:30 pm, return to Poulsbo 9 pm
Tickets for the above offerings can be found through https://poulsbohistory.org/liberty-bay-festival-boats/; click on the date of choice to purchase tickets.
Goytaku Painting. Stop by the Sea Discover Center (18743 Front St. NE) for hands-on Goytaku painting, the traditional Japanese art of fish painting. No real fish, silicone fish are used for printing instead, without the fish smell. This is a colorful, educational, and fun activity. Pricing is $10 for the Goytaku created T-shirt. There are two time-slots to choose from:
- 11 am to 4 pm, Friday May 29 and
- 11 am to 4 pm, Saturday May 30
For more information about the Liberty Bay Festival go to https://poulsbohistory.org/libertybayfestival/ or email info@poulsbohistory.org.
Header Image: Festival Committee
Valkyrie Photo: “Valkyrie Community”
Poulsbo Boats: Poulsbo Historical Society
Carlisle II Photo: Festival Committee
Virginia V Photo: Classic Boat Assoc.
Fish Painting: Sea Discover Center
