PORT ANGELES — Organizers for the Dungeness Crab Festival aren’t looking at the weather. And they suggest you don’t either.
“This is a rain-and-shine event, and we have fun no matter what,” festival Executive Director Rose Thompson said Thursday while taking a break from setup activities.
The big tent went up Wednesday in the Red Lion Hotel parking lot in front of City Pier, and on Thursday, volunteers were bustling around, working hard to get everything ready.
“We’re happy,” Thompson said. “Setup is going great. We’re looking forward to opening the big tent and greeting everybody.”
The three-day event begins today when the tent opens at 11 a.m. That’s the same time crab dinners will start being served, and the beer and wine gardens at City Pier and in the big tent open as well. The merchandise tent at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Lincoln Street also will open at 11 a.m.
Pre-sale crab dinners are tracking close to last year’s sales, Thompson said, but organizers have noticed a shift in the expected turnout of Canadian visitors.
“We’re seeing a definite decline with our package deals with the Black Ball Ferry,” she said.
Because of that decline, Thompson said the expected turnout is about 10,000, which is still close to how many attendees showed up last year.
All the favorite food vendors from previous years will return to the festival along with two new options: Yodelin Broth Co. and Sunflower Tastes Deli & Bakery.
In addition to the abundant food options, the festival will offer two stages packed with performers. The main stage inside the tent will start rocking at 12:30 p.m. today and stay live until 9 p.m., while the City Pier stage will have shows from noon to 6 p.m. today.
Saturday will feature performers from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the main stage and from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at City Pier while both stages will open at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The main stage music will stop at 5 p.m. Sunday while tunes at City Pier will end at 4:30 p.m.
“We do have one sad loss,” Thompson said. “The (federal) government shutdown means the local Coast Guard is not able to do its search-and-rescue demonstration, and we may not have our Army and Navy bands.”
The festival will feature other events through the three days.
The Feiro Marine Life Center will be open for free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The Grab-A-Crab Derby, presented by the Port of Port Angeles, will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Cooking demonstrations are scheduled at Gateway Center from noon to 4 p.m. today and Saturday and from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Saturday also will feature the Peninsula College 5K. Registration for the race will open at 9:30 a.m. while the race will start at 11 a.m.
Finally, the Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers are scheduled to perform from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday at the Gateway Center.
“We’d love to have the community come out,” Thompson said. “You don’t have to buy a crab dinner. There’s a fun time for any price point.”
Another aspect of the festival is the vendor market, which will feature about 75 artisan and import vendors located at Gateway Center, City Pier and on Lincoln Street. Market hours will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
For more information about the festival, go to www.crabfestival.org.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
