PORT TOWNSEND — The Wooden Boat Festival will return to Port Townsend this weekend. The Northwest Maritime festival will run from Thursday to Sunday.
Now in its 48th year, the festival is brimming with activities for visitors and locals alike.
“The festival has all the makings of a quintessential summer weekend — live music, local food, being out on the water, cool hands-on activities,” Northwest Maritime communications director Anika Colvin said. “What makes Wooden Boat really special is that you’re also talking with and learning from the foremost experts in their craft. This year we’re especially excited about the ‘keepers of the fleet,’ where shipwrights from some of the most historic and majestic vessels will be here sharing stories alongside the incredible talent we have right here in Port Townsend. It’s that unique combination of fun, learning, tradition, plus the gorgeous boats and location that keeps people coming back year after year.”
Tickets are free for kids 12 and younger. Tickets for adults cost $30 for single-day passes and $55 for weekend passes. Tickets for active military members, seniors 65 and older and teens 13-19 cost $25 for one day and $50 for the weekend.
Tickets can be purchased on the festival website at woodenboat.org.
Attendees can find free boat rides at the longboat dock or pay to charter a sailboat at the Northwest Maritime dock.
“Don’t miss the chance to get out on the water,” Colvin said. “Whether it’s a quick sail, a row, or stepping aboard the gorgeous vessels at dock, it’s an experience that makes our festival unique.”
Boat races will take place Friday through Sunday. The 26-foot-and-under race will start at 2:30 p.m. Friday on the Northwest Maritime beach. Saturday’s rowing race will start at 10 a.m. in the same location. The NW Schooner Cup will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday on the same beach.
Sunday’s Sail By event is expected to see more than 300 vessels in Port Townsend Bay beginning at 3 p.m.
“Watching the boats during Sunday afternoon’s ‘Sail By’ is pure magic,” Colvin said.
Of the 122 presentations, 41 will be given by women, festival director Barb Trailer wrote in an August post on the festival’s website.
“Women have always been at the heart of maritime culture both ashore and afloat,” Trailer wrote. “Their voices carry weight and wisdom, shaped by decades on the water and years in the shop.”
Trailer listed Betsy Carlson, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s citizen science coordinator, among the women presenting at this year’s festival.
Carlson will lead a hands-on workshop called “Invasive Green Crab: Hands-on Citizen Science” on Friday from noon to 12:45 p.m. at the Marine Science stage.
Sarah Sjøgreen from Hardanger Maritime Centre in Norway will present traditional ropemaking techniques.
On Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Discovery stage, she will teach a class called “Hemp and Tar.”
On Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on the Cruising stage, she will teach a workshop called “Keeping the Old Crafts Alive in Norway.”
An opportunity for kids to design, build, rig and sail a small wooden boat will take place in the kids cove from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
“For kids, building the iconic little wooden boat has become a true rite of passage,” Colvin said.
At 7 p.m. Saturday on the cruising stage, sailor and filmmaker Kiana Weltzien’s documentary, “Women and the Wind,” about her transatlantic expedition aboard her 50-year-old wharram double canoe, will screen. The voyage was made with an all-female crew.
Documentary “76 Days Adrift” recounts the experience of Steven Callahan, who survived 10 weeks at sea in a life raft. Callahan provides the narrations of his harrowing experience in the Joe Wein-directed film, screening at 7 p.m. Friday at the Adventure stage.
Live music sets are scheduled almost hourly through the weekend on the main stage. On Thursday, Connor Forsyth and Jonathan Doyle will open the stage at 5 p.m. Holy Carp will go on at 6 p.m., and Joe Crecca and the Homewreckers will close the night starting at 8 p.m.
Music runs from noon on Friday with Mars Garden closing the night starting at 8:30 p.m.
Bertram Levy will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday with Unkle Funk closing the evening starting at 8:45 p.m.
Music will start at 11 a.m. on Sunday, and Strikes a Bell will close out the festival starting at 1 p.m.
Sea Shanties will be sung in the Marina Room from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
Three pop-up bars will serve drinks during the festival. More than 20 food vendors will be present, including Moonlight Oyster Bar, Bangkok Bistro, La Cocina Port Townsend, Flutter By Pizza and Viking Ice Cream.
Attendees can try wood turning and make a bowl, build a wooden keychain or make a cheese board in the festival’s woodworking tent.
Parking is expected to be tight in Port Townsend’s downtown area, so Jefferson Transit will provide a free shuttle Friday through Sunday from Haines Place Park & Ride, 440 12th St. The shuttle will run about every 15 minutes.
For a full event schedule, go to woodenboatfestival2025.sched.com/list/simple.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
