PORT TOWNSEND — The 46th annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival returns Friday and will continue through Sunday at the Northwest Maritime Center and Point Hudson Marina.
The festival, which offers hundreds of boats and is the largest in North America, will offer boat races, special demonstrations, presentations, music, dancing and food. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday with music and dancing until midnight and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Single-day tickets are $25. They will be discounted to $20 for seniors 65 and older, students 13 to 18 and active military personnel with ID. Three-day tickets are $50. They will be discounted to $40 for seniors, students and active military personnel. Children younger than 12 will get in free.
New this year:
• Headliner Arshay Cooper presents his film, “A Most Beautiful Thing,” on Saturday night, followed by a question-and-answer period.
Inspired by Cooper’s 2015 memoir, “A Most Beautiful Thing” is a 2020 documentary chronicling the history of the first U.S. African American public high school rowing team, composed of young men from the West Side of Chicago, many of whom were in rival gangs.
• Hands on woodworking projects will be offered.
Participants can make wooden pens, cheese boards or small bowls and get a feel for working with wood. More experienced woodworkers can challenge themselves by practicing dovetail joinery.
• The world of wooden boats is becoming more diverse over time in terms of race, ability, gender and veteran status, organizers said. At the new “Future of Maritime” area, visitors will be able to meet leaders who are building a more inclusive maritime industry.
Traditional favorites will be available. More than 80 demonstrations and presentations are planned across eight stages. Visitors will have myriad ways to get on the water on sailboats, longboats and paddleboards. Family-friendly activities will include kids’ boatbuilding, Gyotaku fish printing, sea shanty sing-alongs and a pirate parade.
One block away on Saturday and Sunday will be the 51st annual Crafts by the Dock Fair for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fair hosted by the Port Townsend Arts Guild will be on Madison at Water Streets and the Pope Marine Plaza.
For more about the Wooden Boat Festival see www.woodenboat.org.
