NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, May 27.
PORT ANGELES — After two decades of live music, the Juan de Fuca Festival continues to be a powerhouse in regional entertainment, drawing some of the best musicians to Port Angeles to rock area residents and visitors alike.
“It’s an extraordinary event — fun for the entire family,” said Dan Maguire, Executive Director of the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts, the nonprofit organization producing the festival.
“There is nothing like it in the region for its diversity, quality and fun,” Maguire continued.
“It’s also an amazing event to bring the entire community together in one place.”
Venues
The four stages that will host a revolving lineup of acts during the 23rd annual Juan de Fuca Festival — which runs today through Monday — are located at the Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St. and at the Naval Elks Lodge, 131 E. First St.
The Main Stage and Chamber Stage are located at the community center, while the Elks Ballroom and Elks Stage 2 are at the Elks Lodge.
All Points Charters & Tours of Port Angeles will offer free shuttle service between the community center and Elks Lodge from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets will be available at the door and are $25 for today and Monday, and $35 for Saturday and Sunday
A four-day pass, no longer available online, is sold at the gate for $75.
The festival is scheduled to kick off at about 5 this evening with Rabbit Wilde, a musical group that incorporates cello and six-string ukulele with a classic string band style, according to their website.
They will perform at the Main Stage.
Tonight’s line up:
■ 5:45 p.m. — Chamber Stage, Ross Douglas
■ 6:45 p.m. — Main Stage, The Sam Chase
■ 7 p.m. — Chamber Stage, Blaze and Kelly
■ 8:15 p.m. — Chamber Stage, Scott Cook
■ 8:30 p.m. — Main Stage, Leroy Bell and His Only Friends
For a complete and printable lineup of acts for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, visit http://tinyurl.com/PDN-2016-Line-up.
“All the bands playing at the Juan de Fuca Festival are listed on our website, with a description including links to their websites and music videos,” Maguire said.
Stellar lineup
“After 23 years, we really feel that the Juan de Fuca Festival transcends the concept of a community festival and rightfully takes its place as one of the great music festivals in the Pacific Northwest, if not the West Coast,” Maguire said.
“Many of the artists featured at our festival are well-known bands that play at many of the major music festivals throughout the country. That said, we are still a community festival in the strong sense of community and intimacy that our small-town festival supports.”
Headliners this year include Delhi 2 Dublin, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Freddy Pink and West Coast.
“Some of the bands have been very popular in past years and are invited back,” Maguire said.
“Many others are new each year and are chosen for quality, audience appeal, uniqueness and diversity. The internet, particularly YouTube, has been a major help in locating quality artists in recent years.”
The wide variety of bands represent an eclectic range of music, Maguire said.
“Probably the most noteworthy aspect of our festival is the diversity of our lineup even as we try to ensure that the music has wide appeal to a broad audience,” he said.
“Having four different stages really provides the Juan de Fuca Festival with an opportunity to meet the tastes of a broad and diverse audience.”
In recent years, “we’ve made a particular effort to book bands that can appeal to a younger audience,” Maguire continued.
“However . . . with four stages, we are able to book music that can meet virtually all musical tastes.”
It is important to offer high caliber music to area residents and visitors, Maguire said.
“The world would be a much poorer, less beautiful and more dangerous place without the arts,” he said.
“The arts speak a universal language that knows no borders but supports the vision of the common humanity we all share. Art can make the drab beautiful and the beautiful sublime.”
Specific to Port Angeles, “there are very few towns of our size in the entire country that enjoy the quality and types of entertainment that the Juan de Fuca Festival brings to our town, both during the festival and throughout the year,” Maguire said.
“It makes this town a better place to live for residents and provides economic benefits through enhanced tourism to the area. We believe the arts are a perfect complement to our already stellar reputation as an outdoor recreation area.”
The Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) that aims to provide residents of the North Olympic Peninsula with outstanding performances, create educational opportunities for students, and offer economic and quality of life benefits to the entire community, according to its website.
For more information, call 360-457-5411 or visit jffa.org.
