Getaway: Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend (58 mi. NW via ferry) (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

The first Wooden Boat Festival (WBF) in North America in 1978 at Port Townsend eventually joined with Northwest Maritime Center in 2005 to continue to engage and educate people in traditional maritime culture and to inspire people to adventure on the sea–the most powerful teacher you may ever know!

Today, the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival at Point Hudson is the largest wooden boat festival in North America. It’s a place where kids and adults alike experience the magic of getting on the water, the beauty of wooden boats, and the richness of our maritime culture. Learn from the experts, swap stories with fellow wooden boat aficionados, and bring your family for a weekend they’ll never forget. With so many different ways to adventure out on the water, there’s no better opportunity to experience Port Townsend’s Victorian seaport from the deck of a stunning wooden schooner or at the oars of a historic replica longboat.

Love our cheap ideas? Get our FREE email newsletters.
Choose from daily, weekly, and monthly lists:

Click here to subscribe

Braided red nylon boat line tied to gray cleat on dock at Des Moines, Washington marina

Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend

Port Townsend’s Wooden Boat Festival is the most education-packed and beautifully located wooden boat event in the world. Featuring more than 250 wooden vessels, outdoor presentations and demonstrations, a who’s who of wooden boat experts and thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts, there’s something to do, someone to meet, or a boat to board at every turn. The Festival honors its traditions while inviting energetic debate about the latest innovation.

Tickets include access to all boats, 8 stages of presentations, vendors, on-the-water activities, kids’ activities, festival bars, live music, boat rides, and a Saturday night movie. A portion of the Wooden Boat Festival ticket sales go to support the year-round programs and events at the Northwest Maritime Center! Sorry, No Dogs Allowed.

When: Sept 6-8, 2024. Hours: Friday & Saturday: 9 AM – 6 PM, music & dancing ’til midnight; Sunday: 9 AM – 5 PM

Location: Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC) & Point Hudson Marina, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (55 miles NW via Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry or 78 mi. N of Tacoma). Overnight accommodations can be hard to find. Try: ptguide.com and enjoypt.com.

Tickets (2023 prices): Adult Single-Day Tickets: $25. 3-day pass $50. Kids 12 and under FREE. Early bird discount until July 1.

NWMC members free tickets: NWMC members get free tickets and can buy additional tickets at discounted rates at the gate.

Parking anywhere near the Festival is extremely limited.

Free shuttles run all day Friday and Saturday and half a day on Sunday from the Haines Place Park & Ride (by Safeway) and Festival. Please do not park in the Safeway parking lot.
Fast Ferry & Bus from the Seattle Area. Fast, vehicle-free, transit—via the Kingston Fast Ferry & Kingston Express—between Seattle and Port Townsend in under 2-hours! Sit back and enjoy the sea and scenery along the way! Learn more here.
Walk on Whidbey Island Ferry. Car reservations are almost booked but walk-on is still available and the Festival grounds are within walking distance. Take a stroll through downtown Port Townsend on your way to Festival.

More info: Wooden Boat Festival | Port Townsend and Northwest Maritime Center (nwmaritime.org)

But wait, there’s more!

Find more boat shows, maritime events, and waterfront festivals.
Find the latest free and cheap things to do this weekend.
And here’s a list of 101+ always free things to do for fun.
Find free and cheap things to do every day on the Greater Seattle on the Cheap calendar.
Visit the Greater Seattle on the Cheap home page and choose from a menu of free and cheap activities in the Puget Sound region.

Love our cheap ideas? Get our FREE email newsletters. Choose from daily, weekly, and monthly lists. Click here to subscribe.

Upcoming Boat Shows, Waterfront Festivals, and Maritime Events

Listed below are upcoming boating and water sports events on our calendar. Featured Events are list first each day, highlighted by a photo. Featured events are unique or annual events that we or our advertisers don’t want you to overlook.