PORT TOWNSEND — Despite occasional rain and cold windy weather, the ninth annual Victorian Festival filled a century-old historical Port Townsend downtown with colorful crowds wearing matching outfits through all four days of celebration of history.
With the final tally of tickets sold expected on Monday, event organizers already boasted an unusual increase of costumed visitors streaming to Port Townsend from day one of the festival.
“This year, the festival has probably drawn a lot more people than last year,” said festival director Pat Durbin.
“We have no idea how many tickets we sold, but certainly we have a lot more people in town. We sold out the Cemetery Tour, which was a smashing success.”
Today (Sunday) the festival continues with its “History’s Mysteries” venue, which features a true history of Port Townsend as reported in local newspapers.
The mystery will be unraveled at 1:30 p.m. at the Jefferson County Museum, on the second floor of the Kuhn Building at Water and Polk streets.
The Heritage Homes and Buildings tour may still continue, if it is not interrupted by rain, Durbin said. Participants can inquire at the museum.
The festival, which is vastly extravagant because of the wardrobes of its participants, also featured multiple tea parties at various historic locations, the Victorian Fashion Show, guided walking tours of downtown Port Townsend and much more.