PORT TOWNSEND — Flying a 2005 theme banner of “One World, One Ocean,” the 29th Wooden Boat Festival starts with a pre-festival music concert starting at 6 p.m. today at Point Hudson Marina.
For several years, a pre-festival music tradition has attracted boatyard workers and locals as a prelude to the popular event.
The concert is open to the public.
Port Townsend’s own string instrument virtuoso Matt Sircely is scheduled to set the festival mood with his performance with New York multi-instrumentalist Jack Dwyer.
Their appearance is followed by a Port Angeles duo, Deadwood Revival, that will take the stage at 8 p.m.
Music and fun are part of the reason why the festival has been called the “Woodstock of Wooden Boats,” festival organizers said.
Having wooden boats as its centerpiece, the festival features numerous workshops on everything to do with wooden boat-building and sailing.
Officially, the Wooden Boat Festival begins at 9 a.m. Friday when numerous exhibits, boats and workshops open to the public at the marina.
Activities last until 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with free after-hours concerts scheduled to last until midnight both days.
The festival ends 5 p.m. Sunday after a symbolic festival boat sail-by at 3:30 p.m.
Admission tickets are sold at the gate at $12 for adults and $6 for seniors and students.
Admission is free for children younger than 12.