Port Townsend is gearing up for one of the most distinctive weekends on the Olympic Peninsula — and this year, it comes with a milestone worth circling on your calendar.
Victorian Heritage Festival Returns April 24–26
The 30th annual Port Townsend Victorian Heritage Festival lands April 24–26, and this year it carries extra weight: Port Townsend is celebrating its 175th birthday.
Headquartered at the Cotton Building on Water Street (607 Water St), the festival brings Victorian fashion shows, period dancing, historical education programs, and a special birthday proclamation for the city. If you have never wandered downtown Port Townsend surrounded by hundreds of people in full Victorian regalia, it is one of the most uniquely wonderful experiences on this entire peninsula.
A practical tip: book your accommodations now. Port Townsend fills up fast for this one, and the inns near the water go first. The festival runs three full days, so plan for at least one overnight if you are coming from outside Jefferson County.
Fort Worden State Park — Perfect Spring Timing
If you have not made it out to Fort Worden State Park this spring yet, April is one of the best months to go. The crowds are still light, the tide pools along the beach are active with life, and the old concrete gun batteries jutting up from the bluffs look dramatic in that low spring light. It is the kind of place that feels like you have stepped into a different era.
The campsite reservation season opened April 1 and runs through October 31. If you have never stayed in one of the historic Victorian officers’ quarters with the Strait of Juan de Fuca right outside your window, add it to the bucket list immediately.
The Centrum Foundation has spring programming running at the park right now — check their calendar before you visit to catch a workshop, rehearsal, or open event.
Fort Worden State Park is located at 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend. Day use is free with a Discover Pass.
Plan Your Visit
Port Townsend sits at the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, about a two-hour drive from Seattle via the Kingston or Bainbridge Island ferry. Mid-April through late April is one of the sweetest windows — mild weather, fewer crowds than summer, and the Victorian Festival as your anchor event. Whether you come for the history, the hiking, or just to see the town in full 19th-century costume, this is Port Townsend at its best.
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