 |
Participate in our Festival |
|
Join us as a Festival Sponsor |
|
Volunteer at the Festival |
|
Outdoor Film at the Festival |
|
View/Download Event Schedule |
|
Official Event Press Release |
|
How to get to the Festival |
29th
Annual
Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival and Classic Speedboat Show
July 2, 3 & 4, 2005 (Saturday - Monday)
10 a.m. - 6 p.m. each day
Cost: $5 suggested donation, $10 for a family
The Center for Wooden Boats holds a 3-day Fourth of July festival on Lake Union each year that attracts some 15,000 participants.
The theme is heritage wooden boats. The ambiance is that of an old-fashioned, down-home waterfront festival where everything is fun, almost everything is free and nothing much is fancy. It's as authentically grassroots American as you can get and has been for the last 28 years.
If it's at the festival, you can probably touch it, try it or do it. Experience maritime culture first hand. It's a hands-on festival right in the center of the city, in the summer, on a bustling lake.
Families come down in droves because everything can be done by young and old together - toy boat building, sailing model boats on the pond, boat rides and races, picnicking, clambering over boats big and small, festive food and music, and general joy.
Over the last 28 years, the festival has developed into a gem of the Seattle Summer. We hope you'll join us.
What's new in 2005?
More neighbors!
The South Lake Union neighborhood is changing rapidly and everyone's invited.
More family
activities!
Lots of exhibits where families and individuals can go for a boat ride or "experience the craft" of boatbuilding and maritime skills.
Presented in partnership with the Antique and Classic Boat Society
More than 40 classic runabouts and speedboats will be on display each day of the festival. Click here for more information on the Antique and Classic Boat Society.
More opportunities to get out on the water!
On the water kayak and rowing shell demos, historic longboat rides.
Celebrating Working Vessels
Celebrate the working history of wooden boats! Visit historic NOAA research vessel Harold W. Streeter, a 1944 Coast Guard Cutter, 1926 Forest Service Ranger 7, a 1944 Army Air Force crash boat and the 1950 Navy 50' Admiral's Barge Old Man IV. And of course, beloved South Lake Union icons, the 1889 tug Arthur Foss and the Fireboat Duwamish.
New Activities!
Attend the opening night film on Friday, July 1st at dusk, watch El Toro Water Polo on Sunday, take the Small Ships Challenge, listen to music on the stern of tugboat Arthur Foss, and bargain hunt at a maritime treasures sale!
Experience Maritime Culture Firsthand
Free Boat Rides - Ride in a steam launch, row or go for a sail.
Captain Kid's Corner - Kids and their parents and grandparents and friends work together to build toy boats.
Treasure Hunt - Families who complete this hands-on scavenger hunt can receive 5 free raffle tickets or a family membership at CWB!
Model Boat Pond - Watch vintage model pond boats sail (Northwest designed) or launch one yourself.
Family Boatbuilding - Build a boat with your family, or just sit back and watch the boats come together. Our Festival Boat Building Class is already full but you can add your name for a future class.
Carving Cultural Connections - CWB Artist-in-Residence Saaduuts (Robert Peele) is a Haida carver who enjoys sharing the cnaoe building journey with people of all ages. Visit the canoe shed in the Seaport Yard to take part in the journey of The Spirit of Peace.
Walk the Docks - Some 150 classic wooden boats, ranging from schooners to rowboats to elegant sedan cruisers converge once a year for the Festival. View them, talk to their owners - you may be invited aboard! Or if you are the proud owner of one of these beauties, bring her down so we can admire her.
See the Pirate - Re-launched in April of this year, visit the 1926 R-boat Pirate, designed by Ted Geary. Impeccably restored here at CWB, this vessel is on the registry of historic landmarks.
Ben Seaborn Designs - A show within a show - look for sailboats designed by Ben Seaborn and learn about this talented NW naval architect.
Experience the Craft - Learn from others. Talk with experienced boat builders, view their wares, or try your hand at caulking a seam or steaming a plank.
NW Seaport - Tour the 1889 tugboat Arthur Foss and 1933 salmon troller Twilight. The schooner Wawona is temporarily closed, but can be viewed from shore, with an interpretive display of photos. In the Seaport Yard, the giftshop has maritime music CDs, t-shirts and more!
Pocock Foundation Exhibit and Rowing Tryouts - Check out the historic rowing shells built by Stan Pocock and then try out rowing for yourself at the City Wharf dock!
Row your own Raffle - Purchase tickets to our festival raffle for only $1. All proceeds benefit CWB programs. Sailing trips, Lake Union restaurants, kayaking and classic boat rides - you get to pick the prize you want your ticket to be entered for!
Sea Stories - Special presentations and tales of the sea. Hear first-hand stories of Northwest classic boats being brought back to life with recent restorations. Or sit down, put up your feet and enjoy a favorite movie of the sea.
Quick and Daring - The Quick & Daring contestents have one day in which to build a boat at the festival... and then they have to race it, sailing on one leg of the race, paddling on another, and anything goes on the final leg.
Foc'sle Music Stage, Crew's Mess and the Pewter Pig Pub - Naturally, we offer folksy music, festive food and a beer garden!
Boat Races - Watch elegant wooden boats race against the backdrop of a summer day and the Seattle skyline.
Knot Here, Right Now - We teach knots to anyone who drops in... Knots for boats, for tying down trailer loads, for household use, for decoration, for fun... Always popular.
Hall of Northwest Maritime Culture - View original small craft from the Northwest and a whole range of exhibits from many Northwest historical organizations.
Maritime Products Mart - Looking for a unique tool? Shopping for a tender? Wood for your next boatbuilding project? Handmade hats from Australia? A particular book? You'll find a unique range of products at the festival.
