The 2023 Wooden Boat Festival is September 8-10, 2023.

Thursday night is optional but recommended. Bar Harbor opens at 5 PM, and we encourage you to be open as early as you have food available, and to stay open until 11 PM.

Friday 9 AM to 6 PM
Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM
Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM

Bar Harbor is open until midnight Friday and Saturday nights. We ask that you stay open until at least 7 PM and as late as possible. The late night crowd can be a hungry one! Please do not tear down before 4 PM on Sunday.

We will be following the guidelines of the State and Public Health for whatever phase we are in come September. This will be evolving throughout the spring and summer. Please apply if you are interested in participating in this year’s Festival!

• Current Washington State business license. Out-of-state vendors can get a temporary license here.
• Port Townsend business license
• Jefferson County Health Department Food Services Permit
• Proof of Insurance with Wooden Boat Foundation named as additional insured
• Tent weights approved by City of Port Townsend
• Fireproof tent if you have open flame under your tent
• Fire extinguisher
• See electrical requirements
• Trash containers
• Adapter for RV plug to electrical cord
• Bee traps
• Oil can for used oil
• A great attitude!

The City of Port Townsend will be inspecting vendors for approved tent weights, electrical cord usage, and fire extinguishers.

The silverware washing station has been a huge success since 2017. In keeping with our plastic reduction crusade, we’re going for a 100% plastic-free Festival!

No single-use plastic bottles
No plastic straws
No plastic drink lids
No plastic flatware

We provide all the labor and infrastructure to help support this cause. You can make a difference!

In efforts to keep our waters pristine and minimize our impact on the environment, we have added compost to the food court. All food vendors will be required to purchase products that comply with the facility that will be taking our compost. We will be providing recycling bins and composting bins throughout the food court and bars. We ask for you to join us in these efforts to make the festival as clean and green as possible!

Vendors in Food Court:

• Only one 30 amp electric outlet per vendor is guaranteed.
• In some cases we can provide more electricity—order during the application process. You will only be charged if we can provide more electricity.
• Please be prepared to operate with minimal electricity.
• We require the wattage of your equipment when you apply.

Vendors Located Outside of Food Court:

• No vendor may run power cords over 100 feet.
• You must have heavy duty 100 foot extension cord properly sized for your watts and amps.

• After reading the information on this page, click the button at the bottom of the page.
• Complete the application process including waivers.
• Wait to hear from the Festival Director, who will contact you within a few days to chat about the event before accepting your application.
• When accepted you will receive an invoice via email from our finance department with options and instructions on how to pay.

The Festival Director approves vendors based on date of application, successful years in Festival, interest and variety of menu items, and attitude. Yep, we love a great attitude—it helps!

We try to let vendors know within a week; however, it is dependent on all vendors getting applications in so we know who is returning. We wish we had control over when people apply, but sadly that’s up to you all! We will be encouraging early applications to expedite the process for everyone!

Please visit this website for information on how to get a temporary business license for Washington State.

Power supply is very limited in the Food Court. Each vendor is allowed ONE 30 amp electrical outlet only. If your booth requires more power to run, please email food@woodenboat.org to see if we can accommodate your power needs. Extra fees will apply. You will need to bring an RV adapter to be able to plug in your extension cord.

In the spirit of being eco-conscious, we have a water distributor that will give water out and refill water bottles for all Festival goers, vendors, participants, etc. No single-use plastic bottles may be sold, including those for water, juice, soda, etc. As much as we love an ice cold beer, beer and wine may only be sold at our approved 21-and-over venues: Bar Harbor, Wee Nip, and the Balcony Bar. No alcohol sales are allowed in the food court.

Our goal is to offer an interesting variety of foods for sale. To eliminate the chance of double offerings we pre-approve all menu items. Only the menu items that have been approved will be allowed for sale. Soft drinks, lemonade, and ice tea do not need to be approved. Please contact us at food@nwmaritime.org to go over your menu items if you would like to review your ideas before applying!

• A weekend full of Festival goers, boats, music, and fun
• Open space for your tent/booth (10×10, 10×15, 10×20)
• One electrical outlet per vendor
• A 3-compartment sink with hot water to be shared between all food vendors
• Sanicans located across from food court and throughout Festival grounds
• Large trash receptacles to empty yours into. Located in the “Back 40” parking lot
• Composting bins with recycling bins
• Parking space behind your tent
• Free passes for you and your employees

Please arrive at the Exhibitor Gate after noon on Thursday. You will receive your Festival passes and parking passes there, as well as a map with your location in the food court. Your spot in the food court will be clearly marked. Please stay inside your allotted space. If you require extra space please email food@woodenboat.org.

Ice is available for sale inside the Festival grounds at SEA Marine and Shanghai Restaurant. The “Ice Guy” has been known to share the salted ice from the bars if you play nice.

There are pump-outs located near the food court. They will be marked on your map.

You must take all used oil with you. The infrastructure at the marina cannot handle any oil and will clog up with the slightest infraction. We will not be allowed back (and neither will you) if you’re caught dumping oil down the sewer drains. We cannot stress enough how important this is. We will have people monitoring the food court from now on. In 2019, there were a few back ups that were very expensive and inconvenient.

Yes. No one is coming to clean after you—if you don’t clean up your own space, it’s left to the Festival Director, and she will be even more tired than you… so clean up after yourself! If we have to come clean up after you, you will be charged a $100 clean-up fee minimum, and likely not allowed back.