Olympic Peninsula Celebrations &Olympic Peninsula Celebrations &Contact: Scott Nagel
105 ½ E. First St.
Port Angeles, WA 98362
360-452-6300
Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival - Taste the Bounty of the Olympic Peninsula!
Taste the bounty of the Olympic coast and savor the riches of our sparkling blue waters, magical forests, and organic farms at The 8th Annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival sponsored by the Elwha River Casino and Westport Shipyard. The Festival is Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11 2009, in Port Angeles, Washington. “Crabfest” is the annual celebration of the region’s diverse bounty - the seafood, agriculture, aquaculture and maritime traditions of our coastal environment. The Festival takes place at the Port Angeles City Pier, Gateway Center, and Red Lion Hotel overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Hours are 10am-8:30pm on Saturday October 10, and 10am-5:00pm on Sunday, October 11. Activities include: the freshest of the fresh crab feed, more than a dozen restaurants, wine and beer garden, cooking demonstrations, the “grab-a-crab” crab derby, more than fifty arts and crafts booths and exhibits, kids activities, environmental education programs, and more. Admission is free and the much of the space is under cover so rain or shine spend the weekend in Port Angeles and take in all that the Olympic Peninsula has to offer! Visit www.crabfestival.org for all the details.
Opening Ceremonies
The festival opening ceremonies are Friday at 10am with the Elwha Klallam Drum Group and an opening blessing from spiritual leader Ben Charles, Sr. of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Great Food for All!
In the 7,000 square foot food pavilion Crab Central Pavilion, sponsored by Windermere Real Estate, you’ll find an old-fashioned crab feed complete with large kettles of fresh local crab from High Tide Seafood, served with Sunny Farms fresh corn and Nash’s organic cole slaw. The bounty rounds out with local restaurants including Toga’s Soup House, Crab House Restaurant, Sabai Thai, Dungeness Crab Cake Company, Mystery Bay Seafood, Sergio’s Hacienda, and the Bell Street Bakery with more than twenty-five individual dishes including crab cakes, wild salmon, fish tacos, crab bisque and chowder, shrimp, oysters, mussels, and clams. Wine tasting is provided by Olympic Peninsula Wineries and there are Northwest beers, espresso, beverages, and desserts. Enjoy great live music on the Festival Stage. Out on the pier, sample scallops from the Alaska Scallop Association, Jeremiah’s BBQ, Van Goes Pizza, roasted corn, and ice cream for the entire family.
Get crabbing
Get crabbing and join in the Grab-A-Crab Tank Derby, sponsored by High Tide Seafood and Wilder Auto, Saturday from 10am-5pm, and Sunday from 10am-4pm! The entire family can participate in this unorthodox derby by crabbing from large holding tanks using crab snares and bait. The $5 entry fee allows you to crab for 10 minutes, no license or gear needed. You can purchase the crabs to take home cooked or uncooked! Catch one of the tagged crabs and win a prize! Also on the pier are family-friendly food booths, and picnic tables to enjoy refreshments while watching or crabbing at the Crab Derby.
Cooking With Crab
The Education Program, sponsored by First Federal, offers a full schedule of activities throughout the Festival. The Gateway Center is home to the Cooking Demonstration Stage, featuring on-going cooking demonstrations from local and regional chefs. Get comfortable and stay to learn new recipes and techniques.
Elwha River Casino – Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Cultural Program
The Elwha River Casino is a proud presenting sponsor of the 2009 Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival. The casino will provide free shuttle service to the casino from the festival. The Elwha River Casino is owned and operated by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the tribe will be showcasing a variety of projects, including the salmon restoration and Elwha River Dam removal projects during the festival. Be sure to stop by and immerse yourself in local culture – singing, dancing, arts and much, much more!
Environmental Education
On the pier there will be environmental, marine, and agricultural exhibits. Stop in to the Fiero Marina Life Center and NOAA Discovery Center (Landing Mall) to learn more about our marine environment.
Stunning Arts and Crafts
On the pier, enjoy more than 50 crafts and merchants booths --get some pre-holiday shopping done with extra- ordinary gifts. And at the Gateway Center see the wine barrels that were transformed into 10 'One-of-a-Kind' art barrels as part of a community “Paint the Town” project. Barrels will be sold during a silent auction at the Festival.
Fun for Kids!
There are kid’s activities throughout the festival. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula is presenting the Children’s Program, including the Small Fry Series, a schedule of talks and workshops geared towards the younger members of the family. Sunday is family day, offering even more activities to entertain and educate the young stewards of the Pacific Northwest, including a chance for kids to fill their education card and earn a prize and chance at a drawing. A community chalk art project will be ongoing Sunday, weather permitting.
How to Get to the Festival
Port Angeles is easily accessible by car, bus, ferry, and plane.Follow routes across the Hood Canal Bridge to Hwy 101 west to Port Angeles on the North Olympic Peninsula and find the festival at the Red Lion Hotel and City Pier at the corner of Hwy 101 and Lincoln Street. There is plenty free park free downtown. Visitors can also take the Coho Ferry to and from Victoria, BC to make a great getaway vacation and fly on Kenmore Air from Seattle.
More Information
For more information including transportation, accommodations, directions and the detailed program, please go to our website at www.crabfestival.org, e-mail info@crabfestival.org, or phone 360-452-6300.
About Us
The Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival is produced by Olympic Peninsula Celebrations and the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, nonprofit tax-exempt organizations. # # #