Penn Cove Water Festival
Location: Historic Downtown Coupeville
Website: Event Link
Date: May 10, 2025
Time: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Price: Free
The Mission of the Penn Cove Water Festival Association is to continue an annual revival of the historic Coupeville Water Festival by bringing families together to enjoy Native American canoe racing, entertainment, crafts, and culture and by giving them a chance to learn about, appreciate, and protect the environment in which we all live.
The first Coupeville Festival with Native American Canoe Races took place in 1930, organized by a Coupeville businessman to draw more tourists to scenic Whidbey Island. Only three 11-man canoes raced then, but in later years, up to 22 tribes attended the festivals, with most participating in the canoe races. Parades, sack races, pie-eating contests, and tribal dancing were added to the festivities.