Olympia Harbor Days 2024 offers around 300 things to see and do, 150-drone show, tugboat race

The annual Olympia Harbor Days (OHD) festival will run from August 30 to September 1, featuring a 150-drone show and tugboat race among its over 300 activities.

The award-winning free festival is offered annually on Labor Day weekend and features activities for the whole family and highlights various Puget Sound vintage tugboats, with a walk-on show at the docks and races in the bay. 

There are also tall ships, steamships, and other 20^th-century commerce vessels, tribal canoes, and current recreational small watercraft. Attendees may also take harbor cruises and sail on Budd Bay.

On land, festival attendees can enjoy a wide selection of food, music, and art vendors. There will also be nautical and marine-themed attractions and hands-on activities, including Olympia’s tugboat heritage, tribal history, and the working waterfront with Port of Olympia tours. 

This year’s logo is the Atka tugboat, which has been part of 35 (and counting) Olympia Harbor Days events since 1976 and may hold the record for …

150-drone show

At the OHD’s opening on Friday, August 30, at 9:30 p.m., 150 drones are scheduled to zoom through the sky. This is double the amount of last year’s 75 drones.

A pre-festival preview of the drone show will be done on Thursday, August 29, at 9:30 p.m.

“The public is welcome to check out locations during the pre-event preview on Thursday, August 29; however, Olympia Harbor Days is not open on Thursday. Steamship Virginia V is offering pre-ticketed dockside viewing,” the festival’s page said.

Recommended viewing areas for the show include Percival Landing Boardwalk near the park, the Port Plaza, and the Westbay Park at the north end of Westbay Drive.

Annual Vintage Tugboat Show & Races

On Saturday, August 31, and Sunday, September 1, the Annual Vintage Tugboat Show and Races will take place from West Bay Marina and finish north of the Olympia Shoal.

This tradition can be traced back to the 1800s when tall ships moved cargo (and people) from one port to another. Towboats tossed their lines, left the docks, and raced out to the tall ship. The first tug to reach the tall ship usually got the job of bringing her to port. 

The festival’s tugboat race was featured in Oregon Field Guide, by Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Ian McCluskey.