Long Beach, Washington has many entertainment options for visitors and residents alike. From horseback riding to shops to seafood restaurants, there are opportunities to explore the town year-round. Long Beach is also host to festivals and events year-round. In August specifically, visitors and residents are invited to partake in a number of unique events.
This annual event brings together two tastes that, once acquired, often stay with fans for life. Taking place in mid-month on the historic Oysterville Schoolhouse grounds, this one-day event features live jazz music from some of the most respected jazz musicians in the northwest. Add to that culinary delicacies that include desserts and sausages to complement the oysters, and patrons should find entertainment enough to last the whole day. The festival was preceded in 2010 by the Blues and Seafood festival, so visitors looking for music and food to fill out an entire weekend may be in luck.
Jazz and Oysters
Oysterville Schoolhouse Grounds
P.O. Box 6
Oysterville, WA 98641
800-451-2542
watermusicfestival.com/jazz-and-oysters
The International Kite Festival was voted the ‘Best Kite Festival in the World’ by Kite Trade Association International. It is sponsored by the World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame, the only such museum in the country. At the week-long festival, kites are celebrated with demonstrations and choreographed kite shows, and some of the world's most talented kite fliers have showed up in years past. Enthusiasts also have a chance to compete for prizes and glory. Held annually in the third week of August, the International Kite Festival is worth a stop for any person who appreciates the potential beauty of kites.
World Kite Museum
303 Sid Snyder Dr.
P.O. Box 964
Long Beach, WA 98631
360-642-4020
kitefestival.com/kite-festival
Don't let his grotesque appearance fool you: Jake the Alligator Man is a fun guy, and so is his birthday party. A former side-show oddity that looks like a half-alligator, half-man, Jake is no longer alive--there are plenty of doubts as to whether he ever was--but he is still on display at Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach. During his annual birthday party, which takes place in early August, there is birthday cake and games for kids and a car show during the day. At night, burlesque shows and drinking abound in a testament to Jake that well-wishers are unlikely to forget.
Marsh's Free Museum
409 S. Pacific Ave.
Long Beach, WA 98631
360-642-2188
jakethealligatorman.com/annual-jake-the-alligator-man-75th-birthday-party
