Sequim Lavender Festival — Local services in Sequim

So first things first. Google map will lead you to the handicap parking which is NOT the general parking so be prepared to be redirected to the main parking lot up front (that was kinda confusing) Along with that, the parking situation was honestly not the best, and a lot of people end up having to park in the neighborhood or street parking across from the event (which is fine just be sure to remember where you parked)

Overall, the event was great, lots of vendors, nice food and great music! I love how dogs are allowed :)) But one thing worth mentioning is that there are no actual lavender fields IN the park, so you can grab a brochure at the information desk and start lavender field hopping.

Another thing that really threw off our schedule is the traffic condition. Yesterday’s traffic was HORRIBLE. There were 5 events going on this past weekend (mariner game, food festival, capital hill block party, Taylor swift concert and women’s NBA) with 2 bridges down (construction?) but anyways…

The ferry had a 2 hour wait line and driving from Seattle to the festival without the ferry is almost a 3 hour drive (with tons of traffic) so we got there like 3.5-4 hours later and most of the lavender field closes at 5-5:30ish with a couple exceptions. So make sure you plan ahead and leave early.

PS: although we didn’t take the ferry but the line to the ferry starts on the RIGHT hand side, there’s not really a sign to tell you that so I saw people form 2 lines then got honked at by a biker nonstop… (sorry, but nonstop honking is really a huge pet peeve of mine. Very rude, please be nice to fellow drivers, thank you.) not saying it’s their fault but the whole waiting area was a mess.

So event, great. The traffic, horrible. Maybe they should arrange more ferry rides to...

Glad I got to experience the festival but gave it 3 stars because it's not what I thought the Lavender Festival would be. More like a flea market where there is a strip of tents of people selling everything like sauces, clothing, bonsai plants, art, jewelry, and very few tents of people selling actual lavender related items. There is a small strip for the food tents but unfortunately nothing with a creative lavender spin. There is a shuttle that will take you to some lavender fields. Wish we would've spent more time doing this although the one we went to was a bit of a disappointment. Went to Jardin du Soleil and paid $10 to enter the property only to find out that everything in there but a very tiny maze cost extra. We had to pay extra money if we wanted to cut a bunch of lavender, ride a camel, donkey, or horse or give them a carrot or grain... literally everything inside had a charge as well. Will likely never return to the lavender festival again but if you are thinking about it, definitely do Not procrastinate making your hotel or camping reservations. We made this mistake and drove hours from campsite to campsite until midnight when we got lucky and found one room still...

Not a fan of the out-of-town venue for 2018. This was problematic for the down town stores who did not get the business they were expecting as usual.

I don't know what the city of Sequim is thinking... 2018 and apparently 2019 (heard directly from one of the Sequim lavender festivals organizers) are again going to be held in the Carrie Blake Park. This is not a good venue for disabled and people who do not like the heat... Not much shade here... Rough ground walking and, it appeared to us, to get into the shaded tent, one had to buy expensive food catered by the casino... With an hour long lineup..

Wise up city of Sequim, your downtown businesses are the heart of Sequim and need to remain and stay in business! You need to help them stay in business and the lavender festival is their busiest time. I shan't be bothered to go to the...