Plan Your Visit

Your ISF Visit: Plan Ahead

Whether you are visiting Whidbey for the day, a weekend, or longer, here’s some info that might help make your visit more informed.

Island Shakespeare Festival is situated in Langley, Washington on the south end of beautiful Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound. We are about one hour north of downtown Seattle via a 20-minute ferry ride.  



Some ferry facts:

  • The ferry runs every half-hour on the Mukilteo/Clinton run (here’s a schedule.)
  • There are no ferry reservations on this run
  • Through the summer months, the ferry wait times will potentially average more than one hour during the day. Washington State Ferries offers webcams of all the Puget Sound routes, such as the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal camera here.
  • Here's a tip! You can reserve seats here to make sure you still get a seat at the show if the ferry happens to delay your plan.



The 50-mile-long Whidbey Island offers an exhilarating mix of culture, cuisine, and natural beauty, from wineries and farmer’s markets and wonderful shopping, to forested trails and coastal vistas for hiking, biking, and other sporty activities. You’re sure to find plenty to pique your interest while you explore this extraordinary island.

Find links below about where to stay, what to eat, where to shop, and what to see while visiting Langley, our Village by the Sea, or other areas of this magical isle. Our goal is to give you all the info you need to make your Island Shakespeare Festival adventure the best it can be!


At the show:

Weather and What to Wear: Bring hats with a brim (especially for matinees), wear layers and bring blankets as the summer days get shorter, it can get chilly when the sun starts to set. You’re also welcome to bring a seat cushion! You do not need to bring your own chair.

The venue opens at 5 p.m. before each performance. You’re welcome to enjoy a picnic on the grounds and enjoy beer, wine and mead at our beer garden. Sorry, no outside alcohol is allowed per state laws.

Check out our FAQs here for a deeper dive into protocols for your best laid plans.

Enjoy the island and the shows!

Photos (except selfie) by Michael Stadler