The Soundcheck Music and Arts Festival is set to return to Port Townsend from Thursday, Aug. 15, through Sunday, Aug. 18, courtesy of the Port Townsend Creative District.

The goal of Soundcheck is to highlight and support the local artistic community’s various disciplines, including film, visual and maker arts, theater, dance, music, and poetry.

More than 100 local artists have been hired for events slated to take place across nearly two dozen venues, according to Holly Erickson, events assistant for the Port Townsend Main Street Program.

Erickson explained that the first Soundcheck was launched in 2019, during the months leading up to the inaugural THING festival, as organizer and artist Gage Pacifera “saw a void” where a locally focused festival could exist.

“Gage decided to take on the task of introducing early-arriving THING-goers to the Port Townsend scene,” said Erickson, explaining that the inaugural Soundcheck focused “on local music in local venues,” with a songwriter showcase and a bus that shuttled between venues.

Since then, Erickson noted, the Soundcheck festival has grown to include “a multitude” of other events, including poetry recitals, local film screenings, community dance classes,  burlesque performances, and “a dual-building DJ dance party.”

Erickson credited the Port Townsend Creative District with taking Soundcheck under its wing, and praised the festival for maintaining its foundational priorities, because even as it’s grown, it’s continued to spotlight “the wealth of local talent” in and around Port Townsend.

This year’s Soundcheck festivities run from Aug. 15 through Aug. 19. For a complete list of Soundcheck events, times and locations, visit ptsoundcheck.com.

Most events are free, and range from all-ages to 21-plus.

To learn more about the Port Townsend Creative District, visit ptcreativedistrict.org.