Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is planning a party fit for a queen: Queen Victoria, that is.
The gentlemen and gentlewomen of Fort Nisqually (inside Point Defiance Park, Tacoma) will celebrate the departed monarch’s birthday with cannon fire and Victorian finery on Saturday, May 21 (2022).
Party hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and festivities will include bagpipes, a musket volley, cannon salute and toasts. Visitors also can learn about historic firearms from black powder demonstrations, visit with blacksmiths, hear music, dance around a May Pole and play a civilized game of croquet.
There also will be demonstrations on “How to Host a Victorian Tea” — what to serve, who to invite, and learn why coffee drinkers should not drop in for an afternoon tea. Tea and food samples will be provided. Visitors also can make their own calling cards, a Victorian social tradition. Other crafts and hands-on activities also are planned.
The tradition of celebrating the Queen in the Puget Sound area is not a new one. Queen Victoria was celebrated throughout the British Empire and at Hudson’s Bay Company forts across North America. Queen Victoria lived from 1819-1901 and ruled for 64 years beginning in 1837. She was the reigning monarch for most of Fort Nisqually’s active period, 1833-1869.
Event admission is $9-$11, and children 3 and younger are free. (Details and ticket purchase here.)
Located in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum is a restoration of the historic Hudson’s Bay Company outpost on Puget Sound, complete with costumed interpreters. The fort is a facility of Metro Parks Tacoma.
More on Point Defiance:
Point Defiance update: Owen Beach reopening, outer loop of Five Mile Drive closing
6 things to do with kids in Point Defiance Park
And speaking of birthdays:
Tips for planning a fun, simple birthday party in a park
