A scaled-back Penn Cove Musselfest is coming March 4-6 to Coupeville, but prospective attendees must act quickly to secure a spot — the Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association is selling only 1,000 chowder tasting tickets this year.

The limited attendance and other changes to this year’s festival are meant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the county’s latest and biggest case surge.

“I’m working with the health department and Island County COVID response team to make sure we’re doing everything we can, and they’re keeping me abreast of what is important for us to know as we move forward,” Musselfest event coordinator Vickie Chambers said. “We’re really looking at the science and the professionals to keep us on track, so that’s been an important piece of this planning.”

Chowder tasting tickets will be sold online only, beginning Feb. 4 at https://thepenncovemusselsfestival.com. There will be 600 tickets available for Saturday, March 5, and 400 available for Sunday, March 6. Chambers said the tickets are only available online to preclude congregating in long lines at a physical ticket booth.

This attendance limit represents a 75% decrease; during a typical year, Chambers said, the festival typically sells around 4,000 tickets. Festival coordinators hope the reduced attendance will ease crowd sizes.

The Friday night Mussel Mingle, which kicks off the festival, will also be operating at a reduced capacity. Only 150 tickets for that event will be available, and they can also be purchased online beginning Feb. 4.

Other changes include the absence of some of the festival’s regular events. This year, there won’t be a mussel-eating contest or professional chef demonstrations. There will also be only one wine and beer garden instead of the usual two.

Some of the beloved events, however, will be ongoing as usual. Mussel bed boat tours will still take place, though with limited participation. Boat tours will take place every hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 5 and 6. Attendance is limited to 50 people per tour. Tickets will be available online.

The traditional free children’s event “Fishin’ on the Pier” will take place from noon to 2 p.m. March 5 and 6. Children can cast a line over the deck of the Windjammer building to reel in treats and goodies. Any children can participate, and fishers will be kept spaced apart.

This year’s festival will also debut a new children’s event. Tickets for the new children’s scavenger hunt can be purchased at the merchandise booth during the festival. Participating kids can follow clues to locations around downtown Coupeville to fill their sand buckets with treasures.

“I just believe it’ll be a nice opportunity to get outside, enjoy some chowder in an outdoor setting, and just enjoy historic Coupeville,” Chambers said.

All festival events will be held outside as a precaution against COVID. Event organizers ask festival-goers to wear masks within festival areas, and those who want to attend the Mussel Mingle or enter the wine and beer garden must provide either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test dated within 72 hours of the time of entry.