Langley, Washington’s Mystery Weekend

If you’re one of those people that loves a murder mystery and you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, then look no further than the small town of Langley.  Langley, located on Whidbey Island in the state of Washington, is a tiny town with just over a thousand people living there.  But every year in late February the population of the town nearly doubles as people swarm in to take part in the Mystery Weekend.

The Mystery Weekend takes place during the third weekend in February and lasts for two days. It first began in 1984 and has been running every year since.  Each year the town sets up a two-by-three block area of downtown to act as the “stage.” The event begins around 10 a.m. on Saturday and continues until the murderer is announced about 5 p.m. on Sunday.

The way the game works is that first you pay your dollar to play and they give you a copy of a fake newspaper that talks about the crime in question. You then run about town, following a provided map to get more clues and interrogating various actors to learn more information.  Over the two days, you try to hunt down all the information necessary to discover who the true killer is.  Then you put it all together and hope that you’re right.

Those that manage to find the correct killer are awarded a prize.  It’s a pretty basic prize, such as a free dinner here or there, a weekend at a local inn or a piece of artwork made and signed by a local artist.  But the fun of Mystery Weekend isn’t in getting something for free, but in being part of one of the largest murder mystery events in the world.

This year’s event is already long passed, but next year marks Langley Mystery Weekend’s 30^th anniversary, so expect something special. If you like a good mystery consider stopping by this small town next February.  And check out their official town web site for more information on what the town has to offer.

Langley photo courtesy of visitlangley.com