Holland Happening returns to Oak Harbor downtown with grand marshal Slowik

Oak Harbor’s Holland Happening returned downtown in the form many residents remember best: Dutch-clad parade entries, a red Ford Model T carrying former Mayor Jim Slowik as grand marshal, and a spring celebration that once again used the town’s longtime name. After last year’s rebrand to Whidbey Island Culture Fest drew lower turnout and prompted resident feedback, the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce restored Holland Happening and brought it back to its traditional late-April place on the calendar.

The comeback mattered because Holland Happening has never been just a parade. In Oak Harbor, it is one of the clearest markers of civic identity, the kind of event that tells people the city center still belongs to local traditions as much as to traffic and storefronts. Slowik’s appearance in the lead car gave the procession a recognizable face from Oak Harbor’s recent political history, while the Model T gave the parade the old-school pageantry that has long defined the festival.

The chamber’s 2026 materials billed the event as Holland Happening & International Festival, signaling a deliberate effort to keep the Dutch roots while reflecting Whidbey Island’s broader cultural mix. The schedule spread the celebration across three days, starting with Dutch Dinner on April 24, followed by the parade on April 25 and the street festival at Windjammer Park on April 25 and 26. That layout kept the event anchored in downtown Oak Harbor while also drawing activity toward the waterfront park.

This year’s festival included the familiar mix that has made it a fixture for decades: live music, artisan vendors, international food, the Klompen races and a parade lined with community groups, families and businesses. The chamber describes Holland Happening as one of Oak Harbor’s longest-running and most beloved festivals, with roots going back to 1969. Its return to the original name after the 2024 rebrand was more than a branding correction. It restored a public tradition that still helps define how Oak Harbor presents itself to residents, visitors and the rest of Island County.