For us Washington locals, celebrations like the Tulip Festival during this season are a must. People come out from all around every year. But what about Holland Happening? Never heard of it? Neither had I.
Turns out, Whidbey Island does another festival around the same time of the year. Right in the middle of Oak Harbor's downtown area is a celebration of spring and the area's dutch heritage. So, on a cloudy day in April, my boyfriend and I took a ride into town to see what all the commotion was about.
For a little bit of a backstory, Holland Happening has been going on for nearly 50 years. Fans of the events rave about how community-based the carnival is and how much they enjoy seeing everyone from small businesses to schools and families coming together to join in the merriment.
We arrived a little bit late to the party, since the festivities had really begun the day before, on Friday the 28th. A traditional Dutch Dinner is what ushers in this weekend of events. The whole community is welcome to join the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce for a menu filled with Erwtensoep (split pea with ham soup), hutspot (mashed potatoes with leeks and sausage), gehaktballetjes en jus (meatballs with gravy), appelmoes (apple sauce), roggebrood (rye bread) and oliebollen (doughnuts).
Despite the fact that we'd missed the opening ceremonies, we were still raring to go on Saturday morning when the parade rolled through town. With more marching bands than I could count, a very convincing pirate float, and a pug holding a sign it its mouth that was at least twice as big as he was, there's really something for everyone. Families bring their kids and plastic bags to catch candy from generous parade participates.
But I'll be honest, the real fun was just getting started. Over 73 booths were setting up selling delicious treats, knick knacks, henna tattoos and more. There really is something for everyone at the street fair. For me, this meant getting my hands on a jumbo bag of pink cotton candy as soon as humanly possible (which was gone in approximately 15 minutes). But just down the hill is what really brings people in. 
On Saturday and Sunday, the hill is transformed into an all-out portable amusement park. Tilt a Whirls, Swings, Gravatons, the whole shebang. People of all ages pick up a couple tickets and turn them in for chances to win a game or jump on a ride. And after dark, the carnival continues, turning its lights on for some true springtime magic.
Sounds like your cup of tea? It was mine, too. So mark your calendars next year for the end of April and head down to Holland Happening for a weekend of fun!
