Whidbey does this differently from the mainland, partly because the island is long and thin and partly because the wind has opinions.
Island events
Oak Harbor to Coupeville holiday lights boat parade
Penn Cove and Oak Harbor waterfront
Lit boats on the water. The most distinctly Whidbey thing on this list, and worth checking which harbor is the better vantage point in a given year.
Oak Harbor Santa parade and tree lighting
Downtown Oak Harbor
The season opener downtown, with the shops open late.
Greenbank Farm holiday lights
Greenbank Farm, Greenbank
Lights across the farm buildings in the middle of the island. Open ground, which means you see it from a distance as you come over the hill.
Christmas Village at the Blue Fox Drive-In
Blue Fox Drive-In, Oak Harbor
A drive-in theater lot turned into a holiday village. Unusual, and very much a local institution.
The residential drive
Langley's village streets are the best walking lights on the island, small in scale and consistently well done. Coupeville's historic waterfront is the most photogenic. Freeland, Clinton and the Holmes Harbor area have individual homes that are worth the drive but no single cluster.
Why island installs are their own problem
Wind off the water is the defining factor here, more than rain. A run that would sit fine in the Skagit valley for three months whips itself apart on an exposed Whidbey bluff in one January storm.
- Higher clip density, particularly at peaks and corners, so nothing has slack to move.
- Wire routed tight to the roof edge rather than allowed to drape.
- Connections elevated and looped, because salt air plus standing water is worse than either alone.
- Commercial-grade sealed sockets. Consumer strings corrode fast within sight of the water.
Island install, serviced within 48 hours all season.
Get My Free QuoteHoliday light installation on Whidbey Island
Captain Clean Holiday Lights installs warm white C9 roofline lighting from Bellingham to Everett and across Whidbey Island. A seasonal service of Captain Clean Pro Wash, established 1985.
(360) 404-7167
