Procession of the Species

Downtown Olympia’s annual Arts Walk and Procession of the Species parade are iconic and unmissable. For many years, these events have welcomed families, friends, neighbors, and tourists for a weekend of birds, bees, bugs, music, laughter, art, food and fun. What other parade allows you to be splashed by a massive geoduck, lured in by the twinkling lights of an anglerfish (with legs for marching) or enjoy a hard-at-work dung beetle rolling its prize?

Organizers typically rent a vacant storefront beforehand for the creation and assembly of Procession’s unique pageantry. This year, they had to get creative in finding space and ended up spread out across multiple sites downtown. They hope to return to a more stable environment next spring, but still happily welcome guests to the workshop, parade and Luminary Procession April 24 and 25, 2026.