The first Huron Water Festival was held in 1964 as a carnival at Lake Front Park. Held in conjunction with the Coakley Boat races, it featured a queen contest, community booths and a water ski show. After several years the races were discontinued, but the carnival was expanded by adding a parade. For one year the event was held on a then vacant lot next to the Huron Plaza. The next year it returned downtown. In 1984 the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales were featured at the festival.
The Irish Festival, which at one time attracted more than 10,000 visitors from all over Ohio, debuted in 1980 and was last held in? The Rotary Arts Festival, which began in 1976, is one of Huron's most popular festivals today.
After the Boat Basin was built it became the location of the Huron Water Festival and is the location of the Huron River Fest.A water ski show on the Huron River was a popular feature of the Water Festival through the years. By 1991 the Huron Water Festival had become one of the largest in the area, prompting concerns by many residents. In 1992 Huron City Council and the Water Festival Committee could not agree on the location and size of the festival, so it was not held that summer. The Huron River Fest, which was a smaller festival planned by area service groups and Huron residents, made its debut the first time that summer.In 1969 the Huron Lions Club assumed the organizational responsibilities for the festival and added rides. The group increased the number of booths, established the name as the Huron Water Festival and named the event's official date as the first weekend after the Fourth of July.The Huron Lions Club took over operation of the parade in 1967 and expanded it until it became one of the largest and most popular in the area.
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