A wide variety of events and festivals take place in Oregon throughout the year, providing something for every taste and style.
Take one look at a calendar of events for Oregon and one thing becomes obvious - Oregonians like to celebrate! And as with just about everything else in Oregon, festival-goers can find something to suit just about any taste. Here is a short, and by no means exhaustive, list of some of the bigger Oregon festivals:
1) Portland Rose Festival (Portland, Oregon)
Portlanders make no secret of their love for roses - in fact, the city is called the "City of Roses." Every June, the city pays homage to its beloved favorite flora by celebrating with two weeks of carnivals, parades, games, events, and just all around fun. Now in its 98th year, this internationally-recognized festival kicks off with the Queen's Coronation. Area high schools each elect a representative to be an Ambassador to the Rose Festival Court, and one of these lucky young people gets to act as Queen of the festival. In Waterfront Park, carnival lovers can eat their fill and enjoy the rides and entertainment offered at the 11-day Pepsi Waterfront Village. About halfway through the event, Fleet Week begins, and ships from the US Navy, US Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and Canadian Navy all arrive and drop anchor on the Western Seawall of the Willamette River. Possibly the biggest event of all, however, is the annual Grand Floral Parade. This signature event is beloved by the city; parade-goers will line up days ahead of the event just to get a good seat along the 4.3-mile route! The Grand Floral Parade is the second-largest all-floral parade in North America.
The Portland Rose Festival simply has too many features and fun things to list. For more information, contact the festival office at 503-227-2681.
2) Mt. Hood Jazz Festival (Gresham, Oregon)
Now in its 24th year, the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival continues to provide the Northwest with quality jazz every August. This year, the event will spread to multiple venues within a three-block area of historic Downtown Gresham, Oregon. Previously featured artists have included The Heath Brothers, Abbey Lincoln, and Charlie Hunter, as well as nationally-recognized jazz treasures such as Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Wynton Marsalis. Nearly as famous as the music are the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival posters - since 1983, the annual photograph or painting has been an annually-sought collector's item. For more information on the 2005 festival, to be held August 5-7, contact the festival office at 503-491-5950.
3) Oktoberfest (Mt. Angel)
Get ready to do the Chicken Dance - every September, folks from all over Oregon gather at Mt. Angel to sample wine, beer, and spirits, as well as local hospitality, products, and food at the annual Oktoberfest. Now in its 40th year, the offers four days of fun every September, including continuous live music on four stages, a children's area (Kindergarten) with free rides and activities, street dancing, car show, and traditional Weingarten, Biergarten, and Alpinegarten. The Mt. Angel area was settled in the 1800s by German immigrants, and the town draws on that cultural heritage to make the event as Bavarian as possible this side of the Atlantic. While similar, smaller festivals dot the state, none compare to the original in Mt. Angel. For information, call 503-845-6882.
4) Festivals on the Oregon Coast
It's almost impossible to visit the Oregon Coast at any time of year without finding a kite festival, sandcastle contest, or other similar event somewhere. Before heading to the coast, contact the Oregon Coast Visitors Association at 541-574-2679 for a calendar of events.
One truly unique festival is the annual Glass Float event in Lincoln City, Oregon. In days gone by, glass floats used by Japanese fishermen would wash up on the shores of Lincoln City to be found by locals and tourists. Such floats were treasured, horded, and adored. Now, fishermen use plastic floats, but the glass float tradition carries on. In 1997, a local glass blower decided that hiding glass floats on the beach would be a fun way to welcome the new millennium. Today, beginning every October, local glassblowers and volunteers make and hide 2,000 floats on the beach to be found by anyone willing to look hard enough. The exciting part is that the floats are yours to keep when you find them! For more information about this fun event, call 541-996-1274 or 800-452-2151.
5) The Bite (Portland, Oregon)
One of Portland's favorite festivals, the annual Bite of Oregon turns Waterfront Park into a gastronomic paradise every August. Restaurants from all over the area turn out to offer a taste of their best cuisine, and musicians offer entertainment nightly. Best of all, the event is a benefit for the Special Olympics of Oregon. For more information, call 503-248-0600.
6) Summerfest (Beaverton, Oregon)
This three-day event in July has something for everyone - music, a 10k run, farmer's market, games for the kids, and a wide variety of food and beverages. It also features a marketplace for local artists and craftspeople, featuring pottery, paintings, jewelry, photography, and more. Kids can visit the music experimentation station and try out a variety of instruments. For those interested in a more professional sound, the main stage offers concerts daily; the 2004 Summerfest featured Kenny Loggins, Berlin, and Joan Osborne, among others. For more information, contact the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce at 503-644-0123.
7 Sandy Mountain Festival (Sandy, Oregon)
For two days in July, the city of Sandy, Oregon hosts the Sandy Mountain Festival. Set at the base of Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, Sandy's pristine small-town beauty is the perfect backdrop for this event. The festival kicks off with a parade, then serves as a showcase for over 150 local artisans and live entertainment on two stages. The unique five generation court is something to see - with the queen required to be 70+ years and each of four princesses falling into generational age categories down to 7 years old. Sandy is only minutes from the city of Gresham, which offers a wide variety of accommodations. For more information, contact the Sandy Mountain Festival at 503-668-5900.
8) Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, Oregon)
Possibly the longest annual "festival" in Oregon, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival lasts nine months of the year, from February through October. Housed in three theaters in Ashland, Oregon, and featuring approximately 12 plays per season, the festival includes contemporary, modern plays as well as Shakespearean plays. For a true Shakespearean experience, visit during the warm summer months and take in a play in the 1,200-seat open air Elizabethan Theater, modeled after the Fortune Theater of Shakespeare's time. The city of Ashland offers a wide variety of bed and breakfasts, hotels, and hostels, as well as everything from fast food to five-star cuisine. While waiting for your show to start, enjoy perusing the many shops and strolling through the 93-acre Lithia Park. For more information, contact the Oregon Shakespeare Festival at 541-482-2111.
