AmericaTheBeautiful.com © 2015

- All Rights Reserved.

Peter’s Travel Log

• Travel Blog
• See America
• Travel Videos

When it comes to special events, fairs and festivals, Oregon  has something for everyone. Whether it's honoring food, history, heritage, or one of the four seasons, Oregon’s  celebrations are known for their authentic charm. The following is just a sample of the events taking place year round.

Newport Seafood & Wine Festival

February 20-23, 2014  in Newport, Oregon

Newport’s annual Seafood & Wine Festival -It's the premier seafood & wine event of the west coast and the original Northwest seafood and wine festival. Artists and Craftsmen showcase a variety of fine art, sculpture, photography, pottery, and jewelry. Pacific Northwest Wineries pour the finest of wines and culinary professionals serve cuisines of delectable delights to entice your palates.  Visit: seafoodandwine.com

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

February - July  in Ashland, Oregon

Founded in 1935, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is among the oldest and largest professional nonprofit theatres in the nation. Each year OSF presents an eight-and-a-half-month season of eleven plays in three theatres plus numerous ancillary activities, and undertakes an extensive theatre education program. Operating on a budget exceeding $26 million, OSF presents more than 780 performances annually with attendance of Approximately  400,000. Visit: www.osfashland.org

Portland Rose Festival

March - June  in Portland, Oregon

Attended by more than two million people for one hundred years, the Portland Rose Festival has presented events and programs that spotlight the riches of the Pacific Northwest heritage and environment while offering colorful examples of many international cultures. The Portland Rose Festival has also been distinguished by the “IFEA World Festival & Event City” award, a popular and distinguished award, in existence for over 56 years, that has been awarded to cities and their events that have made a significant contribution to the Festivals and Events Industry and a profound difference in the communities they serve. Among the festival's most popular events are the Grand Floral Parade, one of the nation's top two all-floral parades, and the WaMu Waterfront Village, which features the Best Children's Programming in the World, according to the IFEA. Visit: www.rosefestival.org/

Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival

April 25, 26 & 27, 2014 in Astoria, Oregon

A tradition for more than 30 years, the Astoria Warrenton Crab and Seafood Festival is always on the last full weekend in April. Visitors to the event can enjoy live music from NW Bands, a great selection of seafood and other culinary delights (including the Rotary club’s traditional crab dinner), near 50 Oregon Wineries and about 100 booths filled with handmade arts and crafts. Visit: Crabandseafoodfest

Ashland Independent Film Festival

April 3 - 7, 2014 in Ashland, Oregon

The 12th Annual Ashland Film Festival is the only film festival in the Northwest, and one of only 20 in the USA selected to receive a prestigious grant from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Ashland Independent Film Festival attracts filmmakers, actors, and documentary subjects to Ashland to showcase their work. The festival takes place on the five screens of the intimate art-deco Varsity Theatre with special events at the Historic Ashland Armory. Visit: www.ashlandfilm.org

Co-Motion Oregon Gran Fondo Race

June 1, 2014  in Cottage Grove, Oregon

The 2nd annual Oregon Gran Fondo is scheduled for Sunday,  June 2, 2013, at Cottage Grove, Oregon. It’s going to be a big, colorful celebration of cycling where racing teams, recreational riders and families ride for time or just for fun on scenic, low- and no-traffic routes. More than 350 cyclists rode the inaugural event in 2012 and the reviews were fantastic. Outdoor expo and beer garden, free camping, excellent, well stoked and staffed aid stations, mechanical support and more.  Visit: Co-Motion

Midsummer Scandinavian Festival

June 20 - 22, 2014 in Astoria, Oregon

A tradition for more than 40 years, the Midsummer Scandinavian Festival is a three-day celebration of Scandinavian traditions with dancing, music, food, trolls and colorful costumes that bring the old country heritage to life. Featured entertainers for the 2013 Scandinavian Midsummer Festival will be Harald Haugaard and Helene Blum of Denmark. Harald won Entertainer of the Year and Best Folk Album of the year in the 2012 Danish Music Awards. . Visit: www.astoriascanfest.com

Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games

August 9, 2014  in Madras, Oregon

A celebration of the culture of all Celtic groups, the Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds feature the traditional games, Celtic dancers, children's activities, fine Celtic wares, arts and crafts, clan representation, the Southern Oregon Scottish Bagpipe Band, lots of food, fun, and the area’s own High Desert Celtic Country Dancers. Visit: www.hdcs.net

Pendleton Round-Up

September  in Pendleton, Oregon

Drawing more than 50,000 visitors to the heart of Oregon's rodeo country each year, the Pendleton Round-Up is one of the largest rodeos in the country. Held in Pendleton since 1910, highlights of the event include bareback riding, saddle bronco riding, calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, steer roping, brahma bull riding, Indian relay races and wild cow milking. Is it: www.pendletonroundup.com

Oktoberfest

September 11 - 14, 2014 in Mt Angel, Oregon

The small community was settled by German pioneers in the 1800s and readily reminds one of the rich Bavarian countryside. Oregon's oldest and best-loved Oktoberfest began in 1966 as a traditional harvest festival to celebrate the bounty of the earth and the goodness of creation. It is Oregon's largest folk festival. Created to help raise funds for nonprofit, community activities in the Mt Angel area, the four-day Oktoberfest ( the largest folk festival in the state) attracts more than 300,000 people each year. to Mt Angel, a community that was founded by German pioneers in 1867. Featuring music, food, dress and beverages of Bavaria, highlights of this celebration of German culture include alpine folk music, Bavarian bands, dancing,food and beverages, and more.  Visit: www.oktoberfest.org

Fall Kite Festival

October 4, 5, 2014  in Lincoln City, Oregon

The Fall Kite Festival is held on the beach, in the center of Lincoln City, at the D-River Wayside from 10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Fall Kite Festival, as Lincoln City's "original" Kite Festival, celebrates over 30 years of fun. Enjoy demonstrations by expert fliers, kids' kite making, Running of the Bols, raffles, kid's parade, and more fun in the sand. Lincoln City Fall Kite Festival is a sanctioned event of the American Kite fliers Association. Visit: Kite Festival

63rd Annual Portland Greek Festival

October  in Portland, Oregon

he Greek Festival remains a wonderful opportunity for us to share annually with over 15,000 guests from the Portland Metropolitan area our beautiful Greek Orthodox faith, our cherished cultural traditions, food, music, and dance.  Each year we award a portion of our festival proceeds to worthy philanthropic endeavors in the greater Portland community. . Visit: GreekFest.