These 6 Oregon Towns Have The Most Unique Festivals
Dating back to prehistoric times, festivals have been a way for humanity to celebrate special moments. Just when you might think that every kind of festival has been celebrated, Oregon might prove you wrong. Across some of the smallest towns, travelers will find events celebrating UFOs, sandcastles, olive oil, and sculptures made by cows, many of which have been annual traditions for decades. If you’re looking for a reason to celebrate, consider checking out one of these unique festivals.
Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest
When a tsunami struck Cannon Beach in 1964, it washed out one of the town’s main bridges, leaving residents relatively isolated until it could be rebuilt. In an effort to lift the community’s spirits, the town organized a sandcastle contest, a tradition that continues over 60 years later! This year, the contest will take place on June 21st, 2025. If you are hoping to test your sandcastle-making abilities, you can register for one of the contest divisions. Three of the divisions are designed for children and teenagers, while others cater to adult individuals, small teams, and large groups. There is also a master division for expert sandcastle builders, available by invitation only.
If you're not competing, there's still plenty to enjoy as a spectator! Activities will be going on all weekend long, starting on June 20th and ending on June 22nd. In addition to the main contest, some of the activities that visitors can attend throughout the weekend include a master sandcastle-building demonstration, a beach party with live music and a bonfire, and a 5k run.
The Great Salt Lick in Baker City
The Great Salt Lick has become a beloved art auction within the Baker City community. However, the artists behind the pieces might surprise you. Cows, goats, and horses do the sculpting, slowly licking away at ordinary salt blocks until they resemble contemporary works of art. The idea for the auction came to founder Whit Deschner after he noticed a salt block licked by deer that looked more like a sculpture than a chunk of salt. Inspired, he teamed up with a friend who was both a rancher and auctioneer to bring the concept to life.
Today, ranchers can submit their animals’ creations for cash prizes. Many of the salt lick sculptures sell for thousands of dollars, with auction proceeds going towards Parkinson's research. Since its founding, the Great Salt Lick has raised an impressive $239,000. If you’ve been looking for your next masterpiece, consider attending the event this fall!
McMinnville UFO Festival
Seventy-five years ago, McMinnville gained national attention after a local couple spotted a flying disc hovering over their farm, putting the town on the map for UFO sightings. Several decades later, in 1999, the town launched the annual McMinnville UFO Festival to commemorate the famous unexplained sighting. This year, the town will host its 25th-ever festival, taking place on May 16th and 17th, 2025.
As always, the festival will be packed with activities. Those interested in UFO evidence and history can attend events like live podcast recordings, a screening of the Trent UFO Documentary, and presentations from expert speakers. After exploring notable UFO cases, festival attendees can keep the extraterrestrial spirit going at events like a glow-in-the-dark light party, a vendor fair, a space alien fun run, an alien costume contest, and the famed UFO festival parade.
Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration in Oregon City
Each summer, hundreds of attendees gather in Oregon City for the annual Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration, an event that honors both the Pacific Lamprey and Willamette Falls. The lamprey, an eel-like fish with a round, sucker-like mouth, is one of the oldest living fish lineages, twice as old as the dinosaurs. Considered a sacred food for the area’s Indigenous tribes, this festival celebrates the tribes’ connection with the jawless fish. The Willamette Falls are culturally important as well, serving as a harvesting site for the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Nez Perce Tribe, all of which have treaty rights to harvest at the falls.
Throughout the festival, attendees can explore scientific exhibits and watch filleting demonstrations to learn more about the lamprey. Travelers can also take a guided boat tour of the falls, where tribal leaders share the cultural significance of the area. While the event celebrates both the falls and the sacred fish, it also aims to raise awareness about their preservation, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy them.
Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland
For 21 years, chocolate lovers across Oregon and the Pacific Coast have come together in Ashland for the annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. This past year, the event kicked off with a Chocolate Maker’s Wine Dinner on Friday, March 7th, which featured a curated-multi course meal prepared by an award-winning chef with locally sourced ingredients and regional wines. Each of the dishes in the dinner was infused with chocolate, offering plates like saffron poached beets with basil cacao nib pesto, cocoa-rubbed ribs, and a milk chocolate basque cheesecake.
Activities on Saturday and Sunday, meanwhile, began with a chocolate brunch, followed by a vendor's marketplace. The chocolate product competition is one of the highlights of the marketplace, featuring a variety of competition categories, such as best chocolate confection, chocolate beverage, chocolate bonbon, and chocolate bar. Although the judges decide on the winners privately, there is a Q&A panel in which attendees can learn about the decision-making process! Festival tickets also include access to a variety of expert-led sessions, ranging from chef demonstrations to wine and chocolate pairings and mindful eating workshops.
Olio Nuovo Festival in Dayton
The Willamette Valley is well known for its wine production, but many Oregon residents may be surprised to learn it also cultivates olive trees! In fact, during the month of November, travelers can visit Dayton, a small town in northwestern Oregon, to celebrate the annual olive harvest at Durant at Red Ridge Farms, a local olive mill. For the past 15 years, the festival has featured a month-long lineup of olive oil-themed events. One of the event’s highlights is the Feast Olio, which features an olive-oil-focused, seven-course Italian meal.
Throughout the rest of the month, visitors can attend olive oil tastings, tour the olive mill, and check out the Food & Wine Pavilion, which offers live music, Italian-style bites, and Durant Vineyard wine. Attendees can also get into the holiday spirit during the festival by visiting the holiday marketplace, which features some of the top artists, artisans, and food producers in the area, making it a popular spot for early holiday shopping.
The Spirit Behind Oregon’s Most Distinctive Festivals
With such a rich agricultural and culinary heritage, it is no surprise that Oregon has so many festivals. Beyond the festivals listed here, wine festivals, seafood festivals, and truffle festivals are a few of the other celebrations that travelers can attend across the state. Some events, like the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest and the Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration, trace their roots to local history, adding another layer of meaning to the celebration. Regardless of the festival theme, one thing is clear: Oregon’s festivals offer more than just a good time. They also provide an opportunity to learn about the state's foods, traditions, and history, making each one a worthwhile trip!
