Portland Rose Festival is one of the biggest events of the year in Oregon! This event has been a big part of life in Portland since 1907. It is organized by the volunteer-run non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association and includes three parades and a variety of other celebratory activities. This year, it's happening from May 24 to June 9, 2024, so get excited and get out there to enjoy all it has to offer. Read on to learn all about one of the best spring festivals near me!

The Portland Rose Society was founded in 1889 by Georgina Burton Pittock who grew roses in her garden and invited her friends over to enjoy them.

Portland is now known as The City of Roses as high society in Portland became obsessed with roses and they were planted all over the city.

The rest is history, and today, Portland celebrates its beautiful and fitting nickname with the annual Portland Rose Festival every year.

CityFair at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park offers exciting carnival rides and delicious food for many weekends during the Rose Festival in Portland.

And the view of the Willamette River is always inspiring.

Get out on the weekends of May 24-27, May 31-June 2, and June 7-9, and take a spin on your favorite fair rides and some new ones.

This festival is so much fun for everyone and it really brings Portland together.

The dragon boat races bring these exotic structures on the water.

A lovely queen and court are chosen from local high school seniors.

But best of all, there are parades. There are actually three large parades during the Portland Rose Festival.

One is at night, one is just for kids, and then there's the big one — the Grand Floral Parade. It's full of floats made of flowers. It's actually the second-largest floral parade in the nation, after the Rose Bowl Parade in California. The floats are incredible. They're all made of flowers!

So many of the costumes are beautiful and eye-catching.

You're sure to have a great time.

You never know what else you'll see and do during this festival.

One thing is for sure, though — as soon as this year's Portland Rose Festival is complete, you'll be looking forward to the next one. It's fun for the whole family. Don't miss it.

By all means, don't leave without exploring some of the pretty gardens, including the International Rose Test Gardens.

It's the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the country with more than 8,000 roses.

Portland Rose Festival offers more information on the website. It is one of Oregon's biggest and most exciting events and something every Portlander can enjoy. Have you attended this extraordinary festival? Please share your experience in the comments below.

For more summer fun, visit one of these gorgeous lakes near Portland. And rent a waterside vacation rental on Expedia.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/oregon/portland/x-gorgeous-lakes-to-visit-around-portland-this-summer/