Oregon Coast Events You Don’t Want to Miss

There’s never a bad time to be at the Oregon Coast. From watching a massive storm roll in and break against a rocky cape to celebrating Pacific Northwest cuisine at one of the many seafood festivals, these annual events keep us coming back to the salty western seaboard no matter the weather.  

 Spring / Summer / Fall / Winter

January

• Catch the first glass float drop of the year in Lincoln City, with 100 floats distributed. Jan 3–5, 2025
• Participate in the Oregon King Tides Project by taking pictures of areas impacted by extreme tide events at certain spots along the Oregon Coast. Jan 11–13, 2025
• Catch a range of music styles (recent fests have included bluegrass, folk, and dystopian Afrofuturism) at the Winter Music Festival in Florence. Jan 23–25, 2025

February

• Astoria’s Fort George Brewery promises “dark art, darker entertainment, and the darkest collection of beers” at the stout-centric Festival of Dark Arts. Tickets typically go on sale on Black Friday, at dawn. Feb 15, 2025
• This 21-and-over Newport Seafood and Wine Festival (in addition to the headlining goodies, there are also baked goods, beer, and more) returned in full force in 2023 after a brief hiatus during the pandemic and decentralized format in 2022. Feb 20–23, 2025
• Voices from the commercial fishing industry bring poetry, storytelling, and music to Astoria for the annual FisherPoets Gathering. Feb 21–23, 2025

March

• Eat fresh crabs and race them, too, at Garibaldi Crab Races, with kid and adult divisions. Mar 8–9, 2025
• North Bend’s Mill Casino hosts the South Coast Clambake Music Festival, packed with blues, zydeco, big band, swing, and other genres. (Organizers note that the name comes from the slang word for a jam session, clarifying that the long-running fest “is NOT a celebration of mollusks!”) Mar 13–16, 2025
• Catch migratory whales on their way back north during Spring Whale Watching Week, with volunteers staffing certain viewpoints. Mar 22–30, 2025

April

May

• Celebrating its 117th year in 2024, the Florence Rhododendron Festival is one of the oldest flower festivals on the West Coast, younger only than Portland’s Rose Festival and Pasadena’s Tournament of Roses. May 15–18, 2025
• Bring those wide tires to the sand for the Cannon Beach Fat Bike Festival for a pedal past Haystack Rock. May 16–18, 2025

June

• No vasectomy on the prize list in recent years (yes, that happened), but there’s often a $1,000 grand prize for Nehalem Bay Crab Derby at Kelly’s Brighton Marina. 
• A certified qualifier for the Boston Marathon, the annual Newport Marathon starts at the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. June 1, 2025
• Celebrate the Astoria-set 1985 adventure film on the official Goonies Day, though famous filming locations like Ecola State Park can be visited anytime. The 2025 fest will mark the film’s 40th anniversary. June 7 every year, with events all week.
• The annual Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest includes a bonfire the night before and a fun run the day after. June 21, 2025
• Expect huge sculptures, a 90-minute quick carve every day, and a live auction every evening over Father’s Day weekend at Reedsport’s Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Carving Championship. June 12–15, 2025
• Part of a long-running Lincoln City treasure hunt, 50 new colorful orbs are waiting to be found after the Father’s Day glass float drop. June 13–15, 2025
• The Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival invites visitors to discover their “inner Viking” at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds every June. June 20–22, 2025
• Go fly a kite, up to its highest height, at the D River State Recreation Site during the Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival. June 21 & 22, 2025
  

  

July

• Join wildlife experts each morning for the Great Cannon Beach Puffin Watch to learn more about the birds who visit Haystack Rock in breeding season. 
• Independence Day usually brings fireworks to Astoria, Rockaway Beach, Newport, Waldport, Coos Bay, Bandon, and Gold Beach, while quaint parades prevail in communities including Cannon Beach and Oceanside. 
• Mingus Park, the Oregon Institute for Marine Biology, Shore Acres, and other venues around Coos Bay and Charleston host orchestral music for the Oregon Coast Music Festival. July 12–26, 2025
• Pacific City’s flat-bottomed fishing boats inspire a parade and festival for Dory Days, in the shadow of Cape Kiwanda and the other Haystack Rock. 
• Live music, a car show, and firefighter vs. Coast Guard contests fill Garibaldi Days in this fishing town just north of Tillamook. July 25–27, 2025
• Watch where you step when the annual Chalk Art Contest hits the Seaside Prom. 
• ATVs, sand buggies, and big ol’ trucks rip through the sand all weekend at Dune Fest near Winchester Bay. 

August

September

October

• The Great Columbia Crossing 10k run/walk over the Astoria-Megler Bridge is not for acrophobes! Watch for registration to open in the summer for this certain sell-out. Oct 12, 2025
• Have fun with fungi at the Yachats Mushroom Festival. 
• A special glass float drop for Halloween in Lincoln City means there are 50 glow-in-the-dark floats to find. Oct 31–Nov 2, 2025

November

• Get moody at the Stormy Weather Arts Festival in Cannon Beach, with artist demonstrations, gallery receptions and live music. Nov 7–9, 2025
• Concerts, whistle workshops, dance performances, and more pack the schedule of the Yachats Celtic Music Festival. Nov 7–9, 2025
• A stunning estate garden by day blossoms at night, too, for the Shore Acres Holiday Lights at this state park between Coos Bay and Cape Arago. Thanksgiving–New Year’s Eve (Timed-entry tickets go on sale in June here.)  
• Participate in the Oregon King Tides Project by taking pictures of areas impacted by extreme tide events at certain spots along the Oregon Coast. 
  

  December

  

  • A stunning estate garden by day blossoms at night, too, for the Shore Acres Holiday Lights at this state park between Coos Bay and Cape Arago. Thanksgiving–New Year’s Eve (Timed-entry tickets go on sale in June here.)  
  • Take a one-hour round-trip ride from Garibaldi to Rockaway Beach on the Candy Cane Express, an Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad excursion. 
  • Participate in the Oregon King Tides Project by taking pictures of areas impacted by extreme tide events at certain spots along the Oregon Coast. 
  • Volunteer to count whales and answer questions during Winter Whale Watching Week, or just show up to look and learn.