What to Do in Oregon in March
Come late March, find 40 acres of colorful blooms at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival.
In the Pacific Northwest, March feels like you survived something. While the damp and gray might linger, daylight is building, cherry blossoms are blooming, and people are almost certainly wearing less clothing than the temperature dictates. Ready? Here’s how to fill your calendar this month.
Winter PrideFest
Thu–Sun, Mar 6–9 | Bend/Mount Bachelor
Central Oregon’s Winter PrideFest began with just 150 participants in 2018. By 2023, that number had swelled to 1,400. This year’s celebration includes group rides on Mount Bachelor, guided nighttime snowshoe tours, drag bingo, comedy from Erin Foley, and, of course, a blowout dance party.
Head to Ashland for a chocolate extravaganza.
Oregon Chocolate Festival
Fri–Sun, Mar 7–9 | Ashland
Southern Oregon’s chocolate extravaganza hits its 21st year, with chocolate creations from across the West Coast and no shortage of chocolate-themed events. Beyond demos and talks on cacao terroir, vegan chocolate, and chocolate and wine pairing, expect a bevy of chocolate and confectionery vendors, food trucks, and family activities. Also? Chocolate-infused spa treatments.
Hoodoo Winter Carnival
Sat, Mar 8 | Hoodoo Ski Area
Goofiness is the name of the game at Hoodoo’s decades-old winter extravaganza. The lifts will be open 9am–9pm, but no lift ticket is required for a long slate of alternative activities, including frisbee golf, axe throwing, musical chairs, a ski javelin throw, three-legged obstacle races, and contests in archery, hula hooping, pie eating, and snow sculpture (the last, alas, appears limited to Hoodoo employees). Don’t miss the Dummy Downhill contest, in which participants send homemade dummies down the slope and over a jump to see whose can withstand the impact. Also on deck: a special dinner, a torchlight descent, and professional fireworks.
It’s owl o’clock at Tryon Creek.
Owl Fest 2025
Sat, Mar 8 | Tryon Creek State Natural area
Tryon Creek hosts a full day of lectures, activities, and guided hikes centered on Oregon’s owls and their habitats. Participate in arts and crafts, dissect an owl pellet, and learn about the owls that live in this forested ravine in Southwest Portland.
Happy 10th birthday, SheBrew.
SheBrew PDX
Sat, Mar 8 | The Redd on Salmon, Portland
SheBrew’s 10th annual festival highlights the work of more than 40 women in the local craft beer and cider industry, drawn from the likes of Wayfinder, Von Ebert, Baerlic, and Bauman’s Cider. A separate home brew competition features quaffs from amateur brewers; sample them all and then vote for your favorite. Proceeds benefit the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ lobbying organization, and the Oregon Brew Crew, a home brewing club headquartered in Portland.
Oregon Cancer Ski Out
Sun & Mon, Mar 9 & 10 | Mt. Hood Meadows
This competitive fundraiser, now in its 37th year, returns to Mt. Hood Meadows to benefit a variety of organizations focused on cancer research, awareness, prevention, and hospice. Teams of five compete for prizes in an alpine downhill race that “rewards consistency and teamwork rather than individual speed.” Celebrity and professional coaches will coordinate teams and dispense advice and instructions.
Comedy comes to the coast.
Cannon Beach Comedy Festival
Fri & Sat, mar 14 & 15 | cannon beach
Jackie Kashian and James Adomian headline the fifth iteration of this comedy festival on the coast. Events take place at the 1920s-era Coaster Theatre, which began its life as a skating rink.
Seaside Jazz & Blues
FRI–Sun, MAR 14–16 | Seaside
Mosey to the coast for an assortment of jazz stylings from nine bands, including the Astoria-based North Coast Jazz Ensemble (performing with Seaside singer Chelsea LaFey) and Portland’s Bridgetown Sextet, known for its high-energy early jazz.
Go green at the 27th annual Shamrock Run.
Shamrock Run Portland
SUN, Mar 16 | Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland
Start stretching. Now in its 47th year, Portland’s Shamrock Run offers options ranging from the one-mile Leprechaun run for kids to a half marathon. Don your best green duds, and don’t forget about the post-run party, with a beer garden (participants get their first one free) and live music.
Mar 21–Apr 27 (tentative) | Woodburn
Tulip time is among the best times. Grab a good pair of walking shoes and get your camera ready for this 41st annual fest, where you’ll find 40 acres of fields blooming with more than 100 varieties, not to mention cutout boards for silly photo-ops. Other activities include wooden shoe–making demonstrations, duck races for the kids, and hot air balloons (if weather allows). For a tipple among the tulips, join a guided tour of Wooden Shoe Vineyards. Dates are currently tentative—tulips can be temperamental—so check the website before setting out.
Spring Whale Watch Week
Mar 22–30 | Oregon Coast
Whale alert! After wintering in the balmy lagoons of Baja, Mexico, thousands of gray whales are on the move north to Alaska, and for about a week they can be spotted up and down the Oregon Coast. Volunteers will be posted at more than a dozen state parks to help visitors spot these majestic mammals, understand their migration patterns, and record their numbers.
There’s nothing quite like the waterfront in sprintime.
Cherry Blossoms in Bloom
Mar–Apr | Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Though there’s no official event commemorating the arrival of the cherry blossoms at Waterfront Park, do take time to amble through the aisle of pretty pink trees. Peak bloom varies depending on the weather, and the display only lasts a few weeks, so expect tons of foot traffic and lots of families and couples posing for photos. (We recommend a weekday visit.)
Share this content:
Author: Hey PDX
Hey PDX Team
Post Comment