What to Do in Oregon in May
Bricks Cascade, the Northwest’s largest Lego convention, lands in Portland this month.
Long days! Leafy trees! Warm(er) weather! Welcome, May: We’re thrilled to see you. As you ogle increasingly enticing produce at farmers markets, stroll wildflower-bedecked meadows, and whack some tiny balls, consider adding one or two or more of these events around the state to your calendar.
These peonies are pretty in pink.
Peony Bloom Season
9am–6pm daily Apr 26–June 15 | Adelman Peony Gardens, Salem
Oregon Wine Month
May 1–31 | various locations
Oregon makes great wine. And during the month of May, wineries and vineyards across the state—in the Columbia River Gorge, the Willamette Valley, the Rogue Valley, and within Portland—put on special dinners and tastings to celebrate that fact. Also on deck: live music, free winery tours, wine-and-dumpling pairings, and much more.
Iris Bloom Season
9am–6pm daily May 2–June 1 | Schreiner’s Gardens, Salem
This spring, the Schreiner family celebrates 100 years of breeding and selling new iris varieties. Stroll the 10-acre display garden to see some of the farm’s most eye-catching iris varieties, planted alongside a spectacular mix of companion plants. For the centennial, expect special exhibits and historical displays, as well as a cake celebration on May 17, a family day on May 18, and golden-hour events on several Thursday evenings. As usual, weekends bring food vendors and wine tastings, and Memorial Day weekend features an artist fair. Daily entry is $6–12, and children under 12 are free.
Drink, run, repeat.
Bend Beer Chase
Various start times Sat, may 3 | Bend
Do you enjoy running? What about beer? The Bend Beer Chase is a 12-leg race for teams of up to six people spanning 57 miles from Bend to Redmond and back. Racers check in at breweries along the way, tasting beers and cataloguing their favorites before choosing from 20 taps for a full pint at the finish line in Drake Park. (Less into the running side of things? A 1.5-mile Keg Leg, which stops at five local breweries, is also on offer.) Teams can register online through May 1; fee varies depending on team size.
Pond Skim
8am–4pm sat, MAY 3 | Mt. HOOD meadows
Gather at the base area of Mt. Hood Meadows for an annual spring tradition: watching costumed skiers and snowboarders fly (or wipe out) in spectacular fashion across 100 feet of water. Judges rate pond skimmers on costumes, splash, and overall flair. Registration for the Pond Skim is full, but there’s still space for the polar plunge, with proceeds for the latter to benefit Special Olympics of Oregon.
Hood River Cider Fest
11am–6pm Sat, May 3 | Hood River
With more than 60 ciders on tap from 30 makers in Oregon and Washington—plus a variety of food and craft vendors—both seasoned and starter sippers are sure to find something that suits. Entry fee is $10 in advance, $15 day-of (and free for those under 21), with a variety of tasting packages available.
503 Day Block Party
1–6:03pm sat, may 3 | Ankeny Alley, Portland
White Rock Gathering
Sun–Sat, May 4–10 | Summer Lake
This weeklong gathering in Oregon’s so-called Outback began in 2023 as a way to share traditional skills and crafts—think blacksmithing, hide tanning, tracking and trapping, felting, plant dyeing, and basketry. Registration is $280 for adults, and there are numerous camping options.
Florence Rhododendron Festival
Thu–Sun, May 15–18 | florence
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. Now in its 118th year, the fest includes dozens of food and crafts vendors, a 5k run, a carnival, a car show, and a culminating parade highlighting hundreds of rhododendron displays and arrangements. Most events are free, but all-day ride passes to the carnival are $30 in advance, $35 at the gate.
Race you to the rock!
Cannon Beach Fat Bike Festival
Fri–Sun, May 16–18 | Cannon Beach
The ATVs of the bicycle world come together annually in Cannon Beach. Fat bike tires are usually four to five inches wide and are less likely to sink into sand than skinny rubber, making the beach an ideal place to show off the vehicle’s terrain-conquering capabilities. Events include a sunset beach ride, a waterfall ride, and a beach party with fat bike races and games. Online registration is $45, and note that if you’re not already a proud owner of a fat bike, you’ll have to borrow or rent your own.
Splish, splash, scream.
Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival
Fri–Sun, May 16–18 | Carter Bridge day-use area, Estacada
The whitewater extravaganza returns with more than a dozen races and events for singles and teams. Expect numerous crafts and disciplines, from catarafts and inflatable kayaks to canoes and paddleboards. Catch the mayhem of the mass-start slalom race, in which dozens of racers push past each other—sometimes capsizing their competition—as they make their way to the finish line.
All visitors are welcome at McMinnville’s UFO Festival.
UFO Festival
Fri & Sat, May 16 & 17 | McMenamins Hotel Oregon, McMinnville
On May 11, 1950, in the sleepy outskirts of McMinnville, Evelyn Trent’s eye caught a glimmer of light in the sky: a metallic disc, soundlessly soaring toward her house. She yelled for her husband, Paul, who, after seeing it for himself, ran back inside to grab the Kodak. He snapped two pictures before the object flew off, leading to a media frenzy—and, in 1999, to the founding of what’s now the country’s second largest UFO festival (after the one in Roswell, New Mexico). Time-honored shenanigans include an alien costume contest (and one for pets), alien costume ball, and parade—plus panel conversations, live music, and vendors hawking all sorts of extraterrestrial memorabilia. All-access passes are sold out, but single event tickets are available, and much of the fest is free.
Bricks Cascade
SAT & Sun, May 17 & 18 | Oregon Convention Center, Portland
What, you may ask, might you find on display at the Northwest’s largest Lego convention? While we don’t know exactly what’s on deck this year, we do know that the theme is Piece on Earth and that past displays have included eight-foot-tall replicas of Multnomah Falls, so we suspect it’ll be epic. Expect hundreds of Lego creations, lots of interactive opportunities and contests, and a variety of vendors. Single-day tickets to the public exposition are $17. A private convention, limited to those who are registered as Adult Fans of Lego (a thing), runs May 15–18.
Reach the Beach
Sat, May 17 | starting locations vary
This American Lung Association fundraiser starts in the metro area and ends at the coast; individual cyclists or teams can choose between different routes and starting times. The hard-core can opt for a 105-miler starting on Sauvie Island, while the less ambitious can register for a shorter option and start in Vernonia (75 miles), Jewell (43), or Olney (23). The routes all “reach the beach” at Fort Stevens State Park. Have a pal pick you up, or get a ticket to be shuttled back to your starting point by bus. The minimum fundraising requirement is $200.
Hoot, Holler & Sing
Fri–Mon, May 23–26 | Shaniko
Holi Spring Harvest Fest
4–7:30pm sat, may 31 | Topaz Farm, sauvie Island
Sauvie Island’s Topaz Farm hosts its fourth annual Holi festival, featuring music from DJ Anjali & the Incredible Kid, Bollywood and bhangra dancing, and the throwing of brightly colored powder—dress to get messy. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and $15 for kids.
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