There’s Nothing Better Than This Epic Festival In Portland

In Portland, the queen of all festivals each year is the Rose Festival. This festival, steeped in over 100 years of tradition, was developed to brand Portland as "the summer capital of the world" and is still going strong as one of our most anticipated events of the year.

One of the features of the festival, CityFair, runs for three weekends, starting on Memorial Day weekend, and features amusement rides and live music.

Located on the Waterfront, CityFair features food, live animal entertainment and rides galore.

The large opening night fireworks are always a big draw as well.

Each weekend of the festival brings new activities and entertainment.

Dragon boat races are just one of many fun events that happen during the Rose Festival.

While the fair is always packed, one of the biggest draws of the festival are the parades.

A Starlight Parade, Junior Parade and Grand Floral Parade feature floats, music and plenty of fun.

Floats stream through downtown and throngs of people come to join in the fun display.

The 4 mile parade route of the Grand Floral Parade travels through downtown and across the river.

In the final week of the festival, called Fleet Week, ships from U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy pay a visit to the city in grand fashion.

This epic tradition has been happening in our city since 1907.

And just like they have done for a century, the Rose Festival Court, a group of young women selected for their outstanding achievement, rides along the parade.

And in the end, a queen is coronated and the festival wraps up until next year.

Also included in the Rose Festival are a half marathon, fun runs and walks, a golf championship, and a sing-off. For more information about the schedule of events this year, check out the Rose Festival website.