Oregon Coast Fun Spring Festivals
Loyalty Days & Sea Fair, Rhododendron Festival and Fleet of Flowers
Honor veterans and celebrate Memorial Day at the Oregon Coast during Loyalty Days in Newport and Fleet of Flowers in Depoe Bay, or celebrate at the Rhododendron Festival.
Oregon Coast festivals held during the month of May, celebrate the lives of veterans, those lost at sea, and the beautiful uniqueness of the coastal area. Join the celebration during Loyalty Days in Newport, and the Rhododendron Festival in Florence, or the Memorial Day ceremony of the Fleet of Flowers in Depoe Bay.
Loyalty Days & Sea Fair in Newport
The Loyalty Days and Sea Fair kicks off this May, running the 1st through the 4th. The theme for 2008 is “Legacy of Liberty”, honoring veterans. Festival events include the Queen’s coronation, Vietnam Veteran’s Remembrance – Reading of Names, a fun carnival at the county fairgrounds, car shows, Patriot Walk and a Saturday morning parade. Other festivities include an open house at the U.S. Coast Guard station on Yaquina Bay, including a lifeboat demonstration.
The Veterans of Foreign War (VFW) organized the first Loyalty Days festival in Newport in May of 1956. President Eisenhower designated the First of May as Loyalty Day, recognizing American freedom.
Florence Rhododendron Festival
The 101st Annual Rhododendron Festival in Florence, Oregon occurs on the third weekend in May. This year, the event runs three days, from May 16th to May 18th. The festival includes a wide variety of fun and events. Celebrating the wild rhododendrons that thrive along the Oregon Coast, the festival includes a flower show, spotlighting specimen rhododendrons grown by coastal inhabitants.
The main festival events include the Grand Floral Parade, with procession down Highway 101. The theme this year is "Rhody Fun on 101". The Florence Area Chamber of Commerce helps arrange and organize the beautiful parade.
The annual Rhody Run consists of a 5K and 10K run, for most ages and all abilities. Other events include a pageant, carnival at the Bayfront, arts and craft show and sale, and classic car show.
63rd Fleet of Flowers Memorial Day Ceremonies
Every Memorial Day since 1945, Depoe Bay gives tribute to lives lost at sea during the Fleet of Flowers ceremony. The solemn ceremony mourns the death of those lost with a fleet of flowers, proceeding out into the ocean. The Fleet of Flowers ceremony first began as a tribute to the lives lost during a tragic rescue attempt at sea, on October 4, 1936.
After the formal ceremony, visitors watch as boats laden with flowers pass under the historic Highway 101 bridge. Once out in the ocean, still visible from the roadside, the boats form a circle. Then, the floral tributes are thrown into the water. A Coast Guard helicopter drops into the circle and lowers a ceremonial wreath into the water. Military jets pass overhead as the ceremony concludes.
Fundraising for the event includes the Fish & Chips for the Fleet in Depoe Bay during the month of April. This year’s 63rd annual Fleet of Flowers Memorial Day Ceremony occurs on May 26th in Depoe Bay, located between Newport and Lincoln City on Highway 101.
