Oregon Winter Events

Laurelwood Pubs Toy Drive
November 26 - December 22, 2012
Portland

Help bring a smile to a deserving child. Laurelwood Pub's Doernbecher Holiday Toy Drive starts in November at the NE Portland, SE Portland, and Battle Ground pub locations.

Donate a new unwrapped toy and get yourself a $2 pint or a free non-alcoholic beverage.

LOCATION:
Laurelwood Pubs
Portland, OR

Art@PosterGarden
First Thursdays,
December 6, 2012
6-9 pm
Portland

Join PosterGarden, each "First Thursday" for Fine Art, Wine Tasting, Light Bites and Live Music! FREE EVENT - EVERYONE WELCOME!

PosterGarden, located in the Pearl, hosts Senior Master Level Artists from The Geezer Gallery. The Geezer Gallery, where we hope that your perceptions about old will be transformed into something new.

LOCATION:
Poster Garden Gallery
Pearl District, Portland

ZooLights
November 23 - December 31
Portland

Nearly one million lights turn the zoo into a winter wonderland.

ZooLights is Portland's premier family holiday event, combining thousands of lights, hundreds of musical groups, a ride on the zoo's brightly lit train, a troupe of costumed animal characters, and seasonal culinary treats.

LOCATION:
Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Rd.
Portland, OR

INFORMATION:
503-226-1561

Holiday Ale Festival
November 28th through December 2nd, 2012
Portland

The only beer festival in the Northwest to be held outdoors in the dark, cold and often wet month of December, the Holiday Ale Festival is truly distinctive. Despite chilly temperatures and often-inclement weather outside, attendees stay warm and dry under a large clear tent that covers the venue while allowing for views of the city lights. Gas heaters create a cozy ambience under the boughs of one of the region's largest decorated Christmas trees.

Festival highlights include on-site food; craft vendors; beer apparel and merchandise; a complimentary root beer garden for minors and designated drivers; mead tasting; and seasonal background music.

LOCATION:
Pioneer Courthouse Square
701 SW Sixth Ave
Portland, Oregon

INFORMATION:
503-252-9899

Christmas Ship Parade
December 7 - 21, 2012
Portland/Metro

The Christmas Ship Fleet averages about 55 to 60 boats between the two Columbia and Willamette River fleets. Both fleets will be out every night for two weeks. Christmas Ships is an all-volunteer effort by a group of Portland area recreational boaters. They come from various yacht clubs in the local area and also a number of boaters who are not affiliated with a club.

LOCATION:
Willamette/Columbia River

George Balanchine's The Nutcracker
December 8-23, 2012
Portland

This quintessential Nutcracker, danced to Tchaikovsky's magnificent score and steeped in the splendid Yuletide traditions of 19th-Century Germany, was the first in America to gain widespread popularity. With technically challenging principal roles and parts for over 100 children, Mr. Balanchine’s Nutcracker is a rite of passage for dancers of all ages.

LOCATION:
Keller Auditorium
222 SW Clay (on the corner of Clay and 3rd Ave)
Portland, OR

INFORMATION:
Ticket Office: 503/2-BALLET or 888/9-BALLET

Horse Drawn Christmas Caroling Wagon
December 14,15 & 21, 22, 23, 2012
5-8 pm-leaving every 45 mins
Albany - Willamette Valley

Brush up on your caroling skills and join us for several evenings of holiday cheer in a classic horse-drawn carriage.

Ticket prices: Adults $10, Kids $6 (special rates for groups or private wagon.

LOCATION:
Albany Tie Dye
325 First Ave W
Albany, Oregon

INFORMATION:
BY RESERVATION ONLY DUE TO LIMITED SEATING 541 908-5778

Annual Winter Whale Watching Week
The Coast
December 26-30, 2012
Volunteers are ready to help
10 a.m.-1 p.m. each day

Join trained volunteers at 26 watch sites to help you spot the whales. Whale watching is a year round activity on the coast of Oregon, but this is your chance to learn more about the gray whales that migrate each year. The Whale Watching Spoken Here program places volunteers at great whale watching sites during Watch Weeks so they can teach others while watching the whales too.

INFORMATION:
541-765-3407

Whale Watching
The Coast

Bring clothing for warm weather and cold weather, rain and sunshine. You may also want to pack along a pair of binoculars. Viewing is best when there is no wind to disturb the water surface. Look for the tale-tell puffs of air and geysers of water from whales blowing when they surface to breathe. Once you have spotted a blow, concentrate on that location, looking for more blows. With luck you will see the body of the whale as it sounds preparing to breathe before diving back beneath the waves.

Seaside Art Walk
January 5, 2013
5-8
Seaside - The Coast

New art showings by local and nationally recognized artists, plus music, food & drinks and much more!

LOCATION:
Participating downtown Seaside galleries and shops ... look for the "art walk stop" signs!

INFORMATION:
503-738-6391

Wallowa County Winterfest
January 18-19, 2013
Joseph - Eastern Oregon

Snow Sculpture Contest, Snowmobile poker run, chili contest, Snowmobile raffle drawing, Dances, SnowCross Race, Tub races, and auction and raffles.

INFORMATION:
541-271-4471

Annual Barbershop Cabaret
January 18-19, 2013
Seaside - The Oregon Coast

“This Ain’t Your Grandpa’s Barbershop” It’s Rockin’, Rollin’, Snappin’, Tappin Entertainment from National & International Winners & The Best of the Pacific Northwest

LOCATION:
Seaside Civic & Convention Center

INFORMATION:
503-738-6391

Chocolate Fest
January 18-20, 2013
Portland

Sample, taste, savor, and delight in some of the finest chocolate from the Northwest and beyond. Enjoy chocolate and wine pairings and become a chocolate aficionado with presentations and demonstrations throughout the weekend.

LOCATION:
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE MLK, Jr. Blvd.
Portland

INFORMATION:
503-228-1367

Eagle Cap Sled Dog Race
January 23-26, 2013
Joseph - Eastern Oregon

Northwest Travel Magazine calls it: 'Oregon's Iditarod'
The Eagle Cap Extreme is two distance races with both a 100 and 200 mile event run concurrently. The 200 mile race is a qualifier for the Yukon Quest and Iditarod.

INFORMATION:
(541) 432-3125

Winter Folk Festival
January 26-27, 2013
Florence - Oregon Coast

Each year this two-day folk music extravaganza attracts musicians from all over the Northwest and beyond. More than 2,000 visitors flock to Florence to hear the music, go to jam sessions, and shop at the arts and crafts fair. There's a youth folk music competition, a pie baking contest, mule rides and much more.

LOCATION:
Florence Events Center
715 Quince Street
Florence, OR 97439

INFORMATION:
(541) 997-1994
www.eventcenter.org

First Annual Crab Crack
February 2, 2013
Florence - Oregon Coast

Come to Florence on Saturday, February 2 to enjoy fresh Oregon Coast crab with all the trimmings. Meal includes fresh crab, pasta, coleslaw, French bread, soda and coffee. A no-host bar will be available. A beautiful array of items will be up for bid at a silent auction. All proceeds benefit the local food pantry.

LOCATION:
Florence Events Center
715 Quince Street
Florence, OR 97439

INFORMATION:
For tickets call Bob MacDuffee at 541-997-9599 or Florence Food Share at 541-997-9110

Portland Seafood & Wine Festival
February 1-2, 2013
Portland

Set in the middle of the Dungeness Crab season, this promises to be a popular event in Portland. The event will be a very upscale yet festive event at the Oregon Convention Center with over 98,000 square feet of exhibit space will allow for lots of room to wander the event while stopping to sit and enjoy the good food, drink and live music throughout the event.

LOCATION:
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King Blvd
Portland

Portland International Film Festival
February 7-23, 2013
Portland

Drawing an audience of over 35,000, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is the biggest film event in Oregon, premiering over 100 international shorts and feature films to Portland audiences each February. Audiences can experience a variety of parties, visiting artists, and plenty of festival adventure taking in this feast of cinematic fare.

LOCATION:
Portland

INFORMATION:
Order tickets online or call or call 503-221-1156

Lincoln City Antique Week
February 8 – 18, 2013
Lincoln City - Central Coast

To celebrate the quality of “antiquing”, every February, Lincoln City hosts Antique Week, a ten-day long event. Antique Week features city-wide antique store sales at which you can save on your purchases. With a variety of separate stores and over 80 dealers, Lincoln City has been the place to go on the Oregon coast if you are interested in antiques and collectibles!

LOCATION:
Various Locations
Lincoln City

Winter Wings Festival
February 14-17, 2013
Klamath Falls - Southern Oregon

Produced by the Klamath Basin Audubon Society, this is the longest running bird festival in the nation. A small gathering that began as the Bald Eagle Conference over 30 years ago has now become an incredible event for bird enthusiasts of all stripes. Event includes guided trips, workshops, presentations, free events, vendors and activities for children.

LOCATION:
Festival activities take place in the Klamath Basin, in and around the city of Klamath Falls. Unless otherwise stated, the activities take place at the OIT campus located at 3201 Campus Drive.

INFORMATION:
(877) 541-BIRD

Bend Winterfest
February 15 – 17, 2013
Bend - Central Oregon

In addition to the ice carving exhibitions, Live music, snow carving, ice sculpting, craft area for kids, European-style market the ever popular U.S. Cellular snowboard and snowboard and ski jumping competitions. Admission to this years event is $8 at the gate.

LOCATION:
Old Mill District and Downtown Bend

INFORMATION:
541-323-0964

Confluence Wine, Beer, Seafood & Music Festival
February 16-17, 2013
Reedsport - The Coast

Located in Reedsport, this event is like no other on the Oregon Coast. At no other Oregon Coast festival will you find all of these elements brought together in one place. Hence the name: Confluence. Bands from the Washington, Portland, Eugene, Coos Bay, Reedsport and Bandon areas will perform various genres of music throughout the weekend. Oregon wineries and microbreweries will offer tasting's and sales of their premium wines and micro-brewed beer.

LOCATION:
Community Center
451 Winchester Avenue
Reedsport, Oregon

INFORMATION:
541-271-3495

Newport Seafood & Wine Festival
February 21-24, 2013
Newport - The Coast

The premier seafood & wine event of the west coast and the original Northwest seafood and wine festival. Since 1978 the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival has attracted visitors from around the world to the central Oregon coast. Packed with fun, food and wine!

Seaside Jazz Festival
February 22-24, 2013
Seaside - Northern Coast

Our festival presents some of the top performers of traditional jazz and traditional jazz inspired music. Spend the weekend, or just a day, and we are certain you will have a grand time enjoying the sounds of this "True American" art form. This is a three day festival that begins on a Friday afternoon and runs until Sunday afternoon. There is also a special "after hours" party that takes place Sunday evening after the Festival Closing Ceremonies.

LOCATION:
Five featured venues, all are located in the downtown area of Seaside.

INFORMATION:
1-866-345-6257