Portland is home to some of the most fun filled events you can partake in during the Spring and Summer months. In true Portland style, many of these events and festivals are celebrated by all sorts of people from a vast range of communities. One of those events is the General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade! Celebrating its 40th Birthday this year, this event is going to be one of the biggest must-sees of the 2017 Rose Festival!
Taking place tomorrow (Saturday, June 3rd) at 8:30 PM, the Starlight Parade is definitely a family-friendly event offering funky, eclectic fun. Encompassing all sorts of “Keep Portland Weird” spectacle, this event will feature Portland’s diversity, glow-in-the-dark-umbrellas, flood-lit floats, marching bands and a lot more. There is going to be a pageant too, so expect to see some made-up faces at the event (and if you’re in a fun mood, when not join in on the face painting melee?)!
A little history
During the early 1900s, the first illuminated floats made their way to city, built on electric trolley cars. This started the tradition of the Starlight Parade. The highlight of the parade is the close to 100 entries of illuminated floats that cover a route of 2.2.5 miles lighting up the Portland skyline. Each year, the parade draws more than 325,000 spectators from near and far to downtown Portland. The event is also viewed by thousands of people live on FOX12 where it is broadcasted between 9:00-11:00 PM.
The sections of the parade
Just like every year, the parade is going to have different sections. This year’s parade, however, is going to dazzle a lot more. Why? Because it’s celebrating it’s 40th birthday!
The kick-off event will be with the Spirit of the West. This section aims to revive the tradition which started in the first Rose Festival, where floats represent various communities and regions throughout the West. The second section will bring you Brilliant Communities, which proudly showcases the outstanding volunteer and community spirit in the Rose City and beyond.
As the evening progresses (and lights get brighter), the parade will move to its second half, which will bring us to the third section of the event – Classic Brilliance by All Classical Portland. Finally, the last section of the parade is going to be all about fun! Portlandia, by CareOregon, will feature John ‘Elvis’ Schroder, Portland’s most beloved street performer, who is also titled as the 2017 Starlight Parade Grand Marshal!
Admission to the parade is free, so you don’t need to worry about booking your seats. Just get your friends and family out a little earlier to find a great spot and prepare yourself for a twinkling evening full of fun, merriment and tons of Portland-esque amazements!
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