On the Night of the Starlight Parade, Portland’s Downtown Was Again Filled With Families

From the floats to the marching bands, every participant was illuminated for the evening event.

Starlight Parade (Chris Nesseth)
By Andi Prewitt and Chris Nesseth

The Starlight Parade, long one of the Portland Rose Festival’s most popular events, lit up the streets of downtown—both figuratively and literally—on Saturday, June 3. From the floats to the marching bands, every participant was illuminated for the evening event.

But the most electrifying scenes played out before the procession even started: people playing in a frequently empty city core, including on the sidewalk along Washington Center, the commercial property that for much of the year has hosted a fentanyl den.

Once the parade got underway, led by Grand Marshal and Darcelle XV Showplace headliner Poison Waters, spectators took a seat on the curb or watched and waved from downtown’s parking garages.

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