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The Portland Rose Festival is going to look a lot different this spring.
Two of the festival’s signature events—the Grand Floral Parade and the Starlight Parade—will combine into one mega event on June 6 called the CareOregon Grand Floral Starlight Parade, organizers said at a press conference downtown on Jan. 28.
The singular parade will step off at 6:30 pm for about 90 minutes of daylight and then continue into an evening portion that will conclude around 10:30 pm. The parade will follow the same downtown route as last year. Instead of the 85 entries in a typical Rose Festival parade, the June 6 event will have about 125.
“As we continue to navigate an ever-changing financial landscape, we are committed to evolving intentionally and thoughtfully, ensuring that the Portland Rose Festival remains joyful, accessible and sustainable for generations to come,” said Jeremy Emerson, the Rose Festival’s president.
The shift in format is a cost-savings effort for the Portland Rose Festival Foundation, which has been struggling financially since 2020. It lost about $1.1 million in 2024 and $610,000 in 2023. The foundation budgeted for a loss of $300,000 in 2025, and just about hit that number, Emerson says.
Combining into one parade is a substantial cost savings by only having to create the infrastructure for a downtown parade once, including things like city fees and renting fencing and porta-potties.
The 2026 schedule will see some other big changes, too. The Fred Meyer Junior Parade, the country’s largest and longest-running children’s parade, will move from its longtime slot on a Wednesday to a Saturday, in hopes of increasing participation. The parade is scheduled for May 30 and will follow its typical Northeast Portland route.
“This has been a longtime dream of mine to see the Junior Parade moved to a date that now is open to more families,” Emerson says.
The foundation continues its national search for a new CEO. It has not named a successor to Marilyn Clint, who stepped down from the role after 50 years at the Rose Festival (“Grand Finale?” WW, June 3, 2025).
The Portland Rose Festival will also host two fireworks shows rather than one during the course of the 2026 event, which kicks off May 22.
