115th ANNUAL FLORENCE RHODODENDRON FESTIVAL IS BACK IN BLOOM
Great pageantry, civic pride, fabulous flowers, and festival fun will mark the 115th annual Florence Rhododendron Festival May 18 to 22, 2022. “Rhody Fest” is Oregon’s second-longest-running floral festival.
Florence Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Bettina Hannigan says with the two-year absence a lot of people are excited to get out and have a party. This year’s festival gets underway Thursday, May 19, at noon with the Davis Shows Carnival at the Port of Siuslaw boardwalk and the 6:30 p.m. coronation of Queen Rhododendra and the King of the Coast at the Florence Events Center
The long weekend also features the annual Rhododendron Society Rhody Show, daily carnival games and rides, the 5K and 10K Rhody Run/Walk; the Rods N Rhodies Classic Car Show and Shine; the Maple Street vendor fair in Old Town, a quilt show, junior parade, Pinewood Derby, and Sunday’s grand floral parade at noon on Sunday, May 22. Complete festival information can be found on Events tab of the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce’s website FlorenceChamber.com.
The highlight will be the grand floral parade at noon on May 22. It begins at 27th St. and Highway 101 and travels about three miles to and through Historic Old Town Florence. This year’s grand marshals are the Siuslaw Vikings state champion 3A football team and girl's and boy's state champion cross country teams.
Hannigan says this year’s festival theme, “Back In Bloom” highlights the return after a partial two-year hiatus. “This town is ready to celebrate. Rhody Fest is the semi-official start to our tourism season. Tourism employs about 1900 of the 4600 workers in Florence and pumps around $119 million into the local economy. With all this fun, and everything else there is to do in and around Florence, it’s no wonder why we are known as Oregon’s Coastal Playground.”
Wednesday May 18, 2022 Sunday May 22, 2022
May 19-22, 2022--Held annually on the third full weekend of May, every year, for 115 years and counting!
All around town in Florence, Oregon. Oregon's Coastal Playground!
Carnival passes: $35
Save $5 by buying passes at the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce's Visitor Center office, 290 Highway 101, until 3:00 p.m. on May 15. Passes will be $35 at the entry gate to the carnival on May 15.
Mitzi Hathaway, event coordinator/tourism development director
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Printed courtesy of www.oregonfestivals.org/ – Contact the Oregon Festivals & Events Association for more information.
PO Box 2248, Lebanon , OR 97355 – 866-451-6332 – members@oregonfestivals.org