subject: Willamette Valley Wine Region Of Oregon A Year Round Festival Guide [print this page] The Willamette Valley, 45 minutes from downtown Portland Oregon, is one of the most event driven areas in the world with a year round schedule of events, together with the vineyard and wine-tasting tours the region is famous for.
The 100 miles of the V-shaped valley encompasses several towns and 200 wineries with a vacation atmosphere all year long, regardless of the time you choose for your Oregon trip.
Willamette Valley
The region first came into light during the 1979 Wine Olympics of Paris, when the Eyrie winery won the award for its Oregon pinot noir variety. Ever since then, the Willamette valley has seen a rising popularity in the national as well as global wine scene.
The extensive list of Willamette Valley events and festivals spread across winter, spring, summer and fall seasons are endless, and a few prominent examples might go a long way in explaining this phenomenon.
Starting with Winter, the Annual Christmas Parlour Tour organized by Albany Visitors Association in the month of December, features a visit to historic homes, churches, museums and library, which have been carefully restored and brilliantly decorated for the holidays. This is a self-guided tour allowing you to visit the homes as per your liking. The music, refreshments, and transportation through horse drawn wagon and trolley are included in the ticket prices.
In February, the Willamette University organizes a Jazz music festival in Salem showcasing the top stars in the jazz industry for a weekend of top-notch performances.
Moving your trip to Spring, you can witness the Wooden Show Tulip Festival in March through April when the town of Woodburn is delighted by the 40 acres of multiple varieties of Tulips and Daffodils. You can also enjoy a range of activities and events along with the expansive and delightful fields of the Tulip Farms.
And if you are going in April, then take part in the Dundee Hills appellation Annual Passport Tour. Nearly 20 premium wineries welcome you with open hands and wine cellars during the Earth Day weekend, tempting you to visit, sample and buy their benchmark wines.
During the warm cosy months of Summer, you can certainly enjoy four marquee annual events.
The Wine, Chocolate & More! Festival in June showcases self-indulgent sin of chocolates, with live music & entertainment, exclusive gift items and wine tasting sessions from some of the best wineries and vineyards in Oregon.
While the Bach Festival features a fortnight of sheer melody via the choral orchestral concerts during the months of June and July. The gatherings are music oriented, influenced by J.S. Bach, held in blossoming forests and picturesque rivers of Eugene and the Willamette Valley.
The Lane County Fair set in August attracts more than 165,000 visitors across the period of six days in mid August, blending a unique combination of urban and rural populace enthralled by Country, Classic Rock and Pop music performers.
On the other hand, the Oregon State Fair also happening in August in Salem is customarily attended by the Oregon families since the later part of the nineteenth century. Families come from all over the state to take part in great shows, rides, culinary delights, and over 26000 animal and agricultural exhibits in livestock, home arts and hobbies, show horses, fine art, photography, professional wine, homebrew beer, and small animals.
The fall season also sees four annual events starting with the Colonial Harvest Days in October celebrating the harvest season with an exceptional dose of live music, face painting, hayrides and a pie eating contest. The Fall Harvest Festival highlights old fashioned farm adventures via the exciting Pigtucky Derby, Pumpkin Patch, Hayrides, Hay Maze, a Two Acre Corn Maze, Farm Animal Display, an Obstacle Course, and Pumpkin Sling Shot. The Pumpkin and Harvest Festival extends the same jovial spirits with music and entertainment as well as pony rides, hayrides & horse-drawn buggies, kiddie hay maze and the pitch-black Hay Maze Slipping.
The Wine Country Thanksgiving in November brings together north of 100 wineries to open their doors to the public, only during this time period, as an exclusive part of the celebratory weekend in the Wine Country. The festivities include wine tasting of new editions and vintage rare specimens, barrel tastings, specialty foods and sales of limited quantity wines, along with live music.
With so many choices, the only deciding factor remains your personal likings and availability. But one thing that remains constant throughout this diversity of cultural, seasonal and fun events is the unlimited joy that is brought about due to the large cheerful gatherings of people with mixed backgrounds.
For more information about Willamette Valley Wineries and Seasonal Events:
1. Annual Christmas Parlour Tour
Organizer: Albany Visitors Association albanyvisitors.com
