The Rose Festival Has Created Two New Parades to Fill the Void While the Event Is on Hold

Missing parade season? You can now participate without ever leaving your house.

By Andi Prewitt

Portland loves a parade.

We will show up for a colorful march rain or shine. The city's signature festival consists of multiple public processions, and we've been known to get a bit testy when our reservations for front-row seats—marked by duct tape and empty lawn chairs—aren't respected.

So how does a community cope when a public health crisis prohibits mass gatherings? Get creative with what a parade looks like, then let the pageantry proceed from a distance.

We're now just weeks away from what would have been the normally scheduled Portland Rose Festival. With that event indefinitely on hold, organizers are asking people to take part in two alternate parades.

The first features a route that takes people to vibrantly adorned front patios, windows and stoops. The Rose Festival is now accepting online entries for the Porch Parade, and will produce an online map for walking tours of registered participants. Then, on May 23 and 30, event VIPs are scheduled to drive by selected neighborhoods to express their gratitude.

Want to work on an even smaller scale? The Grand Petite Parade, which will stream on Facebook at 11 am Saturday, June 6, is set to feature shoebox floats as a nod to the elaborate structures that usually glide down Portland's shut-down streets that time of year. Everyone is invited to make a scaled-down float with supplies they have at home and then submit a photo for entry.

Instructions for both parades are on the Rose Festival's Parading in Place website.

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