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AN OREGON FESTIVAL PRIMER

Oregon festivals come in so many forms and sizes that making generalizations about them is always difficult. Nonetheless, festival goers can enhance their experiences substantially by following some general guidelines. Each festival has its own set of rules for attendees and most all of them make things as simple and convenient as possible. When in doubt, always check with the festival itself with questions about specific policies. Many events offer FAQ pages on their websites; for those that don’t, a quick phone call or short email will usually garner the answers you need.

A few basics: in most cases, pets are not allowed at festivals, but certainly not all cases. In fact, quite a few events welcome well-behaved dogs on leash, and two festivals are actually dedicated to dogs: Dog Days of Summer Oregon Coast Brew Fest (see page 150) by Rogue Ales & Spirits, and Dogtoberfest (see page 50), a collaboration between Lucky Lab Brew Pub and DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital. If you bring your dog, be sure to have handy poop bags, water, and a small water dish of some kind. But be mindful of the time of year—hot weather during summer can be hard on Fido, so that’s a good time to leave the pup at home or with good dogsitting.

Children are welcome at many, but not all, Oregon festivals. Many events are either geared heavily toward kids or include ample kid-friendly components. Even some beer festivals allow children to attend when accompanied by a parent, and some provide activities for kids, but be sure to check ahead before you pack the kids in the car; moreover, be sure to consider whether you want to attend a beer fest or similar event with the children in tow. Obviously only attendees 21 years old and over can legally sample and drink any alcoholic beverage in Oregon in compliance with Oregon Liquor Control Commission regulations, and all attendees who wish to imbibe at beer, wine, cider, spirits, and saké fests must present legal identification upon request. Many festivals dedicated to Oregon’s wealth of alcoholic options offer special ticket prices and other incentives for nondrinking designated driver attendees, which recalls an important point: be sure to arrange safe transportation any time you intend to imbibe at one of these events.

And speaking of transportation, parking can be a real drag at many festivals, especially large events. But in virtually all cases, the festival itself is your best resource for parking information—typically the organizers put substantial effort into making parking as easy and convenient as possible. Most events reserve parking lots for attendees; in urban areas, such as Downtown Portland, public transportation is a great option, allowing you to park well away from the event, then use public transport to get there and back with little fuss. Whether in a big city or a tiny town far from urban centers, be courteous about parking along neighborhood streets, and when in doubt about parking in such places, ask a festival official or even a local resident. Always be aware of parade routes and vendor rows along community streets, which are generally signed against parking leading up to the events.

Travel times vary considerably in Oregon, but always give yourself some margin for error by anticipating extra traffic, time spent parking, time spent walking, and even road construction en route (especially during summer). Otherwise, driving to a festival ranges from mundane to major adventure—a road trip to some far-flung corner of the state for a festival you’ve never attended is great fun. And be sure to make lodging reservations well ahead of time, whether you intend to reserve a hotel room or a campsite—they all fill up fast and early in advance of popular events, and even small-town festivals out in the hinterlands can fill the limited number of rooms and campgrounds in and near small communities.