
When does the Rose festival happen in Portland City, Oregon and what to expect
The Portland Rose Festival extends for 25 days and takes place in June every year. The celebration of the City of Roses takes place with parades and all sorts of entertainment for different age groups and interests.
The Portland Rose Festival is basically a Northwest tradition taking place since 1907. However, its roots date to 1837 at the time when import of the earliest rose bush took place. The beautiful flowers began to flourish in the climate of Portland.
In the year 1889, the first rose show was held inside a tent by the Rose Society. The society, in its annual exhibit started holding a fiesta from 1904 along with parade involving four automobiles and decorated surreys. The floral parade in 1907 came to be accompanied with a 2-day festival for celebrating the rose. This was how the "Portland Rose Carnival and Fiesta" came to be initiated.
Parades, till date, remain the prime attraction of the Portland Rose Festival. It is the second amongst the biggest all-floral parades within the country. All through the parade route, about half a million people view it and about 20 million people watch it on national television. Other events that take place in the Rose festival include cart races, largest airshow, band festivals, etc.
For more information and to buy tickets visit these websites:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/OR/200002928.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_Rose_Festival
http://www.marching.com/events/portland-rose-festival/
http://www.rosefestival.org/buytickets/

