We are giving away FOUR PRIZE PACKS that include 5 admission tickets and 5 ride passes to the 2015 Portland Rose Festival CityFair! To win, comment on this post why you’d like to attend. Winner will be drawn and emailed Monday, May 18.
FREE PORTLAND: We give out 100s of $$$ in free tickets every week including to many of the top events in Portland. Join our email list if you like free stuff
——————
From our sponsors:
Portland 2015 Rose Festival
May 22-25, 28-31, June 3-7, 2015
Admission: $5 ADV / $7 Gates
Unlimited Ride Bands: $35 ADV / $50 Gates
More info: rosefestival.org
Photo by donpyle~pdxpixs
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204
It’s a “Bloomin’ Good Time for everyone as the Rose Festival’s waterfront activities kick off on May 22 at 5pm for Memorial Day weekend for three consecutive weekends at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park: May 22-May 25, May 28-May 31 and June 3-7, 2015.
Opening Night Fireworks on Friday night, May 22, features a dance party & concert by Hit Machine in the RoZone (free with CityFair admission) and a huge fireworks display. There are TWO brand-new Funtastic rides to try: Rock Star (for the thrill-seekers) and Phoenix Wheel (for the kids). These rides are more affordable than ever if you plan ahead. Unlimited Ride Wristbands are only $35 each when purchased online by May 21 (a $15 savings!), and if you’d like to save on admission, get a CityFair Season Pass – the 2015 Rose Festival Souvenir Pin – and wear it to get in any day CityFair is open (pins are available at Fred Meyer stores while supplies last). We’re open all day on Memorial Day, May 25, too – bring the family out for a holiday tradition!
The second weekend of CityFair is jam-packed with music on the Rose City Stage and the Bridgetown stage, along with A Walk on the Wild Side exotic animals, arts & crafts in the Kids Zone, and cool artifacts in the Rose Festival Museum – all FREE with CityFair admission. Grab Portland Brewing Company’s new Rose Festival Brew – Velvet Majesty – or a local cocktail from the Eastside Distilling Lounge, and enjoy Rose Festival after dark!
The final weekend of CityFair starts on Wednesday (June 3) with an afternoon of free food & beverage samples for CityFair Sampler (free with admission). A featured craft project in the Kids Zone on Wednesday (June 3) and Saturday (June 6) is tie-dye – kids can bring a white shirt, socks, or anything made with cotton fabric and tie-dye it for free! Fleet Week is a highlight this weekend along the waterfront sea wall, and the amazing all-floral float creations from the Spirit Mountain Casino Grand Floral Parade will line Naito Parkway on Saturday afternoon and Sunday for up-close viewing, punctuating a rosy end to Rose Festival Waterfront activities.
See RoseFestival.org for entertainment schedules and the latest information!
because after 3 years, my dad will finally be visiting from BRAZIL and I would love to show him the best of PDX :)
Id would love to win tickets to such a prestigious event because rose are a huge part of Portland dating back more than a century ago. Most people do not know why or how Portland was named The Rose City. In the early 1900’s people like Leo Samuel the founder of Standard Insurance Company had such a vast rose garden outside his residence, he would hang scissors from the rose bushes so passers by could snip off a rose for themselves or a loved one. This tradition caught on and many of Portland’s founding families did this to promote well being and of course our mighty symbol of our fair city, ” The Rose.”
We’re new to Portland and my kids would love it!
I need a good reason to leave the house!
I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Memorial Day weekend! There would be so many things to do and keep busy with, we would love to come and spend the weekend downtown.
I’ve lived here most of my life and have never attended. It would be a blast!
I’ve never won a drawing before!
This sounds like the most fun!
My partner and I have just moved to Portland and would LOVE to experience this! Plus it would be great to take the family who have let us stay with us as we get set up here :)
I recently moved here and this would be a fantastic way to experience the city!
Because I can’t wait for the summer fun to get started!
I’d love to be able to take my family to enjoy the rides and fireworks. Great way to spend Memorial Day Weekend.
Its the only way my 4 suoer grandkids could attend due to money restraints and they are SO deserving to go
My boys would love to go on the rides! Pick us!
My chance to connect with an event uniquely Portland!
because my sister from peru is gonna be here for the first time. (For my official engage dinner) And I want her to go back to Peru with an unforgettable and priceless memory of Portland :) I will really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
I have friends visiting from Japan and Philippines for the summer who are contemplating moving to Oregon. What better way to convince them than to let them experience Portland’s best events I hope you’ll give them that opportunity. Thank you!!
It would be fun to take a few students from PSU to this festival!
I will be visiting Portland for the first time on these dates and it would be so cool to experience the festival.
It’s my husbands birthday weekend!!
This would be an amazing birthday present.
Boy, I’d sure love to finally be able to take my kid to the Rose Festival events and rides- he hasn’t even been to disneyland yet, simply oaks park :-) It would be a treat to take him and a friend for some fun there- thanks for the opportunity!
I would love this and so would my wife….she has never been,and I love it!
I would LOVE to go and take 4 friends! I have never been before and it sounds AWESOME!!!
I have never attended the Rose Festival before! I would love the chance to experience this Portland staple!
I have lived in Portland since 1999 and I have never gone to this! I need to fix that.
Friday, May 22 is my birthday. I’d love to be able to go to the rose festival with a group of friends. I’ve lived in OR since 1998 and in Portland since 2004 and I’ve NEVER been! I’m wishing upon a star that I’m chosen to receive the tickets!!!!
This would be a great activity for my mom group!
I love the Rose Festival and my boyfriend is Canadian and lives in Vancouver BC and will be coming down for the week and I would love to be able to take him with me we met on New Year’s Day and fell in love I will convince him to move to Portland
My boyfriend is going to grad school in Oregon. I am going to visit him during Memorial Day event and I would love to attend this event with him!
Because my family and I just moved here from Southern California. When looking at pictures online of Portland, we always came across pictures of the rose festival. It would be amazing for us to take our daughter to the festivities for the very first time. I know she’d love the fireworks. And it would create wonderful memories for my family.
I would like to win free tickets because I’ve in Portland for two years and have yet felt like I had the time of my life. Hopefully going to something for free can change that.
My daughter has been bugging me to get tickets to this for weeks but they’re expensive.
A free package deal would be GREAT to have.
Fingers crossed!
Great way to open up the “Summer Festival Season” and comp tickets to boot would be super.
Looking for something to do this Memorial Day
I will be arriving from out of town for my first time in Portland! I would love to show my GF and parents the festival! We are really excited to see the fireworks!!
I’ve never been to the Rose Festival and would LOVE to attend. I’m a transplant from Atlanta, GA and one of my favorite things to do is attend outdoor festivals.It sounds incredible…I mean, Fireworks??? SWEET. BEER???? RAD. MUSIC???? HOLY CRAP, YES!!!!! Count me in. Oh, wait….rides? Seriously? Oh wow oh wow oh wow!!!! If I win I will do a tap dance in a panda suit while yodeling (in the privacy of my home). ;)
I haven’t been to the Rose Festival since I was a kid – it’d be fun to go again!
I would love to go, because I can’t afford a trip to Disneyland. Or even to this.
Opening day happens to fall on my 5 year wedding anniversary this year! I was already hoping to go and celebrate, but this would sweeten the deal so much!
I would love to go to the Rose Festival this year because I recently moved to downtown portland since I am a student at Portland State University. I’ve always heard so much about and I would love to go if i won tickets this year. Please pick me! :)
I’ve never been to the Rose Festival but I would love to share this new experience with my family.
We just moved here so I have never attended this before!!!
It would be a great escape from everyday life a chance to smile..I hope whoever wins has a great time and is able to experience life like a child for a moment. It sounds like this would be the place to do that..
I would like to win because my nieces would have a wonderful time (and I would be The Cool Aunt)!
I would love to bring a gaggle of kids to this!
This will be my children’s first vacation in years as their father passed in march. They are 10 and 8 and the past 2 years have been very financially hard for us with the circumstances. I’m originally from Or. and want to show them what I did as a child. It would make this trip even more special. Thank you for your consideration. :)
Me and my husband haven’t had the money to do anything for ourselves since the baby was born and something like this could really boost our spirits! Would be an amazing opportunity to remember how great our lovely city is and fully appreciate it for all its worth
I love fireworks and am fearful of Ferris wheels, the contrast would be exhilirating.
I have been going to rose festival for over 10 years. It is a great tradition and this year I hope to take my young second cousin who has never experienced the festival. Going to take him to the rose garden as well. It will be a great time.
I wouldn’t mind winning tickets to this Festival. I have lived here for almost 20 years, and have never been to either the Grand Floral Parade, or the Starlight Parade. Silly, huh? I may have been to the Festival itself once, but I know it was over a decade ago… I would definitely enjoy watching the fireworks i never knew they had! I would enjoy it with my whole family! Thank you!
This will be my first Rose festival and I am excited to check out what it has to offer.
Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!
Born and raised Portlander but I’ve never actually ridden a ride at Rose Festival – time for that to change!
I’d love to be able to take my son, he’s 2 and hasn’t ever been to the Rose Festival City Fair.
We’re trying each weekend to embrace all that Portland has to offer. The Rose festival and fantastically over the top and would be the highlight on our adventures we’ve had so far!
yes please!
The Portland Rose Festival. What else needs to be said, a must see and do event.
I just moved here and my niece and nephews are coming to visit Portland for the first time. They are little daredevils and would love to ride some rides for the weekend :)
YAY for parties
Would love to win this. We’re doing a staycation that weekend!
I would love to go with my kids!
I would love to win, so I could take my daughter…she has never been before. She will love it!
Because I’ve never won anything in my life!!!! (PS: I’m 70!)
Have never been – this would be an amazing way to attend the fest!!
I’ll be in town visiting and I’d love to attend!
Last time we went to the Rose festival was so long ago my boys don’t remember the rides!
Please pick me. I’ve never been and would really like to go with my family.
I would love to go this year
We love the celebration and haven’t been in a few years.
My first Rose Festival as a new Portlander- I’d love to go!
After a recent divorce accompanied with all the stress and sadness for our family. My 3 kids and I would love a fun night out in Portland. We are all native Oregonians and love our City of Roses.
I have never been. This would solidify my being a Portlandian.
Finally back in town and would love to go.
To have fun with my family
Our daughter is visiting from the East Coast…maybe, just maybe, moving here… :) This would sweeten her visit a lot!
This always lands on my birthday! This would be an awesome way for me to celebrate with my kids
So I can be slung, flung, hurled, and curled by unsafe funtastic contraptions! I need to prove to myself that I can still handle myself on the Gravitron.
wish i may wish i might wish upon a star tonight
this would be so fun for my whole family. And a chance to be downtown and not spend an entire paycheck
This would be the best weekend adventure!! :)
2 words…FAIR FOOD!!!!
I love this annual celebration of the Rose Gity, a great ex use for yet more fun and entertainment!
I’ve been here six years and have never attended. Would love to check it out.
Grandkids would worship me!#
I want to go because I’ve never been before and this would be an awesome work outing!!!
Something for the whole family! We’re all in!
This teacher needs a break as I wind down my school year! Would love!
I’d like to attend because I love the festival food! And the rides! And the babes! And the games! And the fleet! And the little rubber duckies!
I usually write y’all a cute little ditty but this time I’m going straight up. Every year I make a staycation of the Starlight Parade/Rose Festival and stay at a Hotel Downtown. This would just be the creme de le creme to make it the best staycation EVER!
I would like to go to this, I’ve never been!
Haven’t been in ages, this would assist in getting me back there.
I would love to take the family! The kids are finally at a point where they would appreciate the festivities .
I would love to attend, have yet gone to the Rose Festival, looks super amazing and fun!
Haven’t been in years, would to go!
This looks like such a blast!! With 5 admission tickets I could take my son and a few of our friends!
I have lived here in Portland for 6 years now, every year something comes up and I don’t get to go. This year… nothing’s gonna hold me back…
I would love to go! I don’t have any plans for Memorial Day weekend (due to my friend ditching me). Please pick me!
I haven’t gone to this but I’ve heard good things!
I’d love to take my family!
This would be great to take the family, never been always wanted to go!
I would love to have a fun Family day with my Husband and 3 kids! I haven’t been to the Rose Festival for a long time, but it’s so much fun!
Best family time we look forward too every year, but can’t always make it. Please choose me so I can treat all of us to the fun & festivities. Thank you!
Sounds like fun!
I have never been because I usually have to work. I am unemployed now and I can’t afford to go, so i would appreciate it :)
Because my mom and niece are coming for a visit from Mississippi!!!
I have never visited Portland before. I am a new mother, and could definitely use a break to have some fun!
After living through dirt and dust from a complete rewiring of our house,we simply need a corndog, elephant ear and cotton candy. Oh and beer. Wait, fresh air would be nice , a ferris wheel! All jokes aside my husband and I would enjoy some downtime after our dust and cleaning party
Because it’s the Rose Festival! You’re not a true portlanian if you don’t go to this.
Portland Tradition!
It would be a nice present after graduation from college this June. Since my parents and a close friend are going to be visiting from back east (PA) it would be nice to take them to a major event in Portland during their visit.
Portland native here! Rose Festival is in my blood!!
It would be awesome to go to, I love Portland!
Sounds Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PDX forever! ❤️ Rose festival time!
I need elephant ears!
Wow! What a generous giveaway! Rose FEstival looks to finally have a break with good weather! I would love to attend and winning would make it that much more magical! Thanks!
I am providing respite care for a 23 year old while his parents are in Europe and this would absolutely thrill him but would take too much of our discretionary fund if we had to pay.
Just had my daughter last summer and would love to start her first summer with the PDX rose festival!
I haven’t been to this in years and it sounds like so much fun!
The fireworks to kick off the Rose Festival is a favorite event. Would love to win passes for me and friends to attend together!
Just rolling my dice in…
Would be great to win. Its been a few years since i have attended
Rose festival is red
so festively blue
every year that I go
I end up with the flu
We moved here last year and I have always wanted to go! It would be fabulous!
I’ve never been to the rose festival and it’s over my birthday weekend, this would be such a fun way to celebrate!
I want to ride the ferris wheel!
My guy will be back in town this weekend after starting job training in Boston, and I’d love to celebrate Portland with him!! Plus: fireworks!!
I don’t even want to win tickets because it is soooooo un-Portland to want to be seen at the Rose Fesitival…
I would Totes McGoats go if I won tickets though…;)
Its my birthday later this month, and would love to attend with my girlfriend.
I have never been and would love to go!
Going Memorial Day Weekend for my best friends bachelors party!! Already have hotel & brewery tours set up, this would be the topping on the cake.
I would love to take my kids but can’t afford to go unless I win tickets.
I’ve lived in LA for a year and will be in my hometown of Portland for the weekend. Would love to make the trip special
We just moved here from Colorado and are looking for Portland experiences to enjoy……what better way to start than attending the Rose Festival!
We’ve never been to the Rose Festival but now we’re ready.
This will be our family’s first Rose Festival. Very excited to celebrate.
Thanks to PDX Pipeline, we are encouraged to explore Portland every week.
Would looooove to go!! Have never been!
Because, I haven’t been in over 10 years. (unable to afford both entry, and fun while there)
It would be awesome to go with all my kids (3) and my grandkid and enjoy the festivities together!
I have great memories of attending the Rose Festival as a child, but haven’t been able to go in years. I just moved back to Portland with my fiance’ for grad school, and this will be his very first Rose Festival. I would love to be able to take him!
Rose Festival!! It’s my birthday weekend and I wanna go!! Pick me!
My boyfriend’s birthday is May 22nd and I know he would go head over heels for winning free tickets to the Festival. Our first date was at the Water Front and I know it would make his birthday memorable. We geek over fireworks and rides and I know that by winning tickets to the Festival his birthday will be unforgettable and incredible. By attending the festival I will be able to check off something from my PDX list. It would all be amazing.
My friend is turning thirty and she wanted to do this for her birthday! It would be the best birthday present!!
My 5 kids, wife and I moved here 3 years ago and still have not been. The tickets would be very useful for us. Thank you.
‘Cause baby got back!
My birthday is on the 23rd and this will be my first trip to portland. This would be the best present EVA!
I would love to attend!!
My husband and I moved here from Austin Texas 1 year ago and we want to celebrate Portland style!!!
BTW, Portland kicks Austin’s butt!!!
It’s Rose Festival time! This year I’d love to take my friend and her husband whom recently moved to Portland from New York.
My Birthday is May 28th so this would make a great present. ;) ;)
Friends are coming in from out of town, would be great to have them experience the RF!
I need a fun weekend to look forward to! Pick me!
I’d like to take my family
ferris wheel ferris wheel ferris wheel!
My almost 3 year old loved the parade and dragon boat races last year and this year we can’t wait to take him to the city fair!
I’m visiting Portland this wk for business and pleasure and will be staying adjacent to the Festival… At the end of the day, I’m gonna attend regardless but it would be nice to save that money and invest it into the city in another manner…
I’ve never attended and I would love to take my children this weekend to experience the rose festival
My boyfriend is from California, I would love to take him to his first Rose Festival
I would be so elated to win this.
I have never been to Rose Festival festivities.
Would love to be chosen so I could take the grandkids!!
I have A LOT of Portland pride. Since 1999, this has been my fave favorite local event. Attending this festival with friends is how I like to begin a great summer!
Hope it’s not too late! Love the Rose Fest!
I would love the opportunity to take my family to such a fun event. I’ve taken the little ones one before, but I think they would enjoy it so much more note that they are older. I would love to provide them with such a spectacular end of the school year, a price for doing so well in school.
we were just in PDX for the weekend and the roses are blooming and the vegetation is beautiful. We would love to see the Rose Parade. Hope we win some tickets. Thanks. Stephanie
my fiance and I have never gone to the rose festival before. we want to see what portland has to offer!.
I just graduated from Willamette University on my original graduation date as a single mother with my one and a half year old son, it is my moms birthday on the 26th of May and this would be an amazing way to celebrate the weekend with the family.
I have never been to the Rose Festival Before and would love to attend before I leave the portland/salem area.
Thank you for the consideration, I hope to hear from you.
SO EXCITED!!
We are celebrating 38 years of marriage in June.
We got married June 11th, Rose Parade Day.
I am a mom of a 4 and 5 year old!
it’s been too long, miss rose. help me and my four friends (lucky for this giveaway, i’ve only four) kill it at your festive festival!
This will be our first Rose Festival season, plus my parents will be in town visiting from Ohio so 5 tickets is the perfect amount! Plus, my mom and I LOVE roses!
Some of my best childhood memories. Would love to share the experience with my kids.
The proverb says “Free is the most expensive” I’ll prove that wrong. Also it’s my Birthday next week.
It’s that time of year again!! Fleet week!!!
The rose festival is one of the few fests I have not been to yet… would like to go this year :) Yay!
Looks like a lot of fun!
My wife and I will be downtown for our 25th Anniversary and would love to spend it the same way we spent it 25 years ago. Walking in the rain during Rose Festival.
I would really like to win as it would really be a memorable time to spend with my 4 children for my visitation weekend with my kids. They have had much to suffer for almost 3 yrs because of divorce. It would be wonderful to be able to give them a weekend to remember that was just fun.
My children have never seen the Rose Festival parade nor the festivities, so It would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Loved it here since relocating from Florida! As your Rose garden is amazing the festival must be overwhelmingly beautiful. We’d <3 to win of course, as most of the families on here and in Portland we are also on very tight income right now. But, even if we have to hoof it to a spot to sit we will still look forward to enjoying your beautiful festival! Thanks Portland!
Leaving the country in one month. I’ll need some good memories only free tickets can provide ☺.
The Festival is such a fun place to bring the family and enjoy the waterfront, the Weird, festivities and good music! All ages … Yeah!!!!
We would love the tickets, my family of 5… been a really hard 2 weeks for my family and it would definitely help take our minds off of it to be able to enjoy something fun like this together. I took my big kids a few years ago.. my son at the time was 8 and wanted to ride every ride… and he did.. loving every minute of it!
My boyfriend and I are both special education teachers hoping to relax and rejuvenate over the 3 day weekend to survive the rest of the school year :-)
For the Love of it. What a memory to give and share with my lil one. Single mom life would love a break.
me and my girl friend are new to portland and havent even been downtown i think this would be a great bonding experience and would give us a chance to see what this lovely city has to offer
I would love to be apart of Portland Memorial Day weekend! My boyfriend could really use a night to lift our spirits, dance, and most importantly, get our heart rates up with crazy rides!!!
I’ve never been to this event and have always wanted to go. Please pick me!
First time visiting Portland! Would love to go!
My family is coming up from California next week for my wedding on the 30th. I would love to bring them there!!
I’d love to ride some rides, and I can’t afford Disneyland.
over the last 2 years of living in portland Ive struggled to find time around work to do much of anything in portland, and this looks amazing.
Great way to kick off summer!
I would love to show my family what Portland is all about. I have lost 70lbs this year and I can finally ride the rides with my family! I would love to have a great time with them and this Portland classic.
Because I want to show my wife, who is from Colombia, another great reason for us to stay in Portland! (And my two-year-old would love it, too!)
My family would love to go to the Rose Festival! We have been on a very tight budget this Spring, haven’t been able to take the kids out since last year. It would be nice to get them out of the house this weekend!
WE WOULD LOVE TO GO!!
My family has never seen the event. :)
My children and I will be looking for something to do downtown as we will be without a vehicle for a few hours. Would be great if we could spend time at the rose festival!
Things have been very stressful and hard lately and we are in serious need of some family smiles around here! This would be amazing and since we’ve literally never won anything EVER that would be extra amazing!
Give me a prize pack because I’m a broke college student who needs some culture outside the realm of Netflix in her life!
My name is Christian and I would like to win because I’m stressed out from school and need to do something fun!
I’m a 16 year old guy and my parent are gone for the weekend. Me and my girlfriend wanna hang but we aren’t allowed to be home alone. So i need to come to this thing and take a few pics of us on a ferris wheel so I can prove to my mom that I wasn’t with my girlfriend at my house for most of the day.
I have lived here since 2007 and havw nerve have been. I would love to take the family.
Travel with my family,I am doing help to elders.and also enjoy with my friends