Volunteer Rebecca Geisen mounts flowers onto a float ahead of the Portland Rose Festival in Portland, Ore. June 4, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Following weeks of festivities, this year’s Portland Rose Festival wraps up this weekend.
And for the first time, there will only be one parade in downtown Portland for the festival. Due to budget constraints, organizers have combined the Grand Floral and Starlight Parades into one event on Saturday evening.
Dave Keckes-Chartrey, one of the organizers of the parade, said the Grand Floral Parade struggled to attract enough sponsors this year. He cited rising costs and economic conditions as the cause.
“I think that people would love to be a part of it, if they could afford to be,” Keckes-Chartrey said. “We just don’t have as many dollars as we used to, because we’re spread more thin, so we’re trying to do the best we can with what we have.”
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Elements from both parades will be incorporated into the event. Floats at the start of the parade will have more floral presentations. As the parade moves along, they will slowly transition to the colorfully electric floats typically seen at the Starlight.
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Florists and volunteers prepare floats ahead of the Portland Rose Festival on June 4, 2026 in Portland, Ore.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
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Kefira LaValley prepares bouquets for a float.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
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Gary Stenberg sweeps the floors of the warehouse where his team is preparing floats for the upcoming parade.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
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Carla Stenberg, left, and Gary Stenberg work on preparing several floats for the Portland Rose Festiva. Gary is the owner of Rose City Float Designs, and the pair are working on a total of 10 floats this year with the help of florists and volunteers.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
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A florist installs roses on to the Portland Kaohsiung Sister City parade float.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
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Frank Catherwood mounts flowers on a float.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Keckes-Chartrey acknowledged that some have been concerned with the new format, but was optimistic that people would still enjoy the parade.
“When all is said and done, I think people are going to be excited by what they see, and I think it’s going to be a good presentation all the way around,” he said.
Still, the change will be an adjustment for some. Matthew Spitulski and his friends have hosted a huge gathering at the Grand Floral Parade since the 1990s. He takes it seriously — he often sends out postcard invitations in advance and reserves his spot hours before the parade starts.
“It’s just kind of a real feel-good street party in downtown Portland,” Spitulski said. “I can say it’s my favorite day of the year.”
A longtime Portland resident, Spitulski, 60, has grown up with the parade. He still remembers riding in the Junior Parade as a child. But he’s unsure how he feels about having a single combined parade. This year’s gathering will be much smaller; he wants to see how this version compares.
But he still hopes large crowds continue to gather downtown for the event, which he said still remains an institution in the city.
Flowers are stocked for the Portland Rose Festival at a warehouse in Portland, Ore., on June 4, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
“I think for the people who do participate and go down for the gathering, there is a large swelling of community and warmness among Portlanders,” he said.
Keckes-Chartrey said, after this year’s parade, the Rose Festival will gather to decide whether to continue with one parade next year or return to two. While nothing is finalized, he said he suspects one parade will be the new normal going forward.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be, but my hunch is that we’re probably leaning that way,” Keckes-Chartrey said.
The parade runs from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
People will also have the opportunity to tour six different military ships this weekend as a part of Fleet Week. Adults wanting a tour must present a passport or REAL ID to access the ships. Tours are available until Sunday at 4 p.m.
Officials say drivers should expect multiple delays for bridge lifts on Saturday and Monday, as ships move through the Willamette River.
