2023 Festival Guide
By: Cate Battles/Visit Grants Pass
May 2023
Festival season is upon us and here in Grants Pass, there’s something fun for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re into dancing, classic cars, art, or wine, there’s no shortage of entertaining events throughout the year. This month kicks off an action-packed summer and to make it easy, we’ve laid out some top picks for 2023 festivals you don’t want to miss.
Boatnik
May 25th-29th, 2023
Hosted on Memorial Day weekend, Starting on the 25th of May and ending on the 29th. Since 1959, Boatnik has been held every Memorial Day weekend along the Rogue River in Grants Pass. Organized by the Active Club, the festival is not only a fun family-friendly weekend, but it’s also a charitable celebration. All funds raised during the event are returned to the community by supporting local children and youth programs.
Boatnik 2023
Square Dance Festival
May 26th-28th
Coinciding with Boatnik, Charlie Brown Squares is hosting the 3-day Square Dance Festival at the Square Dance Center at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. Featuring Joe Saltel, Randy, and Marie Preskitt, the festival offers activities for all levels of dancers. Tickets are $40 when purchased in advance and $45 at the door. Staring at 6 pm on Friday the 26th and ending at 4 pm on Sunday the 28th, check out the full event schedule.
Square Dance Festival
Art in the Garden
June 10th & 11th
Grants Pass Museum of Art is hosting Art in the Garden, a two-day event with a tour of eight wonderful gardens with over 50 artists. Also featuring authors and two food trucks. Purchase your tickets online or in person, booklets can be picked up at the museum or a will-call location. Tickets are $25 per person, and kids under 12 are free.
Art in the Garden
2nd Annual Pride Festival
June 10th
This year the festival expanded to two buildings at the Josephine County Fairground and will be fencing in the space between to maximize the fun and ensure our attendees’ safety.
The Pavilion building will include a hall of incredible local vendor and non-profit organizations. The Floral Building will be a space for community connection through conversation, art, dancing, drinks, and a stacked lineup of top performers from the Southern Oregon area.
Pride Festival
Concerts in the Park
June 13th – July 18th
The Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the annual “Concerts in the Park” series! Tuesday evenings beginning June 13th through July 18th, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. *No concert on July 5th. This family-friendly event features local food trucks, sweet treats from Soroptimist, kid activities, vendor booths as well as Wild River Brewing’s Tap Trailer. Make a night of it, bring the family for great music, delicious food, dancing, and fun for all ages. Featuring a great band lineup this year!
Concerts in the Park
Bearfest
Memorial Day to Labor Day
Here’s a festival you can enjoy all summer long. Every Memorial Day, the iconic Evergreen Bears return to the streets of Downtown Grants Pass after a long winter slumber at the Bear Hotel. Started by Evergreen bank president, Brady Adams, the colorful life-size bears have welcomed visitors to downtown for nearly 20 years. Since its inception, over 187 uniquely decorated bears have been created by local artists, many of which have been auctioned for charities. Several of these bears reside permanently at local businesses, however, the bank has reserved over 60 bears to be seasonally displayed along the city’s sidewalks.
BearFest
Porchfest
June 17th
Porchfest is a free music festival that is taking place on the front porches of neighborhoods in small towns and large cities across the nation, and it’s coming to Grants Pass again this summer. Porchfest will be coming to Grants Pass on June 17th.
Porchfest
Lavender Festival
June 23rd-25th & July 14th-16th
Follow the Southern Oregon Lavender Trail to six different lavender farms where you can walk through purple fields, pick your own flowers, and enjoy the sights, smells, and taste of lavender. During this annual summertime festival, many farms will be hosting special events, from live music, wand and wreath making, essential oil distillation demos, serving lavender inspired food, to sip and paints. The participating lavender farms include Dos Mariposas Vineyards and lavender farm, English Lavender farm, Goodwin Creek gardens, Lavender Ally, Lavender Fields Forever, and Murphy Creek Lavender.
Lavender Festival
Back to the 50s
July 18th-23rd
The 33rd Annual Back To The 50s is an iconic Josephine County celebration. The beloved festival, presented by the Josephine County Fairgrounds & Community Partners, is sponsored by Evergreen Federal Bank. Travel through time back to the 50s and view an array of vintage cars featuring live Rock & Roll music for the full atmospheric experience.
Attend classic car shows, poker runs, live music, shopping, and a drive-in movie theater experience.
Hosted at the Josephine County Fairgrounds.
Back to the 50s
Josephine County Fair
Aug 9th-13th
Ready to get your funnel cake on? The annual Josephine County Fair returns for 2023. This family-friendly event at the JoCo Fairgrounds comes to Grants Pass every August with games, rides, food, animals, arts and crafts, and live music. In addition to the county fair, the Fairgrounds is hosting Drive-In Movies every Friday and Saturday Night and Concerts in the Park every Tuesday throughout the summer.
County Fair
Horse Racing
June 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th, & 25th
July 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
Hosted at the Don Jackson Racing Facility, located at the Josephine County Fairgrounds. Free parking and $4 admission; kids under the age of 12 are free. Thoroughbred & Quarter Horse Racing, on the historic 1/2 mile track.
Racing on the Rogue
Art Along the Rogue
First Week of October
Every October, the streets of Grants Pass transform into a patchwork of color during the annual downtown Chalk Art Festival. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Art Along the Rogue, the Pacific Northwest’s premier sidewalk art and music festival. The festivities takes place along H and 5th street, where you’ll find dozens of arts and crafts booths spread around the Owl Parking Lot. The featured artists are some of the most renowned chalk artists in the country!
Art Along the Rogue
Tap Walk 2023
October 14th
This is the valley’s premier craft beer event held in beautiful Grants Pass on Saturday, October 14th. The Chamber of Commerce places breweries inside downtown businesses. Participants stroll from location to location, sampling amazing craft brews and delicious food!
Each participant will receive a commemorative event pint glass, an insulated re-usable tote for shopping, an event map, and (1) tasting per location. There will be (4) FREE trolley stops along the event route for ease of reaching further locations.
