The Bend holiday calendar
A pet parade that has run since 1924. A fun run that pays you in pie. Witches on paddleboards. Here is how Bend does every holiday, what is next, and who to call when you would rather not climb the ladder yourself.
Halloween Sat, Oct 31, 2026
Bend does Halloween on the water. Kids trick-or-treat the Old Mill shops in the afternoon while costumed paddlers float past on the Deschutes for the Witches Paddle.
The next 12 months
The list reorders itself as the year goes by. Each card has our honest local take, the one move we would make, and what needs booking.
Sat, Oct 31, 2026Fall
Bend does Halloween on the water. Kids trick-or-treat the Old Mill shops in the afternoon while costumed paddlers float past on the Deschutes for the Witches Paddle.
Wed, Nov 11, 2026Fall
A quieter day here. The Central Oregon Veterans Outreach parade through downtown is the center of it, and it has stepped off at 11 a.m. in past years.
Thu, Nov 26, 2026Fall
The morning belongs to I Like Pie, the fun run at Riverbend Park where the finish line is a slice of pie. After that the town goes quiet until dinner.
Nov 27 to 28, 2026Fall
Nobody camps outside a mall in Bend. Friday is for the Old Mill and the outlet stores at Elevation Bend. Saturday is the better day, when downtown shops run Shop Small Saturday.
Photo: Simon Hermans / Unsplash
Fri, Dec 25, 2026Winter
The season starts with the downtown tree lighting at Brandis Square and runs through the lit-up kayaks of the Holiday Lights Paddle Parade. In between: Tower Theatre shows, neighborhood lights and a day in the snow.
Dec 31 to Jan 1, 2027Winter
There is no ball drop. Bend’s midnight is dinner downtown, a brewery countdown, or a snowshoe out to a bonfire in the woods with a champagne toast.
Sun, Feb 14, 2027Winter
The very Bend version is skiing until noon while the mountain is empty, then a bar stool by kickoff. Sports bars fill early, so pick one and commit.
In 2027 the game lands on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
Sun, Feb 14, 2027Winter
A winter date here is an activity and then a meal. Snowshoe or skate at The Pavilion, then dinner downtown.
In 2027 it shares the weekend with Bend WinterFest (February 12 to 14) and the Super Bowl, so book early.
Wed, Mar 17, 2027Spring
A brewery town does not need much help with this one. The St. Patrick’s Day Dash is the long-running local tradition, and downtown pubs handle the rest.
Photo: Patrick Fore / Unsplash
Mar 22 to 26, 2027Spring
Late March is two seasons at once. It can be a powder day at Mt. Bachelor and a T-shirt bike ride in town on the same afternoon.
Bend-La Pine Schools are out March 22 to 26, 2027.
Dates follow the usual Bend-La Pine Schools week. Check the district calendar for your school.
Sun, Mar 28, 2027Spring
Brunch, an egg hunt and a walk by the river. It can still snow, so the hunt you planned for the lawn may end up in the living room.
Photo: Yuliia Kucherenko / Unsplash
Wed, May 5, 2027Spring
This is a dinner plan more than an event. Bend’s taquerias and food cart lots do the work, and patios are just starting to open.
Sun, May 9, 2027Spring
Brunch is the whole game, and it sells out. The easy win is a river walk in the Old Mill before or after the table.
Photo: Yura Batiushyn / Unsplash
Mon, May 31, 2027Spring
The unofficial start of summer, with a catch. The Cascade Lakes Highway is usually plowed open by now, but the high lakes can still have ice and the campgrounds can still have snow.
Sun, Jun 20, 2027Summer
Do something first and eat second. A morning on the river or the golf course, then a brewery patio.
Sun, Jul 4, 2027Summer
The Pet Parade has been walking through downtown since 1924: kids, dogs, goats and anything else that will wear a costume. Then everyone heads for the river. Fireworks have traditionally gone up from Pilot Butte at dark.
July 4, 2027 is a Sunday, so most people get Monday, July 5 off.
Mon, Sep 6, 2027Summer
The last big river weekend. Days are still warm, nights are already cold, and this is the heart of wildfire smoke season, so keep one indoor plan ready.
Mid to late September 2027Fall
More than one party. Downtown’s Bend Oktoberfest is the big one, and the breweries, Sunriver and McMenamins each throw their own across September and into October.
Try another one, or see everything.
Put these on the fridge
Only events whose organizers have posted this season’s details. Pulled from our holiday guides, last checked late September 2026. Past dates drop off on their own.
Running something this season? Send us the details and we will add it once the date is public. For everything else happening in town, see the Bend events calendar.
Hire it out
The jobs people in Bend actually pay someone for between October and January, with when to make the call. Each guide lists local businesses and what to ask them.
Do you run a holiday service in Central Oregon? Get your business listed.
Six things locals know
None of this is on the event flyer. All of it will save you a wasted drive.
Bend’s traditions repeat, but the dates, hours and routes move. We mark what is confirmed and what is still a guess. Check the organizer before you promise the kids anything.
Downtown and the Old Mill are the two holiday hubs, and each one is walkable end to end. Pick one per outing. The Old Mill has more than 1,400 parking spaces. Downtown does not.
When Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco de Mayo falls on a weeknight, the parties usually shift to the nearest Friday or Saturday.
From November to May, a holiday drive to Mt. Bachelor or over the passes means checking TripCheck and carrying traction tires or chains. The Cascade Lakes Highway is gated past Bachelor from mid-November to May.
By July the forest is dry. Personal fireworks and campfires are often restricted, and the public fireworks show depends on conditions. Check the current rules before the Fourth and Labor Day.
On Thanksgiving and Christmas Day most shops are closed and only a few restaurants open, by reservation. Old Mill shops close on Thanksgiving. Buy groceries the day before.
Also on the calendar
Bend also marks Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid, mostly through gatherings hosted by congregations and cultural groups. Those dates move every year and the hosts announce them close to the day.
The best places to look are the events calendar and our festival guide, which covers the big weekends that are not holidays at all, like WinterFest and the Sisters Rodeo.
Quick answers
The Fourth of July Pet Parade through downtown, which dates to 1924. I Like Pie, the Thanksgiving morning fun run at Riverbend Park. The downtown Christmas tree lighting at Brandis Square. The Witches Paddle on the Deschutes at Halloween, and the Holiday Lights Paddle Parade through the Old Mill in December.
Yes, if you like a small-town Christmas with a ski hill attached. Downtown and the Old Mill are decorated and walkable, the Tower Theatre runs holiday shows, and Mt. Bachelor is about half an hour up Century Drive. Snow in town comes and goes, so plan a mountain day if you want a sure thing.
Bend has traditionally launched its fireworks from Pilot Butte, and you can see them from most of town. The show depends on fire conditions and is confirmed each summer, so check the official plan before the day. Personal fireworks are often restricted.
The Old Mill District hosts organized trick-or-treating at its shops on Halloween afternoon. For door to door, families head to walkable neighborhoods such as NorthWest Crossing, River West and the Old Farm District, and follow the houses with the lights on.
Not much. Most shops close, including the Old Mill on Thanksgiving, and only a few restaurants and resort dining rooms serve, usually by reservation. The trails, parks and sno-parks are open, which is how most locals spend the day.
Bend-La Pine Schools usually take the fourth week of March. In 2027 the district is out March 22 to 26. Expect skiing and spring weather in the same week.
We keep local guides for Christmas light installers, tree delivery, holiday decorators, family photographers, party venues, caterers, gift baskets and Christmas dinner to go. Light installers and photographers book first, usually by early November.
Send it through our submit an event page with the date, time, place and a link to the organizer. We list events once the organizer has published this year’s details.
Page reviewed October 10, 2026. Holiday dates are calculated automatically. Event details come from each organizer, so confirm times before you go. Photos by All Things Bend unless credited.
