12 Of The Most Welcoming Towns In Oregon
Oregon's most welcoming towns aren't defined by vague notions of friendliness or the hope that some local chats you up at a cafe; they show it through events that pull visitors right into the heart of the community. In places like Rockaway Beach, Sisters, and Depoe Bay, locals throw festivals that range from family-friendly fun to niche celebrations and full-blown parties that wildly spill into the streets. Kite-filled beaches, bronze statue-lined avenues, and whale-watching weekends are invitations to be more than just a tourist but be part of something truly exciting. Whether inland or on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the littlest towns undoubtedly are the friendliest.
Manzanita
Manzanita's best introduction isn't its seven-mile beach or its spot between Neahkahnie Mountain and Nehalem Bay. It's its calendar. At the beginning of the year, brave swimmers charge into the Pacific together before crowding around beach bonfires as part of the annual Polar Plunge.
Dog owners tend to find a place in Manzanita all year long due to how dog-friendly the town is, but every September for over 14 years, they gather for Muttzanita. It is a dog-centric celebration where pets parade in costume, take part in competitions on the beach, and local businesses donate to the silent auction, and people gather to raise money for animal charities. By year's end, Manzanita's spirit becomes all about the holidays with the annual Tree Lighting celebration.
Cannon Beach
Ecola State Park, alongside Haystack Rock, may be one of the most well-known attractions at Cannon Beach, but it also hosts one of the town's most exciting weeks of the year. Spring migration brings Whale Watch Week to the park, where trained Oregon State Parks volunteers set up at one of the best coastal vantage points for spotting gray whales. It is an event that takes place all over the Oregon coast, but Cannon Beach is easily one of the best spots to gather to see these ocean giants.
A few weeks later, the entire town leans into the Spring Unveiling Arts Festival as galleries roll out new work, host demos, and pair up with other Cannon Beach businesses for art-inspired specials. A number of other events bring people together throughout the summer, including the Cannon Beach Fat Bike Festival and the Sandcastle Contest. The latter is the oldest competition of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, drawing professional teams, amateur crews, and whole families who spend the day building enormous sculptures on the beach.
Depoe Bay
Given Depoe Bay's status as the whale-watching capital of Oregon, it's really no surprise that they take part in Whale Watch Week alongside towns like Cannon Beach. Depoe Bay clings to a basalt shoreline overlooking the smallest navigable harbor in the world. This place becomes a haven for migrating gray whales but also for those visiting to see the weather drama unfold.
From November through March, Depoe Bay's businesses welcome tourists who come for storm watching. One of the more formal annual events that takes place in Depoe Bay is Memorial Day's Fleet of Flowers. This sees the charter docks fill early as residents assemble cedar wreaths, hand them off to the boats, and escort the fleet toward open water. People pack the bridge above the harbor to watch the procession glide underneath before the wreaths are released into the Pacific in honor of seafarers lost at sea.
Joseph
The underappreciated town of Joseph meets the Wallowa Mountains head-on, with Wallowa Lake gathered just south of town and the location of the annual 4th of July Shake the Lake fireworks event. While Joseph has an array of long-standing festivals that bring people together from across the region, there is no question that the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo is the biggest.
It has been running for over 80 years and features a number of events that embrace the town's roots. This includes the Bucking Horse Stampede down Main Street, Joseph, the Buckaroo Rodeo and the PRCA Rodeo at Harley Tucker Memorial Arena, and the Cowboy Breakfast at Tenderfoot Christian Fellowship Church. Aside from this summer event, tourists flock to join locals for various rodeo activities, but also for Halloween's Watch for the Witch trick-or-treat event and Christmas' Jingle Through Joseph Parade.
Ashland
North of the California border and outside of the Siskiyou Mountain Park, Ashland continuously brings in tourists all year long. The 93-acre Lithia Park is one of the biggest attractions due to its sprawling lawns, tennis courts, trails, and Japanese garden. But the park also hosts a number of annual events that draw people with diverse sets of interests. This includes the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which runs from spring through fall, and the 100-year-old 4th of July Celebration.
Ashland's culinary and wine scene are also hot commodities, but events like the Ashland Chamber Annual Children's Halloween Celebration and the holiday season's Festival of Light open it up to the whole family. Outdoorsy types come together for the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb run and the fall's Enduro-style race, the Ashland Mountain Challenge.
Yachats
Yachats unfolds along Oregon's central coast, cliffs plunging into the Pacific and waves crashing just below Overleaf Lodge & Spa, one of the most relaxing places to stay in town, and close enough to the seasonal Sunday Farmers Market. On top of an array of natural and commercial attractions, Yachats also hosts a series of annual events, some traditional and others a little quirky. On the traditional end, you have the Springs Arts & Crafts Fair, which highlights local makers, and the Winter Festival, which spreads holiday cheer with a vendor fair, Hot Cocoa Trail, and the annual tree lighting. But the most remarkable events may just include the Yachats Celtic Music Festival. This three-day November event features Ceili dancing, workshops, and bagpipes and climaxes at Piper on the Point as the sun sinks into the ocean. A month earlier, the Yachats Mushroom Festival transforms the town into a celebration of fungi with guided walks, hands-on workshops, and expert talks.
Sisters
Sisters, Oregon, has earned international recognition for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, where every second Saturday in July, the town transforms into a kaleidoscope of hundreds of quilts draped across buildings. The event is free and draws thousands of visitors from around the globe, creating an atmosphere where the entire community participates in celebrating creativity and craftsmanship. The one-day spectacle has been running for over 50 years, cementing Sisters as a hub for arts-minded travelers. But Sisters also hosts a number of other events and festivals that appeal to both a broader and more specific crowd.
This includes the Sisters Rodeo, held every June, which has earned the nickname of the "Biggest Little Show in the World" thanks to its bull riding and tie-down roping events. Then there is the Sisters Folk Festival, which turns the whole town into a stage across seven venues. Hoodoo Ski Area keeps things even more lively during the winter with its Winter Carnival, which offers everything from snow sculpture contests to torchlight descents and fireworks.
Hood River
There always seems to be something to celebrate in Hood River, an Oregon town best known for its windsurfing thanks to its location on the Columbia River Gorge. Spring's highlight is the Blossom Festival, when 15,000 acres of pear, cherry, and apple orchards erupt in bloom along the 35-mile Fruit Loop, a scenic drive dotted with farm stands where visitors can stop for fresh fruit and local treats.
May pours in the Hood River Cider Fest, filling the Hood River Event Site with tastings from makers throughout Oregon and Washington. Winter glows with the downtown Tree Lighting & Festival. Newer events have also become cemented in the bedrock of this small town, including The Run With The Wild 5K/10K along the Historic Columbia River Highway Trail, which raises money for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.
Astoria
Just a stone's throw from the Washington border is one of the oldest towns in Oregon, Astoria. Each spring, wine lovers converge for UnWined, a post-competition tasting event tied to the Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival, where guests sample Oregon reds, whites, sparklings, and fruits while enjoying live music and heavy appetizers. That larger festival in April draws roughly 12,000 people and 150 vendors to celebrate the North Coast's seafood bounty alongside artisan producers and local wineries. Summer brings the Independence Day fireworks, shot from a barge on the river, paired with a family parade, concerts, and kid-focused activities. August highlights the Astoria Regatta Festival, one of the oldest celebrations of maritime history west of the Rocky Mountains. From May through October, downtown streets come alive with the Astoria Sunday Market, a weekly hub of local produce, crafts, and music.
Bandon
Cranberries bring people together in Bandon, Oregon. Specifically, the annual Bandon Cranberry Festival has been held every September for over 80 years. The festivities kick off with the Cranberry Court Coronation, followed by the Cranberry Kitchen contest, and then things roll into the Cranberry Bowl Football Game before the main weekend event, where festival markets, art exhibits, and classic car shows take over the coastal city. On July 4th, the boardwalk hosts a Cardboard Boat Regatta that pairs sheer silliness with friendly competition as participants race, sink, and cheer along the waterfront. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort attracts visitors from all over, but the Port of Bandon Boardwalk Art Show actually brings them together. The event is held May through October and turns Old Town's boardwalk into a public gallery, featuring works inspired by the coast and judged by both experts and visitors.
Rockaway Beach
Rockaway Beach seems to live on its festivals. Independence Day is perhaps the most notable, given its reputation for its spectacular fireworks show. But the full-day tradition also features a downtown parade in the morning, Wiener Dog races at Phyllis Baker Park, and a treasure hunt on the beach. The other major event that draws countless people to Rockaway Beach is the Kite Festival, where hundreds of kites, amateur and professional, fill the sky. It is a visually impressive two days with the Pacific Ocean as its backdrop. In April, the Rockaway Writers Rendezvous turns the town into a hub for storytelling, with workshops, open mics, and student competitions, giving both visitors and locals a chance to share in the creative energy.
Brookings
Brookings sprawls along the southern Oregon coast where the Chetco River meets the ocean, and the town's calendar is packed with events that make locals and visitors feel instantly part of the community. During the summer, the American Music Festival, a series of free Sunday concerts in Azalea Park, runs from June through early September. August doubles the excitement with the Pirates of the Pacific Festival, which fills the waterfront with live performances and playful pirate-themed chaos. Memorial Day weekend spotlights the Azalea Festival, a long-standing tradition recognized as an Oregon Heritage Tradition, complete with a Friday night dance party, downtown parade, and street fair. As the year winds down, the Coastal Holiday Festival of Lights turns Azalea Park into a glowing labyrinth of three million LEDs, pairing season-themed and traditional displays with hot chocolate and visits from Santa.
Joseph, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, and Rockaway Beach all offer invitations to events that aren't background noise but magnets for tourists wanting to visit somewhere a little friendlier than the big city. From sun-splashed streets to seaside gatherings, these towns mix locals and outsiders who feel unscripted, electric, and undeniably fun. The calendars are full, the energy is contagious, and every festival, parade, or quirky celebration is proof that Oregon is home to some of the friendliest towns in the US.
