Welcome to the Sparkling Side of the Portland Rose Festival!
The Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade offers funky, eclectic fun for the whole family. One of our most popular events, the parade draws more than 250,000 spectators to downtown Portland, and is also broadcast live from 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. on FOX 12.
With the wide variety of entries, we will have something for every Portlander. From traditional marching bands and flood-lit floats, to glow-in-the-dark umbrellas and hand-built entries, you'll see the best of Portland's diverse community groups and entries from the surrounding Northwest region.
We are no longer accepting entry applications for the 2012 Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade.
2012 Grand Marshals
YouTube stars Bruce and Esther Huffman didn't mind that Jimmy Fallon (who?) turned down the Rose Festival's invitation to be the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Starlight Parade, because they're happy to step in and replace him! Little wonder, with their nickname 'The Happy Huffmans.' Hailing from McMinnville, Oregon, Bruce and Esther's viral video "Webcam 101 for Seniors..." has been viewed close to ten million times -- and they've appeared on numerous national TV shows (including "Good Morning America" and "Ellen") with charm that won't quit. They'll be accompanied in the parade by the all-girl acapella singing group High Altotude, singing "Blue Skies" (Bruce will love that!).
CLICK TO VIEW the Huffmans accepting their Grand Marshals role at YouTube!
2012 Parade Sections
The "Spirit of the West" section (part of the first illuminated Rose Festival parades in the 1900s) returns in 2012, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino and filled with floats representing communities around Oregon and Washington. The final section of the Parade, "Portlandia," will showcase everything unique and funky that Portland has to offer!
Celebrating 'Clean and Green'
Thanks to the efforts of our sponsors, Portland General Electric and SOLVE and many volunteers, you'll find this parade to be one of the cleanest in America. Watch before the parade for volunteers handing out bags to help keep litter and recyclables off our streets. Right after the last parade entry, keep your eyes peeled for our post-parade clean up crew -- filled with volunteers and professionals -- who pick up trash and wash our streets clean!
See the Lineup of the 2012 Starlight Parade:
Note: The following document is in PDF format.
Do you need Adobe Reader? It's free!
As of May 12:
2012 Lineup [PDF]
