Local Events | Our Top Picks

Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo

8/1/2018 – 8/5/2018 9:00 am

Deschutes County Expo Center, 3800 Southwest Airport Way, Redmond

“Cheers to 99 Years” is the theme of the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo. This is one of the best fairs in the entire country. Don’t miss the incredible entertainment lineup. The kids will love “familyville” with thrilling carnival rides. The rodeo is an NPRA sanctioned event with world-class cowboy/cowgirl and livestock talent. Enjoy live stage shows throughout the day and headliner concerts at night.

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BMC Munch & Music Free Concert

Thursdays 5:30 pm

Drake Park, 777 NW Riverside Blvd

Every Thursday, July 12th – August 16th in Drake Park. The evening kicks off at 5:30pm with live music. Don’t worry you’ll have time in between the opening and headliner acts to grab some delicious grub from one of the many food trucks and vendors or sip on a Deschutes Brew to quench your summer time thirst while you browse local artisans and craftspeople’s booths.Kids will love the family fun area complete with bouncy houses to wear off a bit of Thursday night energy!

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Cascade Lakes Relay

8/3/2018 – 8/4/2018 6:00 am

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway

The Cascade Lakes Relay is a 216.6 mile overnight relay in the style of Hood to Coast. Oregon’s most challenging running relay course starts in the Cascade Mountains at Diamond Lake Resort, travels through the Oregon Outback and rural agricultural country, and winds back to the Cascade Lakes Highway, around Mt. Bachelor and into the resort community of Bend. If you are looking for the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful course – welcome to the Cascade Lakes Relay! You’ll see more cows than semi-trucks and smell pine trees instead of exhaust. If you are seeking an adventure where you can push your limits and rediscover your senses, then this is the event for you and your team.

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Amos Lee

8/9/2018 5:00 pm

Les Schwab Amphitheater, 344 Southwest Shevlin Hixon Dr

Amos Lee will be performing at The Les Schwab Amphitheater on August 9th. His musical style encompasses folk, rock and soul. With his most recent album, “Spirit,” he’s made his biggest creative leap yet. Gate opens at 5:00pm. Show starts at 6:30pm.

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Haulin Aspen

8/11/2018 8:00 am

Wanoga Sno Park, Cascade Lakes Highway

The Haulin’ Aspen prides itself on being a lot of good things at once. Featuring a 6.5 mile course (dubbed as the “half-as”), a half marathon and full marathon, the race is also a points qualifier in the Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series. The cherry on the top is the race is Central Oregon’s only full marathon that’s run on trails — trails that wind through the Wanoga Sno-Park and in and around scenic forestland and beautiful views. There will be a post race celebration with craft beers and scrumptious food.

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Bend Brewfest

8/16/2018 – 8/18/2018 4:00 pm

Les Schwab Amphitheater, 344 Southwest Shevlin Hixon Dr

Beer lovers rejoice! The Bend Brewfest is back with over 200+ craft beers plus cider and wine. This outdoor festival is held at The Les Schwab Amphitheater August 16-18. Admission is FREE. For tasting, a one-time purchase of a souvenir mug is required.  Mugs are $20 and come with 5 tokens. Additional tokens are sold in packs of five for $5. Each 4 oz pour is one token, full beers are 4 tokens. X-Tap beers are 2 tokens for 4 oz. Tokens are non-refundable. You may not use mugs from previous years.

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Mary Poppins

8/17/2018 – 8/26/2018 7:00 pm

Tower Theatre, 830 NW Wall St

Thoroughly Modern Productions presents the enchanting musical “Mary Poppins” which will run for 6 nights at the Tower Theater. Get your tickets early! “One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is now a practically perfect musical! Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Mary Poppins is an enchanting mixture of irresistible story, unforgettable songs, breathtaking dance numbers, and astonishing stagecraft.”

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Bat Walk

8/17/2018 7:30

High Desert Museum, 59800 US-97

The High Desert Museum brings you another unique Central Oregon experience. Join them on an exciting evening expedition in search of bats on the Museum grounds using echolocator equipment. Bring weather-appropriate clothing and a flashlight or headlamp. Members $5, non-members $10.

Registration and prepayment required.

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Volcanic Bike & Brew

8/24/2018 – 8/26/2018 9:00 am

Mt Bachelor West Village, 13000 SW Century Dr

Back for the fourth straight summer, Mt Bachelor presents the Volcanic Bike & Brew Festival! This year, Race Cascadia will host the Mt. Bachelor Volcanic Enduro Race, where athletes will test their biking skills on some of the toughest terrain Mt Bachelor has to offer. This race will serve as a bonus for the Cascadia Dirt Cup and can be used toward CDC series points. Numerous vendors will bring great beer and food, gear to demo, this year’s products for all to enjoy. It’s a great weekend for locals and visiting mountain bike enthusiasts to get away for a weekend! Come out for free bike demos, live music, and vendors, all located in the West Village Base Area. Visit the Beer Garden for brews, your favorite BBQ foods and the best view of the Skills Park all weekend long.

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Dave Matthews Band

8/28/2018 5:00 pm

Les Schwab Amphitheater, 344 SW Shevlin Hixon Dr

The ever-popular Dave Matthews Band will be performing at The Les Schwab Amphitheater on August 28th. Bend will be their ONLY Oregon stop on this year’s tour. Doors open at 5:00pm. Show starts at 7:00pm.

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Lazinka Sawmill Demonstration

9/1/2018 11:00 am

High Desert Museum, 59800 South Highway 97

Full steam ahead! See the 1904 sawmill in action and discover how critical this steam-powered sawmill was to homestead families in the High Desert. 11:00 am – 3:00 pm Free with Museum admission.

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Central Oregon Saturday Market

Saturdays 10:00 am

Downtown Bend, 520 NW Wall St.

The Central Oregon Saturday Market is the largest gathering of local artists East of the Cascades since 1974. Open summer Saturdays in Downtown Bend across from the Public Library from 10 AM to 4 PM. We are a free outdoor event with a diverse variety of unique, creative artistry and craftsmanship with food, entertainment and local nonprofit awareness. “Where the Seller is the Maker.”

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Music on the Green – Hokulea Dancers

9/5/2018 6:00 pm

Sam Johnson Park, SW Evergreen Ave, Redmond

Redmond’s very own traditional Hawaiian Dancers are back and are always a crowd favorite! This high energy troop will showcase traditional Hawaiian Island dance and drumming. Lead by Hawaiian Natives Novelen and Joey Tavita, they bring a true taste of the Islands with many generations of their family and friends. Come join us as we say Aloha to summer in the true Hawaiian style.

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In a Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild

9/5/2018 – 9/8/2018 6:30 pm

Smith Rock State Park, Terrebonne

Classical Music in the Wild is an outdoor concert series in stunning landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. We bring a 9-foot Steinway grand piano to the middle of forests, fields, calderas and historical sites for classical music concerts. To meet the acoustical challenges of performing in the wild, music is transmitted to the concert-goers via wireless headphones. No longer confined to seats, they can explore the landscape, wander through secret glens, lie in sunny meadows, and roam old growth forests. Sponsored by the Central Oregon Visitors Association, in partnership with Sunriver Music Festival and the Oregon State Parks and Recreation, Hunter Noack will perform live on a nine-foot Steinway concert grand piano among the spectacular volcanic cliffs and deep river canyons of Smith Rock State Park. Located in central Oregon’s high desert, Smith Rock State Park offers exceptional rock climbing, hiking, and mountain biking experiences.

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Great Drake Park Duck Race

9/9/2018 11:00 am

Drake Park, 777 NW Riverside Blvd

Since 1989, the Great Drake Park Duck Race has donated over $1,700,000 to Central Oregon charities. A special presentation will be made to the 2017 Duck Race Beneficiaries: Younity, The Bethlehem Inn, MountainStar Family Relief Nursery, The Center Foundation, Grandma’s House, The Community Shower Truck, and DAWNS House The 2018 charities will be announced as well as race and prize details for this summer. This year’s Duck Race is scheduled for Sunday, September 9th starting at 11am at Drake Park with the support of our title sponsors “Credit Unions Working Together”: Mid Oregon Credit Union, First Community Credit Union, OnPoint Community Credit Union, SELCO Community Credit Union, and Oregonians Credit Union. The Kid’s Duck Race will commence at noon presented by Western Title & Escrow, Hutch’s Bicycles, and Bend Parks and Recreation followed by the main race at 1:30pm. Festivities will include live music, food, bounce houses, family activities, prizes and more. Duck Race tickets are on sale now featuring over $29,400 in amazing local prizes – including a $20,000 auto voucher toward the vehicle of the winner’s choice at any Robberson Ford location.

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Farm to Fork Dinner and Fundraiser

9/9/2018 5:00 pm

Pine Marten Lodge, Bend

Have you always wanted to go to a sunset dinner at Mt. Bachelor during the summer? Or maybe you’ve been and can’t wait to see that view again. Here’s your chance! Tickets are available for the third annual Farm to Fork Dinner and Fundraiser now at My. Bachelor. Join Aperion Management Group and Heart of Oregon Corps at Mt. Bachelor’s iconic Pine Marten Lodge on Sunday, September 9th from early evening through sunset while enjoying farm fresh gourmet food prepared by an incredible local chef, live music, wine, and beautiful views. Your ticket includes: lift ride to and from Pine Marten Lodge, Deschutes Brewery Beer, Humm Kambucha, & Va Piano Wine, Appetizers, Dinner, and Dessert sourced from Local Farms.

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Walk to End Alzheimer’s Central Oregon

9/15/2018 11:00 am

Riverbend Park, 799 SW Columbia St

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease! Start a team. Join a team. Donate.

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The Head and The Heart

9/19/2018 6:30 pm

Les Schwab Amphitheater, 344 SW Shevlin Hixon Dr

In 2014, exhausted after four years of non-stop touring, the six members of the Head And The Heart pointed their individual compasses to new cities, new relationships and new adventures. After a prolonged layoff, the band regrouped during the summer of 2016 in Stinson Beach, California, to start writing together again. “It almost felt like we were a new band, trying things we hadn’t tried,” bassist Chris Zasche recalls. “We stayed at a bungalow on the beach. We’d wake up, have coffee and go boogie boarding. We were ready and excited to be back together.” That renewed sense of purpose can be felt throughout “Signs Of Light,” the group’s first release for Warner Bros. Records. Recorded in Nashville with producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Cage The Elephant), “Signs Of Light” crackles with the upbeat, sing-a-long energy of the Head And The Heart’s finest work. Throughout, the colors are brighter, the electric guitars are louder and the musical touchstones more universal. The propulsive, smile-inducing ode to Los Angeles “City Of Angels” and the head-nodding “Rhythm & Blues” nod to classic Fleetwood Mac, while the organ-flecked “Dreamer” is a timeless-sounding ballad that could have been beamed straight out of an old jukebox.

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Great Harvest Obstacle Challenge

9/29/2018 all day

DD Ranch, 3836 NE Smith Rock Way, Terrebonne

Held at the DD Ranch in Terrebonne, OR, this 3+mile multi-obstacle course will challenge participants in strength, agility and mental fitness. A great opportunity for kids, individuals and teams! The course will be an exciting, challenging and memorable experience for all.