Coos Bay-Area Festivals Light Up South Oregon Coast with Food, Music, Arts

Published 04/05/22 at 10:55 PM PST
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Spring and summer will be sprouting all over soon on the south Oregon coast, and in come the summer festivals with a bounty of food, music and real outdoor action. Look for big events celebrating music and grub, parts of the South Coast Culture Tour, as well as the return of the farmer's market to the bay area. There's rock 'n roll, classical, jazz, new forms of art and lots of barbecue and fresh produce. (Photo courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast / Coos Bay, Charleston, North Bend)

Coos Bay will be no shirker to civilized fun as well as its more rough-edged means of repose and recreation.

On May 4, you'll start to regularly see the Coos Bay Downtown Farmer's Market every Wednesday, running through October. The market takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 50 Central Avenue, Coos Bay, Oregon. It's perhaps the largest one on the south Oregon coast, with nearly 90 vendors selling fresh produce, drink and all kinds of unique foods.

There will likely be some masking requirements still: see the website for what new rules, if any, are implemented.

Among those favorites returning are ElkHorn BBQ. Get your bibs ready.

Call (541) 266-9706. See more at the Coos Bay / Oregon's Adventure Coast site.

South Coast Culture Tour is the biggie for the south Oregon coast, with half of it happening in Curry County from April 28 through May 1, and then in Coos County from May 6 to 8 (Bandon and Coos Bay area).

There are three categories to this unique festival: Taste, Create and Explore. It's six days of different classes, workshops and activities offered in each category, where participants can sign up for as few or as many as they want.

Taste is all about the food. “Digging for Dinner” will be held May 8, and participants will spend the morning in Coos Bay with expert guidance and instruction on sustainably digging shellfish. Participants will collect enough items for their meal and then head to Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, where they will spend the afternoon with an award-winning chef who will guide them through the preparation and cooking process culminating in a delicious meal.

Look to Coos Bay for a World Tour Paddling Film Festival to showcase some of the best paddling films.

Also in the area, get down and gritty with rides at Whiskey Run Trail Head, Coos Bay's Sunset Bay State Park and the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. Something new for these spots will be the voluntourism opportunities.

From May 6 to May 8, you get an officially sanctioned disc golf tournament at two courses at Bandon and Coos Bay.

From April through to the end of May, the festival is hosting the South Coast Culture Tour Geocaching challenge around the entire southern Oregon coast, including Coos Bay, North Bend and Charleston. The perfect combination of high-tech problem-solving and outdoor adventure, geocaching is a global phenomenon that challenges players to find treasure troves, or caches, armed with only a smartphone and their wits. Oregon's South Coast Culture Tour Returns: Food, Outdoor Fun, Creative Adventures

On May 20, look for the cover band Aurora at local restaurant and bar The Coney Station. They also play later in the summer. Aurora performs lots of classic rock and Top 40 tunes. The show goes from 8 p.m. until midnight. 295 S. Broadway, Coos Bay, Oregon. (541) 269-6948. See more at the Coos Bay / Oregon's Adventure Coast site.

On May 28 and 29, fill your belly and your ears with North Bend's Mill Casino BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay event, back in full form. Lots of craft beers to explore, bands to check out and plenty of samples of food and brews will make their rounds. The finale is the barbecue contest at the end. The Mill Casino - Hotel & RV Park. 3201 Tremont St. North Bend, Oregon. 800.953.4800, 541.756.8800. BBQ, Blues & Brews on the Bay Returns to South Oregon Coast in May 

Later in the summer comes the Oregon Coast Music Festival. It's the 44th annual installation of the Music Festival, happening July 16 to 30. You'll find a heady mix of classical and jazz art forms, taking place at venues around the bay area such as Shore Acres Garden, the OIMB Boat House, stunning Mingus Park and a host of seminars at the library. It will be two full weeks of outstanding sonic art. The Festival Orchestra will be performing three concerts at Marshfield Auditorium, and the festival features music director James Paul at the helm and jazzer Darrell Grant as one of the guests.

The vast majority of it happens in July, but some highlights peek through a month or two early:

Redfish Piano Trio on April 29 at 7 p.m., Hales Center: performances of Mozart and Mendelssohn trios. Tickets are $25 for adults; free admission for the first 50 students via advance registration.

Aaron Johnson Quartet on May 8 at 2 p.m., Umpqua Hall. The New York-based rig returns with a mix of jazz and classical pieces. Tickets are $25 for adults.

Throughout the Coos Bay area. https://www.oregoncoastmusic.org/. (541) 267-0938.

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Photo courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast / Coos Bay, Charleston, North Bend

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