McMinnville's UFO Festival Was Out of This World

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 The aliens have landed!


Well, quite literally. Thousands of people lined downtown McMinnville on Saturday, May 16, to watch the annual UFO Festival parade — full of alien-themed decor and whimsy. 


I arrived with my counterparts; my younger sister, boyfriend, and friend. Feeling festive, I sprinkled green glitter around my visage and encouraged the others to partake. We all bore antenna headbands to “blend in” with the crowds. 


People started accumulating: Tin foil hats. Neon green tights. Almond-shaped sunglasses. Brightly colored hair. Young children, families, visitors, travelers. All were welcome here.


We waited in a long line at the Evergreen Aviation Museum for the complementary shuttle bus to take us to the center of town. The parade was supposed to start at noon but was delayed 30 minutes because of overwhelming attendance. 


On 3rd Street, we waited, still swarmed by about 10,000 people, if I were to guess. At 12:30 p.m., the parade started with the first float and the festival’s sponsor: McMenamins and its gaggle of giant hammers. Most floats promoted the town’s businesses, schools, and groups.


The McMinnville High School band followed after playing a rendition of “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. The Patton and Duniway Middle School bands also contributed to the spectacular musicality. In addition, a Salem-based non-profit organization and band called Punx With Purpose played their emo rock renditions. 


Other floats included a Men In Black-themed Community Outreach Services float, bicycle troops disguised as spaceships, hazard-suited unicyclists, and Bigfoot standing on a dune buggy, waving his hairy hands at the crowds.


Motorcycle gangs had their fun while driving through the parade, each decorated with various alien-themed ornaments. A float sponsoring the Yamhill County Fair and Demolition Derby provided country music and a cow beamed up by a UFO, of course. 


The Pride float captivated the audience with large elaborate flags, full-body inflatable alien costumes, and lots of tassles, glitter, and flamboyance. Following close after was homemade costumes such as astronauts, aliens on stilts, and foil-wrapped moving platforms.


However, the one display that transcended the rest featured a heated pingpong match … between an astronaut, a dinosaur astronaut, a human fly, and a man being abducted by a gray alien. The table was towed by a truck, and even with the sporadic movements, the players stayed in the game. The most impressive shot was made by the astronaut, who launched the ball 3 feet into the air and allowed his teammate, the giant fly, to spike — while the truck continued forward. 


After a half an hour, as the floats became more sporadic, the crowds flooded the streets further. And then there was shouting. 


“Get out of the road!” A man yelled at the attendees. 


Another spoke up: “The parade isn’t over yet! Move to the sidewalk!” 


My group and I were guilty of this. We walked down the street along with many others, determined to get to the other side through the sea of attendees. But the parade wasn’t over yet. There was just a lull. 


We frantically crossed the street before the next float approached — losing a member of our group in the process — but moments later, the parade had finally ended with about 30 floats in total.


We then explored the Vendor Fair, which ran about six blocks on either side of 3rd Street. Large tents of white offered various merchandise such as themed candles, jewelry, clothing, masks, sculptures, and more. McMenamins had a tent as well, which not only supplied a stage for live music and speakers, but also sold stickers, keychains, sweatshirts, etc. 


And all of this started with — you guessed it — a UFO sighting. It was 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11, 1950 in McMinnville, Oregon. A farmer’s wife by the name of Evelyn Trent went to feed her animals behind their farmhouse and witnessed a large disc-shaped object hovering in the air. Her husband, Paul, grabbed his Kodak Roamer camera and the rest is history.


Photo Credit - McMenamins UFO Festival
The UFO Festival has been recurring annually for 26 years, originally starting in 2000. Each year, the festival hosts a series of guest speakers. At a ticketed cost (festival attendance is completely free) you can listen to these believers, skeptics, and experts talk about their paranormal experiences in the Community Center auditorium.

This year’s panelists consisted of Jason Martell, leading researcher on ancient civilization technologies; Matthew Szydagis, associate professor at the University at Albany; Rebecca Charbonneau, historian at the American Institute of Physics; Kelly Chase, investigative podcaster and media personality; George Knapp, journalist at KLAS-TV; and Jeremy Corbell, filmmaker and ufologist. 


I failed to attend any panels, but I did read a lot of interesting signs that people had placed around the event, explaining their conspiracy theories. A man stood, adorned in tie-dye and holding an alien buddy with a sign that read, “We are not alone.”


There were large groups of cosplayers, as well, standing around taking pictures with attendees. Anything from "Predator" to "Star Wars," the sci-fi community seemed ecstatic to interact with these costumed anomalies. I greeted multiple people with the Vulcan salute from "Star Trek." Live long and prosper.


We stayed until 4:30 p.m., right before the large gray clouds above threatened their tears. We took the shuttle back; it circled the same route every 20 minutes, making it accessible to get back to the parking lot in a timely manner. 


With high spirits and glitter-embellished faces, we left McMinnville. We danced, we laughed, and we embraced the eclectic, zany, and otherworldly culture and community. We are now one with the stars. 


Who knows, there may be life out there after all. 



At a glance:


- McMenamins UFO Festival -

  • Where: McMinnville, Oregon.

  • What: Experience Ufology from a communal perspective with a UFO-themed parade, multiple vendor booths, guest speakers, and insanely elaborate decorations and costumes.

  • Status: The festivities will reoccur on May 14-15, 2027.

  • Official Website: ufofest.com

  • Best way to get there: Park in the Evergreen Aviation Museum lot and then take the complementary shuttle bus to the center of town.

  • Admission: Completely free! But expect to pay for food, drinks, merchandise, and tickets for the guest speakers.

  • Where to eat and stay: Check out the McMenamins website.

  • Takeaways: Apart from the usual festivities, make sure to check out the McMinnville Antiques Mall LLC and Neely's Food Truck.


Official festival flyer
Photo Credit - McMenamins UFO Festival
From left to right: My younger sister, me, our friends, and my boyfriend
Photo Credit - Audrey Linder

Photo Credit - Audrey Linder


The man sporting the sign, 'We are not alone.'
Photo Credit - Audrey Linder

Hi there! My name is Audrey Linder. I am currently in my first year at LBCC (Linn-Benton Community College) majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication Emphasis to later transfer to OSU (Oregon State University) with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Journalism; a double major scenario. I am originally from Western Pennsylvania but have since moved around the country quite often, settling in areas such as Southern California, Southern Utah, and now Western Oregon.

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