We are proud to serve again as the title sponsor for the CareOregon Grand Floral Starlight Parade! New this year and in honor of America 250, the Portland Rose Festival will present a unified parade experience on the evening of June 6, bringing together beloved elements of both the Grand Floral and CareOregon Starlight Parades.

Now in our fifth year as title sponsor, we’re celebrating the power of dreaming big in the health care space — ensuring healthier futures, stronger community networks and greater opportunities for everyone. The Grand Floral Starlight Parade is a moment for all of us to come together and celebrate the people, cultures and creativity that make the Rose City shine.

We are going BIG this year

We’re pulling out all the stops for a truly unforgettable experience. Throughout the parade, spectators will be treated to a visual feast of ingenuity and craftsmanship. As a nod to this year’s Portland Rose Festival theme Imagine Magic!, CareOregon will “Dream Big!”, with a larger-than-life float featuring a hand-built, fully puppeteered Bigfoot named Biggie.

Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch) is an iconic mythical figure in the Pacific Northwest, and a symbol of limitless imagination. Evidenced only in the shadows of the deepest forest or from the prints left by its massive feet, Bigfoot is rarely spotted in public. Legend tells us he protects and guides Indigenous communities, wanders among woodland creatures and occasionally makes blurry cameos in films.

Biggie may be mysterious, but he's the perfect icon for this year’s parade. After all, nothing says “Dream Big!” quite like Bigfoot. We want every individual, including Biggie, to know that they belong in our community and have access to the health care resources they need to dream big.

POIC is creating big pathways

This year, we are thrilled to welcome Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC) as our Grand Floral Starlight Parade community partner. Partnering with organizations like POIC is fundamental to CareOregon’s mission of creating equity and quality in health care across our communities.

For nearly 60 years, POIC has operated as a cornerstone of community-based job training and placement for adults, community safety supports and interventions, and alternative education. And they haven't stopped there: POIC also offers culturally specific, wrap-around support that strengthens health, safety and community connection for Portland's disadvantaged and underserved community members.

"POIC embodies the spirit of imagination and opportunity that this year's parade is all about," said Eric C. Hunter, President and CEO of CareOregon. "For nearly sixty years, they've created pathways to education and employment. Their work strengthens families, opens doors for young people and builds healthier, more connected communities. We couldn't ask for a better partner to help us celebrate what it means to 'Dream Big!' together here in Portland."

Each year, POIC serves more than 3,000 students, trainees and families across the greater Portland area. Their work promotes healthy lifestyles, helps people access preventive care and supports the growth of thriving communities -- now and into the future.

"We're grateful to CareOregon for choosing POIC as their community partner for this year's Grand Floral Starlight Parade," said Joe McFerrin II, President and CEO of POIC. "Their commitment to creating a healthier Oregon, and their continued support for POIC, has helped strengthen our 3C's initiative-curriculum, care, and careers in the healthcare field-reinforcing how essential a focus on health is to the people and communities we serve."

POIC will join us in the parade with a float of their own, featuring dedicated scouts on the lookout for something big. When we partner with POIC, we open new doors for Oregonians... and sometimes even solve the biggest mysteries, including the search for Biggie the Bigfoot!

Join us at the CareOregon Grand Floral Starlight Parade

This newly reimagined parade will bring together the pageantry of the Grand Floral Parade with the energy and glow of the Starlight Parade to create one extraordinary celebration. You'll cheer alongside more than 300,000 neighbors as elaborate floral displays, light shows, drill teams and marching bands deliver a magical experience for all ages.

“This year’s combined parade amplifies both the joy of the moment and our shared commitment to building a future in which high-quality health care is truly accessible to everyone,” said Carly Hood-Ronick, Vice President of CareOregon Metro. “I look forward to standing alongside thousands of our neighbors as we celebrate what’s possible when we dare to dream — and build — big together.”

CareOregon CareSteppers, our in-house parade dance team, will groove to lively tunes and show off their well-rehearsed choreography. They'll be joined by David Douglas High School marching band to bring even more spirit to the parade. On June 6, bring the whole family as we march forward with a shared dream of a world where access to high-quality health care is for absolutely everyone. And get ready for Biggie’s big debut! He’ll bring some woodland friends along and might even turn the parade route into Oregon’s newest Bigfoot sighting.

Together, we can build a future where health is accessible to all, and where everyone has the opportunity to Dream Big!

Learn more about the CareOregon Grand Floral Starlight Parade and the full lineup of Portland Rose Festival events