What's happening around here.

Manzanita Farmers Market

Fridays, roughly mid-May through late September · Manzanita, behind City Hall on Underhill Plaza

The market runs every Friday afternoon through spring, summer, and early fall, with local produce, baked goods, crafts, and live music. It's one of the most consistent weekly gatherings in town, and a good first stop if you want to meet people.

SOLVE Manzanita Beach Cleanup

Spring, typically around Earth Month · Manzanita, at Laneda Avenue and Ocean Road

Volunteers gather each spring for a beach cleanup organized through SOLVE, Oregon's statewide litter and cleanup nonprofit. It's a casual, all-ages way to pitch in on the beach that everyone in town uses.

Trash Bash Art Festival

A few days in May · Nehalem, at White Clover Grange

Nehalem's recycling cooperative, Cartm, puts on an art festival built around reused and recycled materials, including a fashion show made entirely from trash. It's a small, offbeat event, and it happens right in Nehalem rather than out in Manzanita.

Manzanita Farmers Market

Fridays, June through August · Manzanita, behind City Hall on Underhill Plaza

This is the market at its busiest, with the widest range of produce and vendors of the year. Locals treat it as a regular Friday routine, not just a tourist stop.

Nehalem Bay Crab Derby

One Saturday in early June, tied to Oregon's free fishing weekend · Nehalem Bay, near Wheeler, at Jetty Fishery

Jetty Fishery releases a batch of tagged crab into Nehalem Bay, and anyone who catches one and brings it in by the end of the day is eligible for a prize. It's a low-key, family-friendly excuse to spend a day crabbing on the bay.

Manzanita Fourth of July Parade

July 4th · Manzanita, along Laneda Avenue

A volunteer-run, no-entry-fee parade down the main street, with floats, marching bands, and classic cars. There's no official fireworks show — fireworks are banned on Oregon beaches — so the parade itself is the main event.

Nehalem Arts & Crafts Festival

Later in summer · Nehalem

Nehalem hosts a summer arts and crafts festival with food vendors and live music, per the Manzanita visitor center's annual events listing. Timing and vendors change year to year, so check the current listing before planning around it.

Manzanita Farmers Market

Fridays, into late September · Manzanita, behind City Hall on Underhill Plaza

The market runs its last few weeks of the year in early fall before closing for the season. It's a good marker that the summer crowds are thinning out.

Manzanita Film Festival

One Saturday, typically early October · Manzanita, at Pine Grove Community House

A one-day festival of short films made in or about the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on Oregon coast stories. It draws a mix of local and visiting filmmakers and is one of the more established annual arts events in town.

Muttzanita

Each September · Downtown Manzanita

A community dog festival with a costume parade and other canine activities, raising money for Animal Haven by the Sea, the local animal rescue. It's small, and pretty much exactly what it sounds like.

Fall crabbing and fishing on Nehalem Bay

Roughly September through November · Nehalem Bay, near Wheeler

Fall is generally considered prime crabbing season on Nehalem Bay, and it's a normal weekend activity for people who live here rather than a scheduled event. Check current Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife rules and the local marinas before heading out.

Manzanita Polar Plunge

New Year's Day · Manzanita, on the beach below Neahkahnie Mountain

A local tradition where people run into the Pacific in swimwear to start the new year, then warm up around a bonfire. What started as a small group of locals has grown into a crowd of hundreds.

Manzanita Holiday Tree Lighting

Early December · Manzanita, along Laneda Avenue

The town lights its Christmas trees with a candlelight parade, carolers, and a visit from Santa, ending at a bakery on Laneda Avenue. Exact plans shift slightly year to year, so check the current schedule before you go.

Hoffman Center Annual Community Show

January · Manzanita, at Hoffman Center for the Arts

A juried show of work from Oregon coast artists across a range of mediums, hosted at the Hoffman Center's gallery. It's one of the more visible ways the local arts scene shows up each winter.

Winter surf at Short Sands

Year-round, including winter · Oswald West State Park

Short Sands breaks consistently enough that local surfers paddle out through the winter, cold water and all. It's less an organized event than a regular part of life for people who live near the coast.