WinterFest

WinterFest 2012

Annual winter festival offers thrills, spills and activities for the whole family.

One of the best things about winter is it provides skiers and snowboarders a chance to catch some big air. In the Old Mill District thrill seekers and spectators alike can appreciate the demonstration of speed and height at the OnPoint Community Credit Union Oregon WinterFest. Presented by American Family Insurance, the event runs February 16 -19, 2012 and has become a major winter destination event for tourists from Portland to Seattle and beyond. 

Held over the President’s Day weekend, it is the perfect time for travelers to enjoy all that Central Oregon has to offer during the winter season.   WinterFest’s main feature is the off-mountain rail jam— a colossal structure built in Bend’s Old Mill District. The U.S. Cellular Rail Jam takes a team of design engineers a week to build, and requires fifty dump truck loads of snow to be hauled from Mount Bachelor into town. The event is the Northwest’s largest winter festival.

Come for a great weekend of skiing or snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor and checkout all the great activities, live music and rail jam at the OnPoint Oregon WinterFest in Bend. Family friendly activities at WinterFest include a kid’s performance and craft area with The Oregon Museum of Science (OMSI) Science Festival Kit including numerous touch tables and brain teaser activities that will challenge a wide range of ages. 

Stroll through the European-style market, selling the Northwest’s best food, wine and fine art.  Check out the amazing feats of snow carving and ice sculpting.  Each evening offers live music on an outdoor stage.

Over the past seven years WinterFest has awarded over $40,000 to local and regional charities that serve Oregon communities. This charitable contribution is raised in part each year by WinterFest pass sales, which act as entry into the event for the entire weekend. The passes are on sale now at BendTicket and WinterFest.