Almost every parade I have ever covered as a journalist begins with a police escort. The same was true for the 2025 UFO Festival Parade in McMinnville, the seat of Oregon’s Wine Country, on Saturday, May 17.

What used to be a sleepy little town in rural Yamhill County became one of the epicenters for UFO aficionados after the local paper printed a photo in 1950 of what was allegedly a flying saucer spotted in the evening sky above the Trent farm, just outside of McMinnville in the small rural community of Sheridan.

The photos made a big splash across the country, with Life magazine and many newspapers reprinting them. The incident was investigated by the Air Forces’ UFO-investigating Project Blue Book, and was included in the “Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects” report, nicknamed the Condon Report. At the time the report was written it was concluded that the Trent’s sighting was a real UFO. The report was later discredited.

It is still considered one of the most famous UFO sightings in the country.

The festival is sponsored by the McMenamins chain, which owns The Hotel Oregon. The historic hotel is in the center of the downtown area on Third Street, and isalso the center of the celebration. The hotel was built in 1905 and was a staple of the community at the time of the sighting. The parade is sponsored by the McMinnville Downtown Association.

McMenamins brings in UFO experts and hosts an assortment of entertainments, but the highlight for locals and area communities is the parade. The event often draws folks from all over the state and nation. It is a favorite event for Portland and Salem day-trippers.

The parade is an opportunity for everyone to get their alien freak on, and do they. It includes an assortment of villains and heroes from just about every sci-fi universe with a fandom. The standouts are always the stans, serious uber fans of fandoms, who usually take their cosplay to the next level. Star Wars, Star Trek, and Men in Black are some of the most represented sci-fi universes.

Sponsor

Just as fun are the imaginative made-up costumes and creatures, which draw from just about anything for inspiration. It is an opportunity to get creative and share that creation with the world at large. Once the parade is over the sidewalks and street become a peacock walk as everyone in costume struts about showing off their costumes. As things slowly return to nearly normal, folks head home to where they will spend the night looking up at the sky.

***

A few scenes from Saturday’s celestial celebration: