Corvallis Fall Festival

Corvallis Fall Festival utilizes the power of creative expression to connect and uplift the community of Corvallis and Benton County. The festival organization’s mission is to promote and enhance the arts and artists of Benton County while also providing engagement opportunities for various charitable organizations throughout the festival weekend. Since the inaugural event in 1973, the Corvallis Fall Festival has independently evolved over time to become a beloved celebration of what makes Corvallis unique: the incredible breadth of talented artists and performers who have chosen this place as their home, the charitable organizations and active volunteers that elevate the whole community, the warm and welcoming art-loving neighbors, and the extraordinary parks. Virtually everyone in the local area has a strong personal memory of this art festival which is central to the identity of Benton County. The vision of the festival organization's future includes building opportunities for artists to share their work and experience with future generations. This vision will be realized by creating emerging artist programs that organize mentorship experiences between seasoned show artists and new talent. The organization is also positioning itself to function as a facilitator for arts learning programs for school children.

The Corvallis Fall Festival coordinates the largest free community arts event in Benton County, Oregon. The festival has taken place in idyllic Central Park annually the fourth weekend in September since 1973. The entire festival experience—two stages of quality performances, 176 booths of exceptional art, rare opportunities to engage with makers, art-making opportunities for families, and the Saturday Night Street Dance—is accessible, free of charge and welcoming to all, so there are no limits to visitors’ enjoyment! The festival has concentrated its attention on developing enriching art education programs in the youth and family focused Art Discovery Zone for the past several years. The area now includes the dedicated Community Stage, which features entertainment and interactive performances that children seldom get to experience in our local area. In 2025, kids had the opportunity to perform on the Community Stage with groups such as 10 Tiny Dances and Blackthorn Academy of Dance. The festival has always worked with volunteer art educators to develop art projects for families. We recently began collaborating with The Art Center to provide professional development workshops for the kids participating in the festival’s Young Artist Marketplace, where youth aged 8-18 sell their artwork directly to the public during the festival weekend. In recent years, approximately $25,000 has been raised for nearly 20 charitable organizations during the 2-day festival. We work with about 60 different local partner organizations and businesses, raising awareness of each business and charity while providing engaging opportunities for them to participate in civic life in the most joyful way possible.