The Eugene Celebration is our town's "Farewell to Summer Party," and it, like many small-town…read morefestivals, has changed a lot over the years. The official party weekend is scheduled now at the end of August, but before Labor Day, and is a Friday - Sunday affair. Although the festivities used to stretch farther and wider (to Good Times on the north end, and W.O.W. Hall on the west end), nowadays the partiers are confined to the heart of the downtown blocks, with three - five large-ish stages scattered throughout. Saturday morning of the fest is kicked off with my favorite Eugene event, The Celebration Parade! Here you will see so many things, rich and strange, that even the most through-and through south valley-ites have missed! The parade is capped off with the first public venture of our S.L.U.G. Queen (who was crowned some two weeks earlier at an early August pageant). The parade is free but to get "in," one must purchase a pass. These are $15 for the whole weekend, $8 for Sundays, and some unknown amount for singleton admit on the other days. The music scene is pretty tight for our little town. I've seen the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (of course), Fishbone, They Might be Giants, Blitzen Trapper, Lyrics Born, Misty River, Pinback... All with little to no crowds. The music has stayed strong over the years, but what is waning is all of the local color inside the festival gates. There used to be so many ... oddities... throughout the festival gates, and that is what I really miss. Even the firedancers were absent this year! -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78m7O7UOQw I'm still a fan though. I mean, what other small town do you know of that puts on a festival so uniquely its own? It's supported entirely off of donations and volunteers and has been getting us to party since 1983! Locals, let's get downtown next year!

I'm giving it three stars for years past…read more This year 1 star. For some reason, there were no Market Place vendors. I have come to Eugene Celebration for maybe three years and I loved the little shops. The shops were a great place to by local gifts and wares. They had plenty of massage, kids, and local exhibitor booths. My friends and I decided to go to the Saturday Marketplace for a few shops, which was nice. The Saturday of the Eugene Celebration is usually busy, but it was dead. I felt bad for the other patrons. I was disappointed. The music we witnessed was okay. Beers were delish. Oakshire, Hop Valley, Ninkasi. Also, they usually have a DISCO BALL cart at night and that was not there, either. Food had some good options. My friend loved her: Cart De Frisco. An old college treat - she claims. Love the Celebration normally, but this year was a bust.

Orchestra Next is a pretty killer organization. They collaborate with lots of other cool Eugene…read moreorganizations, including the Eugene Ballet. They have a new(ish) recording studio in the Midtown Arts Center. A creative and innovative organization that provides opportunities for pre-professionals!

May the 4th Be With You A Eugene Symphony Event,…read moreStar Wars a New Hope The Eugene Symphony is absolutely flawless! True Professionals at their finest, they always leave me amazed. This event was Star Wars in a symphony concert. They performed so well I couldn't believe it. For 2 1/2 hours with not a missed note, skipped beat, not a single flaw. The music was performed seamlessly and perfectly to the showing on the screen. The event did have a comical side to it though. Similar to the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' of years gone by, there were plenty of concert goers in full costume of various characters including those carrying lightsabers. $$TIP$$ Don't be duped by ticketmaster, they are an overpriced middleman service that just increases the cost. We saved $50 each on our tickets by calling the Hult Center directly and they mailed the tickets to us. Avoid Ticketmaster and save some money.

We had the pleasure of attending a very special Yelp Elite event hosted by the Eugene Symphony…read moremarketing and Yelp Eugene. We were treated to a really fun swag bag that included some pre-event snacks, a pair of tickets, an invite to a pre-performance talk and great seats. Even without all of the Elite treatment the Eugene Symphony is truly exceptional. The works that they take on from classical to more modern and even avant garde are impressive and engaging. Having lived in larger metropolitan cities I'm thrilled to have such quality talent in our moderate sized city that attracts world class performers. I will genuinely be spending more time with the Eugene Symphony.

Amazing museum that encompasses cultural history of Oregon, impact of climate change on Oregon, how…read moreplate tectonics formed the state of Oregon... The current exhibit on the history of Chinese immigrants in Oregon is absolutely amazing. Exhibits are relatable, easy to understand and make a connection to for ages late elementary and older. Spent almost two hours here; well worth the $7 general admission fee

Coming from Washington, D.C., I'm used to big, world class museums with free admission. This museum…read moreis small and cost $6, but it's worth a visit nonetheless. The museum itself is on one level that wraps around, but the exhibits tell a unique story. A few notable stops is the world's oldest shoes on display. The exhibit about the Chinese immigrant community is an important stop. There's a gift shop in the front and clean restrooms. Staff are very helpful and passionate.

Looked up things to do on Eugene Weekly. The Very Little…read moreTheater had a matinee of Jekyll and Hyde. It was fantastic. The cast was amazing. Singing was top notch. We couldn't believe we were in a little place in Eugene. Will be checking out this little place each time we visit our daughter at University of Oregon.

Had a fantastic time.The play was good.The Lobby was fantastic.Will be back.Can't wait for the next…read moreplay is.

I've only been here once, but will likely go again as they seem to have some interesting shows…read more They do both live music and plays here as far as I can tell. The acoustics were good and for the most part the lighting was as well. I saw the Sugar Beets on 6/20/26. As a person who is gluten-free and tries to avoid sweets and alcohol there really wasn't anything at concessions for me. I'm grateful that this is not a place that refuses to allow you to bring your own snacks and water. The room with concessions also has merch (like band t-shirts). I overheard someone say that during the show if you attempt to go down the stairs from the balcony (like to get to concessions) the stair way is completely pitch black and hazardous.

I've finally I've been able to visit the Shedd. Well, that's a little incorrect; they were around…read morewhen I was in middle and high school, but as a summer program or resident company at the Hult Center known as OFAM, the Oregon Festival of American Music. Until this past weekend, I hadn't been to a program at their own year-round space that's been here for 25 years or so now. (But I don't feel too bad about that since my sister, who's lived here all her life, has only been once.) Anyway, I brought my toddler to their Magical Moombah show, which is designed specifically for children. We had a lot of fun! It was held in the Jacqua concert hall. The show was kind of variety/vaudeville in style; this one was called Come Sail Away, and it had a loose story made up that was connected by pre-existing songs that matched the theme. There were several time when they invited the kids up to participate--a dance party on stage, a couple of joke breaks, a contest or two, and more. It was a great way to let the kids be involved, and even the littlest kids had an opportunity to join in (my two year old was insistent on making her stage debut, though I think she was a bit shy when she was up there dancing with everyone). They hold this program each quarter and I'll definitely be looking for it next time we're home to visit. They also host concerts, musicals, and other programming. There are a couple of performance spaces, the concert hall being the main one and then recital space. The Shedd is also home to a music school, which seems to take place in the newer wing, where students can take private or group lessons. I will say that their website is really frustrating--almost every link would take me to their calendar, even if I was clicking on Faculty or Welcome--so I'm not sure what that's about so I'd suggest just calling if you have questions. There's a fee if you purchase tickets online (and maybe if you purchase in person with a credit card); in person with cash there's no fee. They have a good parking arrangement with the city that allows for free parking on evenings and weekends in the Lane County lot. There's also parking directly behind their north entrance (I'm not sure if that's the city lot or not, but I don't think so). The lot we parked in was kind of frustrating because almost every spot was marked as compact, and in the year 2026 even in Eugene most people have an SUV or minivan or something, and places just need to stop making most of their parking for compact cars. Some fun facts: Ginevra Ralph, who co-founded the Shedd, is the great-granddaughter of John G. Shedd (namesake of Chicago's Shedd Aquarium in addition to this performing arts center). The Shedd is located in what was once the First Baptist Church in Eugene, one of the largest in the city if not the largest at the time. Also, Marin Alsop, a conductor of international renown, was the co-conducted the Eugene Symphony and the Oregon Festival of American Music early in her career. The Shedd really does have a storied history and lots of great things to come.

Wonderful small venue without a bad seat in the house…read more In town for the weekend, I saw a production of Our Town that would have made Wilder proud. Comfortable space with dedicated staff & volunteers.

We saw "A Case for the Existence of God" earlier this week, and "Lizzie" in October. Two very…read moredifferent plays, both really, really good. The theater is small but the actors in both productions were excellent and the plays were intelligent and moving. If I lived in Eugene, I would definitely become a subscriber.

This may be a fine venue for performances, but accessibility for the disabled is an afterthought. A…read morevery late afterthought. Is it technically ADA compliant? Probably. Barely. When you arrive from the south (as we did) you are met with a giant staircase to enter. Turns out there is a ramp on the north side. You wouldn't know that though, as there is nary a sign to be seen. Once you go around the building you can get in. There are metal detectors. They're sort of unattended though, or at least the people working them are far on the other side. What's a wheelchair to do? We tried getting someone's attention and eventually they irritatedly told us to just go through. We did. Not sure what kind of metal detectors those are supposed to be when the fully metal wheelchair didn't set them off. Now... our tickets are on the mezzanine. How do we get there? Lots of stairs.... No signs for an elevator. Had to ask around. There is one- way around the corner. It's small, old, and slow. But we got there. No bathrooms on the mezzanine though. Too bad for us. Then, after the show... the elevator.... There's a sign telling able bodied people to take the stairs.... But they don't. They just look at us sheep faced as they come down from the higher balconies packed full so we can't get in. No attendant or anything, no staff member to tell them no, so... us folx with wheelchairs and canes and walkers, we just wait for all the able bodies to get down. (And of course not all disabilities are visible. But their eyes told us their guilt.) We were there to see Tig Notaro. I think she'd be ashamed of some of her fans. And the venue. Do better.

I ordered my tickets to the Morgan Jay show Online. It was easy to pick my seat and also receive my…read moreticket. The venue is pretty spacious and the seats were decent. I sat in Row C so I was fairly close to the front. This venue does offer some snacks as well as drinks for purchase. The drink prices were about average for when you go to a venue. There is plenty of restaurant options nearby as well as a couple hotels to stay at if you're out of town like me.