Beachcomber’s Festival

The Beachcomber’s Festival (800/535-9469), held in late March at the Azalea Middle School (505 Pacific Ave.), features exhibits, demonstrations, and slide shows as well as an art competition for the best works wrought from indigenous materials such as driftwood, agates, and other beachcomber treasures. To get there, follow Pacific Avenue east of the highway.

Azalea Festival

Brookings’s big event is the Azalea Festival (541/469-3181 or 800/535-9469), an unforgettable floral fantasia that takes place each Memorial Day weekend. Among the activities are a parade, a flower display, a crafts fair, a 5K run, a seafood luncheon, and a beef barbecue. Much of the activity revolves around Azalea Park. This Works Progress Administration–built enclave features 20-foot-high azaleas (which are several hundred years old) and hand-hewn myrtlewood picnic tables.

Wild cherry and crabapple blooms, wild strawberry blossoms, and purple and red violets round out the bouquet. Butterflies, bees, and birds all seem to concur with locals that this array smells sweetest around graduation time in mid-June. To get there, take Pacific Avenue east of the highway, and turn onto Azalea Park Road.

Southern Oregon Kite Festival

Like several other Oregon coast towns, Brookings puts its windy weather to good use with its annual Southern Oregon Kite Festival (541/469-2218), held over two days in mid-July. Individuals and teams display their aerial skills at the port of Brookings-Harbor.

Nature’s Coastal Holiday Light Show

Azalea Park is also home to Nature’s Coastal Holiday Light Show in December, with more than 75,000 lights. The city park is located on the south end of town. The Brookings-Harbor Garden Club and Chamber of Commerce offer garden tours of this park and other gardens. Call the chamber (541/469-3181) for more information on tours and garden-related events.