Bend Paddle Trail Alliance invites you to enjoy the Bend Whitewater Festival on June 28th at McKay Park. The day will kick-off with a recreational release in the Fish Ladder/passageway and open surf until 11am. Then, wave events like fan-favorite a Throwing Buckets challenge and the always entertaining King &Queen of the Wave at noon will spill into action-packed head-to-head racing all afternoon. Finally, the whitewater competition will culminate in the Eddy’s Wave Rafting Rampage and the infamous mass start Whitewater Tubing Race with a $100 cash prize for first place to close. See below for full schedule.
8-11:00am: Special recreational release in passageway channel for the Whitewater Festival.
What does this mean? Expect Class II rapids (perfect for the beginning and intermediate kayaker), a friendlier Jason’s Wave and a foam-free Green Wave experience.
8:00 Registration in McKay Park, registration moves to the Island at 10am
10:00-11:00 Freestyle Expression on the Wave
10:00- Throwing buckets surf competition local surf company Sponsored by Cubicle.
11:30- Freestyle Kayak comp. on the green wave or Jason’s (depending on day-of feature quality )
12:30-12:50 Kayak King of the Wave
12:55-1:15- Kayak Queen of the Wave
1:20-1:50- King of the Wave
1:55-2:10- Queen of the Wave
2:30-3:00- Kayak Downriver Race
3:05-3:25- SUP Downriver Race
3:30-4:00- Eddy’s Raft Freestyle
4:20-ish Mass Start Tube Race (practice races throughout the day) start downstream of booms holding onto raft
*Oregon Rescue on site to manage safety.
Novice to expert, paddlers, surfers and families are encouraged to celebrate and showcase their skills by joining in the 2018 Bend Whitewater Festival, June 24th! This festival is hosted by Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe and the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance and coincides with the nationally supported Subaru Outside Games.
In true hometown throwdown style, judges will be at each water feature, seeking winners in categories including best rider and trick. Spectators will enjoy play-by-play announcement, identifying competitors by bib numbers, and seeing standup paddle boarders, surfers and boogieboarders compete on their respective waves.
“Bend’s third Whitewater Festival will be a reflection of the kayaking and surf culture, a fun and informal expo of the talented water enthusiasts in Central Oregon,” said Geoff Frank, lifelong kayaker and owner of Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe. “Celebrating the river, celebrating the transformation of the dangerous Colorado Spillway into a community asset for novices, families and elite paddlers—that’s what this event is all about.”