August 11, 2010

The first annual PDX Bridge Festival has begun!  The two-week event celebrates the bridges that connect us all.  The focus of this year’s festival is Multnomah County’s Hawthorne Bridge which celebrates 100 years of service in 2010.  The nation’s oldest working vertical lift bridge will host an art installation and several community events during the festival. 

An interactive fabric and light art installation will illuminate the Hawthorne Bridge from July 24 through August 8.  Panels of fabric in the bridge trusses will turn the structure into a wash of color and slowly moving light.  The color of the lights will shift in response to traffic moving across the bridge. 

The festival program PDX Bridge Festival program (2.74 MB) includes more than 60 events, from concerts to bridge walks, lectures, films and more.  Most events are free or low cost and many are geared for families.

The Burnside Bridge is hosting a second art installation.  The DrawBridge Project was unveiled July 22nd and runs through August 9.  Local third grade students created works of art representing the role of the Willamette River bridges in their lives.  Selected drawings were used to create four-color banners that hang from streetlights on the bridge. 

Another festival highlight will be a Brunch on the Bridge on August 7.  Several thousand people will enjoy a picnic lunch on the Hawthorne Bridge, which will be covered with 25,000 square feet of real grass.

Multnomah County’s Board of Commissioners has proclaimed Bridge Fest Proclamation (953.97 KB) July 23 through August 8 as PDX Bridge Festival. 

MultnomahCounty maintains the Hawthorne Bridge and is a sponsor of the PDX Bridge Festival.  For more information, visit www.pdxbridgefestival.org.

Bridge Fest Proclamation