2022 Oregon DuneFest

Dangle the opportunity to put the hammer down on more than a dozen square-miles of the largest coastal dune complexes in the world, add in partying with family and friends at sand camps, spice it up a bit with a variety of motorsports competition and nightly concerts, and it's easy to see why the five-day DuneFest has drawn thousands of avid sand-lovers and their families every year for the past 20 years to this portion of Oregon's southern coast.

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DuneFest, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022, is a unique summer event held the first week of August in the tiny town of Winchester Bay, which is the north entrance into the 40-mile-long Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (ODNRA). Attendees tend to make reservations for one of a half-dozen designated sand camping areas along the edge of the Dunes, or in one of many RV parks in the local area.

Jody Morrow, head of DuneFest and part of the Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce, said nearly 11,000 attendees found their way to the coast this year for the annual five-day event. "That number is down a little from previous years—people are still a little tentative about getting their lives back to normal and traveling after the pandemic."

What makes DuneFest such an attraction to so many sand-lovers? Answer: Its location and activities. The organizers jam-pack the event with family activities, motorsports, and more than 60 vendors supplying everything from food, clothing, ATV gear, and accessories to tuning and repairs. There was also a local vendor offering side-by-side rentals, which were popular with out-of-towners who had never been to the Oregon Dunes.

DuneFest's coastal location and festival-like ambiance attract four-wheelers and ATV enthusiasts from nearly every state in the U.S., as well as Canada and beyond. The attendees at the 2022 event were as varied as the vehicles they brought to the sand. Brandon Moore, coordinator of motorsport activities at DuneFest, says in years past he's met well-known celebrities, and even royalty who flew in from as far away as Dubai, all attending DuneFest incognito with their families and friends.

The schedule of events at DuneFest included activities and competition for both kids and adults, a Poker Run, daily sand drag races, barrel- and obstacle-course races, freestyle motorcycle shows, distance jump (Infiniti Huck) contests, guided sunset and night rides, and evening concerts.

Many of those who come to DuneFest for the week to camp on the dunes and in the surrounding RV parks and campgrounds have made it their annual family vacation destination for years. "Our family and friends have been coming to Winchester Bay for DuneFest week since 2012," says Gary Fadness, an Oregon businessman who lives about 100 miles from DuneFest. "We love getting out and playing in the Dunes and watching all the craziness and action. It'll be blocked out on our calendars for many more years to come. It's great family fun!"