Big Float

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The Big Float
StatusActive
GenreEvent
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Portland, Oregon
CountryUnited States
Previous event2019
Next event2021
Participants6,000 (2018)
ActivityEncouraging people to use the Willamette River as recreation
Organised byHuman Access Project
Websitethebigfloat.com

The Big Float is an annual July[1] event in Portland, Oregon, United States, organized by the Human Access Project is a giant people-powered flotilla and beach party to encourage Portlanders to reclaim the Willamette River for swimming and other aquatic recreation.[2][3] The event, which also serves as a fundraiser for the group, was established in 2011.[4] An estimated 6,000 people participated in 2018.[5]

The Human Access Project, under the leadership of Willie Levenson, started the Big Float in 2011 to give Portland residents a positive interaction with the Willamette River.”[6]

The name for the event came from Portland's Big Pipe project — a 20-year undertaking that was completed in 2011. It entailed the overhaul of the city's wastewater system to divert sewage from flowing into the Willamette River and the Columbia Slough. After completion of the pipe project, the Willamette River became more swimmable.[7]

The float takes about 45 minutes to one hour to complete.[8] The event kicks off with the River Hugger Swim Team swimming across the river, followed by an inner-tube parade from Tom McCall Bowl Beach in Waterfront Park along the esplanade to the put in at Poet’s Beach. Participants then float back to Tom McCall Bowl Beach where they float past two floating band stages to an after party.[9] Since inception some 25,000 people have used tubes, kayaks, or flotation devices to drift half a mile downriver through the center of Portland in The Big Float.[10] Named the #16 top festival in Oregon out of 50 by the Oregonian.[11]

"Our hope is that if we can reconnect people with the river through their own self-interest, through something that will benefit them — being able to get into the water and swim — they will naturally care more about the outcomes of what's happening in the watershed. They'll naturally be more inclined to fight for this thing that they love and enjoy.", Human Access Project, founder Willie Levenson.[12]

There was no event in 2020.[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Tsui, Bonnie (2019-09-05). "Following the Lead of the Diving Girl (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  2. ^ Daviduk, Miranda. "8 Most Creative Rafts Of Portland's 2018 Big Float". OPB. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  3. ^ Tsui, Bonnie (2019-09-05). "Following the Lead of the Diving Girl (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  4. ^ Nair, Gabriel (2017-07-12). "6 things you need to know about the 2017 Big Float". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  5. ^ "6,000 dunk in Willamette River for the 'Big Float 8'".
  6. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Gabriel Nair | The (2017-07-12). "6 things you need to know about the 2017 Big Float". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  7. ^ Stewart, Hailey. "Mayor and River Hugger Swim Team trek across the Willamette River". Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  8. ^ "Organizers Say Willamette River Is Safe For The Big Float". opb. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  9. ^ "Big Float 9 brings thousands to Willamette River". KOIN.com. 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  10. ^ "On the Delaware, A Promising New Era in Cleanup of an Urban River". Yale E360. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  11. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, Jamie Hale | The (2018-02-06). "The 50 best events in Oregon". oregonlive. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
  12. ^ "A story about a man who swims to work went viral. Here's what makes his commute possible". Upworthy. 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2020-12-19.

External links[]


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