On Saturday, August 2, 2025, the first-ever Little Float took place at Milwaukie Bay Park, marking the inaugural community event organized by the Downtown Alliance of Milwaukie.
What started as a new idea brought together hundreds of community members for a day of floating, music, food, and fun on the Willamette River. With a small team of organizers and an event capacity of 500 participants, we sold nearly 500 tickets and were thrilled by the incredible support from the community.
The event featured live music and a dance competition from B-Side Records, water and cooling stations provided by Milwaukie Rotary Club, on-site T-shirt printing from Made in Milwaukie, food samples from Giving Cafe, refreshments from The Beer Store Milwaukie, and delicious post-float hotdogs from Good Measure.
We are especially grateful to our volunteers, including Lynn Porta and Ciara Williams, whose efforts helped keep the event running smoothly and safely. Most importantly, the event concluded with no medical emergencies, making it a successful and memorable first year.
Like any first-time event, we learned a lot. Those lessons have helped shape improvements for 2026, including the addition of a buoy line between Elk Rock Island and Milwaukie Bay Park to improve safety and help guide floaters back to shore.
Thank you to everyone who participated, volunteered, sponsored, and supported our very first Little Float. We can't wait to see you on the water again!
Press Coverage
Our first year received coverage from several local media outlets and community organizations:
The excitement and support from the community confirmed that Little Float had found its place as a unique Milwaukie tradition.