09/04/2026
30TH YEAR OF THE PAINTED HILLS FESTIVAL!
PAINTED HILLS FESTIVAL·SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2026
The Painted Hills Festival has kicked off Labor Day Weekend for the last 30 years in Mitchell, OR
The Painted Hills Festival in Mitchell, Oregon, has reached a milestone celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. What has made it such a success all of these years? A small group of dedicated community organizers who do their best to create a fun event for the whole community. The idea for the event started 3 decades ago while folks were enjoying cookies after a citywide clean-up event—a festival would be a great way to bring folks around and support our town's local businesses. After the wildfire season that Mitchell endured this year, many could use this more than ever! The first festival included a half marathon, quilt show, entertainment by Christy Hudspeth’s local singing group The Fabulous Fairlanes, Charapata’s band, poetry by Dan Cannon, a tennis tournament, dunk tank, a rumored wet b**r belly t-shirt contest and arm-wrestling over at the Blueberry Tavern, plus more that wasn’t mentioned here for certain. The organizers were pleasantly surprised when hundreds came out for the first event and knew it was a success. One of the favorite memories mentioned was how rancher Joe Fitzgerald served so proudly and patriotically as the color guard leading the parade horseback with the flag for decades. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the festival will feature a photo gallery showcasing past events! Over the years, the festival has become an event not to miss with several entertainment stages throughout town, a grand parade, many vendors, food, old-fashioned kids’ games, and water trough races.
The festival, hosted in downtown Mitchell (48 miles east of Prineville on Highway 26) celebrates the majestic beauty of one of Oregon's 7 wonders, the Painted Hills National Monument and always takes place the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
The day begins at 7:00AM with the Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K run shuttle bus leaving the Mitchell Gym. Half Marathon runners begin their journey over rugged back country roads (with several water support stations) at 8:00AM. 10K and 5K runs stagger start as the shuttle bus moves closer to town. Registration for the run can be done online at paintedhillshalf.com
Festivities, music and fun start as runners make their way to the finish line in the heart of downtown Mitchell. Two performance stages in town – one at the City Park and one at Tiger Town Brewing Company – host entertainment including 7 musical acts, a Tahitian Fire Dancer, the annual pie auction, and more.
The Grand Parade begins at 11:30 AM with Grand Marshals Mike & Susie Carroll leading the way. Mitchell High School golden grad classes of 1976 will also return home with a float in the parade as well. You can count on horses, classic cars, folks in costume, kids on bikes, motorcycles, CANDY (lots of it), and other creative entries.
A quilt show will fill the upstairs of the Mitchell Community Center on Nelson Street boasting an impressive collection that this community can certainly be proud of.
In the evening, the road is cleared for the annual Water Trough Races, an unorthodox gravity powered race where contestants must create a rolling water trough with steering and brakes, for a low-speed race down Main Street. Swing dancing lessons are offered just before a street dance in front of Tiger Town Brewing for all to enjoy.
Schedule of performances, events, and other details about the free, family friendly Painted Hills Festival will be found by visiting our page or checking local bulletin boards.
