Sports Bra owner named Starlight Parade Grand Marshal

John Ross Ferrara
·2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Sports Bra owner Jenny Nguyen will serve as the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Starlight Parade, the Portland Rose Festival announced on May 16.

The Portland sports bar is the first in the U.S. to exclusively celebrate women’s sports. Nguyen will ride through the streets of downtown Portland as parade Grand Marshal on June 1 starting at 8 p.m. Nguyen said that the parade has been a notable part of her Portland upbringing.

“I have very distinct memories of both the Grand Floral Parade and the Starlight Parade from when I was just a tiny little kid,” Nguyen said. “I remember waving to everyone at the Grand Floral Parade and then chasing intricate floats for candy or stickers or to pop bubbles. As I got older, I went to the Starlight Parade and sat on the sidewalk and watched glow sticks and colorful lights accompany the raucous energy. The Rose Festival has been one of my core Portland memories. I cannot believe that I would ever have the opportunity to actually be a celebrated figure at the center of it.”

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Jenny Nguyen, owner of the Sports Bra. The local business is the first women’s sports bar is the U.S. (Photos courtesy of the Portland Rose Festival Foundation)

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Rose Festival Chief Operations Officer Bick Brodnicki said that Nguyen was the clear choice for this year’s celebration.

“When we talked with the community about a Starlight Grand Marshal, the feedback was clear this year,” Brodnicki said. “We wanted to celebrate women’s sports or small business. Jenny represents both of these ideas and so much we love about the CareOregon Starlight Parade and Portland.”

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden praised the decision on social media and called Nguyen a friend.

“Grand news for my friend Jenny Nguyen,” Wyden shared on social media. “Well-deserved honors for her, the Sports Bra and her hard work building this groundbreaking meeting place into both a must-visit spot in our community and an example for others to emulate nationwide.”

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