Langley and Disney are small towns, but a few weekends a year they fill right up. These are the events that bring the crowds to the south end of Grand Lake, in calendar order. Dates move from year to year, so check with the organisers before you plan around one, and book early for the busy ones.
March: Sumners Big Meat Run
The biggest week of the year. Thousands of crawlers, racers and spectators come to Disney for a full week of rock crawling, racing, trail runs and a swap meet on the GRDA land below the dam. It is built around the third weekend of March, starting on the Tuesday and ending with the Big Clean Run on Sunday. Watching is free, and lodging around the dam fills up fast.
March and April: the white bass run
Not an event so much as a migration. ODWC says March through late April are the peak months for white bass spawning runs, and spring brings anglers to the lake in numbers.
July 3: Grand Lake Fireworks
A free fireworks show over the lake, set off between the two spillways of the Pensacola Dam and starting at dusk on July 3. The Grand River Dam parking lot at Langley opens for viewers, and the Cherokee Area of Grand Lake State Park is another spot to watch from.
October: Rocktoberfest
The fall off-road crowd returns to the rock-crawling area below the dam in Disney for a full weekend of climbing and crawling. In 2026 it ran the second weekend of October.
December: the lighted Christmas parade
In 2025 the Langley and Disney lighted Christmas parade rolled out of Langley at 6 PM on the first Saturday in December, across the dam and into Disney. Check local listings for this year’s date.
Mid-December to March: eagle season
Bald eagles winter below the Pensacola Dam. There is no ticket and no crowd, just early mornings at GRDA’s Eagle Pass viewing area.
