Benton City Daze

On the morning of Benton City Daze, the parade gathers in the bus parking lot of Kiona-Benton Middle School on Grace Avenue. Entrants check in at a registration table at 9:00, and walkers are dropped at the corner of 13th and Grace. Horses and livestock wait apart in the pickleball court parking area and go into the line just ahead of the fire department. At 10:00 the parade steps off.

Grace Avenue to Chris Avenue

The route enters Grace Avenue off 13th Street, runs down 9th Street, and ends at Chris Avenue. Entries come as floats, vehicles, walking groups, bands and performance groups, riders and livestock, and emergency vehicles. The Benton City Chamber of Commerce, which runs the day, invites car clubs and businesses to enter and asks businesses on foot to carry banners with their names. Its rules hold drivers to 5 miles an hour, within two car lengths of the entry ahead. Candy is to be handed out or tossed gently toward the sidewalk, never thrown into the crowd. Horses wear manure bags or have a cleanup crew with tools and containers walking right behind them. Benton County Fire District No. 2 lists the Daze among the local events where its crews may be seen, and its picture gallery holds three photographs of it.

The chamber keeps its office at 513 9th Street. On its website it calls the Daze “Benton City’s BIGGEST event of the year.”

Pageant, watermelon, and chalk

When the parade is over, the day moves downtown. In 2026 the vendor marketplace opened at 10:00 and ran until 4:00. Bounce houses and kids’ games ran from 10:00 to 3:00, staffed by volunteers the chamber signed up through its website. Benton Kiddie Daze, the midday children’s area, held the hours from noon to 3:00, and the Visit Yakima listing also named a bubble zone. The Little Miss Benton City Pageant crowned its royalty at 12:30, and the watermelon eating contest followed the pageant. The community chalk art contest ran from 1:00 to 3:00, and the cornhole tournament began at 2:00.

The sources do not agree on the length of the 2026 edition. The chamber’s events calendar gave the dates as September 12th–13th. Its vendor guide, the Visit Yakima listing, and the NonStop Local news report all gave a single Saturday, September 12. The station described the event as running from 10 a.m. to midnight. It also reported that the event is free except for purchases from vendors and that you do not need to live in Benton City to attend.

Lemonade, chicharrones, and lathe-turned mushrooms

The 2026 vendor guide carried the heading “The Good Ole’ Daze • Small Town. Big Fun.” It listed nine food and treat stands:

• Antojitos Maria: aguas frescas, corn, fruit cups, and chicharrones.
• Smashing Lemons: fresh-squeezed lemonade and limeade, with mini donuts.
• Diggity’s: hot dogs with toppings.
• Chillin Sorbets: frozen fruit sorbets topped with sprinkles, fresh fruit, and flowers.
• Alli Kat Pancake Poppers: mini pancakes and croffles.
• Four of a Kind: dirty sodas.
• Tri-City Treats: cake pops and chocolate strawberries.
• Sweet Snack Attack: mini donuts and shaved ice.
• Sugar Swirl: fresh-spun cotton candy.

The same guide listed forty craft, retail, and community tables:

• Terri Tannihill: lathe-turned wooden mushrooms, bowls, and boxes.
• Glass Art by Hanson: fused-glass yard art and Christmas ornaments.
• Sandy Knighton: Native American-style beaded jewelry and hat pins.
• Wollam Farm: goat’s milk soap and lavender wreaths and wands.
• Helen Lane: doll furniture and clocks.
• The Crocheting Granny: crocheted blankets, shoes, and toys.
• Kay’s Krochet: crochet blankets and stuffies.
• Vivid Imaginations: face painting and airbrushing.
• Erynn Haynes: balloon animals.
• The Children’s Reading Foundation: free books for children.
• Benton County Mosquito Control and the City of Benton City: informational booths.

The marketplace closes in the afternoon. At 9:00 that night the community street dance begins and goes on until midnight. Visit Yakima lists the whole occasion under the name “Benton City Daze and Street Dance.”

Since 1983

The chamber’s page for the event is headed “A tradition since 1983.” NonStop Local’s report of September 11, 2026, called that year’s gathering the 43rd annual celebration. Shara Morgan, president of the chamber, told the station she went to the Daze as a child and now urges others to come as a parent herself.

“These little traditions are super important because Benton City is getting bigger and we don’t want to lose that small town vibe,” Morgan said. “We really want to have businesses and neighbors come out and be together and maybe just unplug and just enjoy the day.”