Lincoln City's Glass Float Schedule for 2024: Almost 4,000 Dropped on Oregon Coast Sands

Published 12/17/23 at 5:35 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – A kind of tidal wave is coming to one Oregon coast town, a veritable flood of glass floats, that is. (Photo courtesy Instagram's @_lincolncityretreat.)

Lincoln City, on the central Oregon coast, just announced its roster of glass float drops for 2024, with nearly 500 extra glass balls hitting the sandy shores of town in the first three months of 2024 alone.

The crystalline fun takes place from the Roads End area at the northern tip of town to Siletz Bay – each and every day. You find one, you get to keep it, says Explore Lincoln City.

“Did you know that our 'Finders Keepers' Float Fairies sneak onto our seven miles of public beach every day, hiding handcrafted glass floats along the way?” the agency said. “Each year, more than 3,000 glass treasures made by local artisans are hidden along our beautiful beach. If you find a float, it’s all yours.”

3,000 is just the day-to-day number. The special glass float roster ends up another 900 or so on top of that.

The first of the special drops take place December 30 through January 1, the opening weekend of 2024 that will yield 100 floats to the beaches.

February 17-24, 2024: Antique Week brings100 Japanese antique floats. These little wonders were a big part of the Oregon coast experience for decades, until they mostly stopped washing up here by the '90s.

February 14-16, 2024: Valentine’s Day brings 50 red/pink/white floats simultaneously as Antique Week's drops go on.

Full schedule:

March 16-April 14, 2024: Spring Break: 200 floats
April 20-22, 2024: Earth Day: 50 Earth Day floats
May 10-12 2024: Mother's Day: 50 floats
May 25-27, 2024: Memorial Day: 50 Red/white/blue floats
June 14-16, 2024: Father's Day: 50 floats
June TBD: Casino Anniversary: 29 floats
June 22-23, 2024: Summer Kite: 10 floats
Aug 31-Sept 2, 2024: College Ball: 20 Green/yellow and 20 Orange/black floats
September 7-8, 2024: Fall Kite: 10 floats
September TBD: Celebration of Honor: 50 Red/white/blue floats
Oct 31-Nov 2, 2024: Halloween: 50 floats
Nov 28-Dec 1, 2024: Harvest Drop: 50 floats
December 14-15, 2024: Holiday: 50 floats

The final two drops of the year coincide with King Tides so they are subject to whatever happens there.

For the Japanese Glass Floats, these are the real thing: the old school, green glass balls that were used by Japanese fishermen for decades. Until about the ‘80s, they were seen along the Oregon coast in sizable numbers, drifting over from the east, and collected by just about everyone who ever hit this coastline and looked down.

They were a staple of ‘70s décor in the Pacific Northwest in many homes.

All glass floats are signed, numbered, and handcrafted, and they are hidden along the seven miles of public beach in Lincoln City. When the floats are found, they become collector's items. Bring your discovered treasure to the Visitors' Center at 540 NE Hwy 101 in Lincoln City to receive your autographed certificate of authenticity and a biography of the artist who created the glass float.

For those with physical disabilities who cannot get to the sand and do the hunt, they are eligible for monthly drawings from the Lincoln City Visitor Bureau's Welcome Center (801 SW Hwy 101, 4th Floor.) Show up there to enter the drawings. See the full registration and contest info at Finders Keepers.

The glass floats tradition began in 1997, after a local artist came up with an idea for a fun way to herald the new millennium. The city sponsored the project and the inaugural season in 1999 – 2000 took off soaring like a kite on the wind.

See here for other special drops on the coast, including the Message In A Bottle drops in Bandon and glass floats in Gold Beach.

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