Oregon Public Broadcasting

Portlanders love their bridges, sometimes a little too much.

The thousand or so bridge lovers dancing on the Hawthorne Bridge during Saturday night's sound and light show were more than the old structure was up for.

The event was part of the first PDX Bridge Festival. It featured music and dancing -- but the bridge began to shake.

Event organizers and Multnomah County representatives moved the crowd to another location.

Michael Pullan is a spokesman for the county.

Michael Pullan: “People really complied. Boy when you move the music off, the people followed. I think it went well. It’s just a lesson learned. Not to have the kind of soundtrack that’s going to get people dancing all to the same beat.”

The shaky circumstances won’t stop the PDX Bridge Festival from returning to the Hawthorne Bridge this Saturday for brunch.

Pullan says future bridge events will likely stay away from rhythmic movement that could cause unnecessary damage to the structure.