The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 20% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female. The Seaside Jazz Festival (formerly the Oregon Dixieland Jubilee) is an annual festival that features some of the most popular Trad Jazz and Swing bands in the US and Canada. Seaside holds an art walk the first Saturday of each month. Seaside hosts an annual 4th of July celebration which includes a parade, outdoor concerts, and one of the largest fireworks displays on the west coast. Every spring until 2016 (In 2017 and 2018 the conference was moved to Salem. in 2019 the Dorchester Conference was moved to Welches, Oregon.). Seaside hosted the Dorchester Conference, a convention of Oregon political activists, typically conservative, independent, or center-right. This convention was founded in 1964 by then-state representative Bob Packwood as a forum for all Republicans statewide. In the 1990s it became dominated by members of the conservative branch of the party. Over the years the conference has attracted visits from presidential candidates, debates between Republican primary candidates, and discussions of wider political and social issues. It is run by an independent board and is not formally affiliated with the Oregon Republican Party. The Miss Oregon Pageant, the official state finals to the Miss America Pageant, takes place annually at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. The annual Salt Maker's Return is held in August. The themed event celebrates Seaside history. Five men of the Lewis and Clark expedition needed nearly two months to make the equivalent of of salt; it was critical for them to be able to preserve meat for the winter and their several thousand-mile journey home to the East. The beach and promenade at Seaside serve as the finish line for the Hood to Coast and Portland to Coast relays, held annually on the weekend before Labor Day. Seaside is home to the Seaside Aquarium, featuring living regional marine life, a hands-on discovery center, and a gray whale skeleton, all within a short walk from the Lewis & Clark monument. Murals adorn several buildings throughout Seaside, depicting history, marine life, and life in Seaside.