diff --git a/internal/observability/event/testing.go b/internal/observability/event/testing.go
index 2ca6db0f38..3467d78261 100644
--- a/internal/observability/event/testing.go
+++ b/internal/observability/event/testing.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ package event
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"sync"
@@ -14,11 +15,34 @@ import (
 	pbs "github.com/hashicorp/boundary/internal/gen/controller/api/services"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/boundary/sdk/pbs/controller/api/resources/groups"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/eventlogger"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/eventlogger/formatter_filters/cloudevents"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/wrapperspb"
 )
 
+// CloudEventFromFile will marshal a single cloud event from the provided file
+// name
+func CloudEventFromFile(t testing.TB, fileName string) *cloudevents.Event {
+	t.Helper()
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(fileName)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	got := &cloudevents.Event{}
+	err = json.Unmarshal(b, got)
+	require.NoErrorf(t, err, "json: %s", string(b))
+	return got
+}
+
+// CloudEventFromBuf will marshal a single cloud event from the provided buffer
+func CloudEventFromBuf(t testing.TB, b []byte) *cloudevents.Event {
+	t.Helper()
+	got := &cloudevents.Event{}
+	err := json.Unmarshal(b, got)
+	require.NoErrorf(t, err, "json: %s", string(b))
+	return got
+}
+
 // TestWithoutEventing allows the caller to "disable" all eventing for a test.
 // You must not run the test in parallel (no calls to t.Parallel) since the
 // function relies on modifying the system wide default eventer.
diff --git a/internal/observability/event/testing_test.go b/internal/observability/event/testing_test.go
index 7a3da6d73d..c4d7b7a475 100644
--- a/internal/observability/event/testing_test.go
+++ b/internal/observability/event/testing_test.go
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@ package event_test
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/boundary/internal/observability/event"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/eventlogger/formatter_filters/cloudevents"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func Test_TestWithoutEventing(t *testing.T) {
@@ -56,3 +59,28 @@ func Test_TestWithoutEventing(t *testing.T) {
 		event.WriteSysEvent(testCtx, op, "test-event")
 	}))
 }
+
+func Test_CloudEventsFromFile_CloudEventFromBuf(t *testing.T) {
+	assert, require := assert.New(t), require.New(t)
+	tmpFile, err := os.CreateTemp("./", "tmp-event")
+	require.NoError(err)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		_ = os.Remove(tmpFile.Name())
+	})
+
+	e := &cloudevents.Event{
+		ID:     "id",
+		Source: "test",
+		Data: map[string]any{
+			"test": "data",
+		},
+	}
+	j, err := json.Marshal(e)
+	require.NoError(err)
+	require.NoError(os.WriteFile(tmpFile.Name(), j, 0o666))
+	got := event.CloudEventFromFile(t, tmpFile.Name())
+	assert.Equal(e, got)
+
+	got = event.CloudEventFromBuf(t, j)
+	assert.Equal(e, got)
+}