Pioneer Courthouse Square
Known as Portland’s “living room,” this brick-lined park is bustling with activity and events.
Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square is affectionately known as the city’s “living room.” Once a grim parking structure, the square is now a thriving urban park and the single most-visited site in Oregon, attracting more than 9.5 million visitors annually. The square’s on-site resources include the TriMet public transit ticket office. Nearby, you’ll often find the green-clad Sidewalk Ambassadors eager to help with directions, advice and information about downtown.
Named after the Pioneer Courthouse (the Pacific Northwest’s oldest federal building) located on the public space’s eastern side, the square began as the Portland Hotel in 1890. In 1950 the hotel became a two-story parking garage, and in 1984 it was reborn as a bustling city park where light rail and buses converge. These days, the square is where workers, visitors and families gather to enjoy the city, catch a ride elsewhere and even enjoy a meal at the food carts parked on the bricks.
In the summer, the Noon Tunes concert series fills the lunch-hour air with free live music on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The square is also one of Portland’s leading outdoor venues, hosting 300 events each year, from large-scale concerts to cultural festivals. In the summer, the Noon Tunes concert series fills the lunch-hour air with free live music on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Fridays, Flicks on the Bricks transforms the “living room” into Portland’s biggest movie theater, with no-cost, family-friendly fare.
Pioneer Courthouse Square Events
Summer Concert Round-Up
Portlanders' pent-up desire for sun may explain our skill at making the most of summer's long days and warm nights with outdoor concerts.
Summer Events and Activities in Downtown Portland
The city’s sunniest season makes it easy to fill your calendar with summer fun.
Holiday Events at Pioneer Courthouse Square
Portland’s living room bustles with free, festive activities every holiday season.
But the square hosts more than summertime excitement; every year, the city celebrates the day after Thanksgiving with the lighting of the region’s largest decorated holiday tree, and an array of festive events, like the Tuba Christmas Concert and the Holiday Ale Festival, keep the space merry and bright.
More Things to Do Downtown
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Portland Art Museum
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Downtown Shopping
Downtown Portland boasts a wide array of shopping options, from major national and international retailers to locally owned boutiques and specialty shops.
At the Square
Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
Every year, thousands of Portlanders gather at Pioneer Courthouse Square to celebrate the lighting of the spectacular 75 Douglas-fir tree provided by Stimson Lumber Company. Join up for a community sing-a-long (limited edition holiday songbooks will be available at the event or for download on our website). Pre-show entertainment begins at 5 p.m. With a…
Holiday Ale Festival
The Holiday Ale Festival, set beneath the region’s largest decorated holiday tree, returns every year with more than 50 big, bold beers designed to keep revelers warm on cold winter nights.
The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition
Together, Pioneer Courthouse Square and Portland Mall Management, Inc. are hosting the Sixth Annual Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition that was originally held throughout Downtown in the early ’90s. The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition is a fun and festive event that will bring caroling groups of all ages to the heart of downtown.
Tuba Christmas Concert
Downtown will pulse with the melodic sounds of big brass as nearly 300 tubas play in unison for the 29th Annual Tuba Christmas Concert in the heart of downtown. This event is free and open to the public.