Music
Portland’s musical offerings are diverse as the city itself, with options including indie rock, jazz, classical, pop and more.
Home to indie darlings and internationally acclaimed artists alike (think Pink Martini, Esperanza Spalding, The Decemberists, The Shins and Elliott Smith), Portland is a haven for music lovers. Visitors can explore the city’s dozens of live music venues or take the stage themselves at one of Portland’s many open mic nights.
Music Events in Portland
Portland overflows year-round with live shows, festivals and music-centered things to do.
Live Music Venues
These five venues showcase some of the best live music in each of the city's five quadrants.
Local Musicians
Check out these up-and-coming musicians making a name for themselves in Portland.
The New Class of the Portland R&B Scene
A new generation of artists is attracting more light to the Portland R&B scene than ever before.
The Portland Hip-Hop Scene
Take a deep dive into the past, present and future of the Portland hip-hop scene with our expert guide to the best rap artists, showcases, shops and more.
Portland Filipino American Musician Mixes Island Heritage and Hip-Hop
Talilo Marfil, rapper and advocate, reflects on the power of community and takes readers through his favorite Portland hangs.
Upcoming Music Picks
Check out our events calendar to find music around the city.
Portland Lindy Exchange
The Portland Lindy Exchange (PDXLX) is Portland’s annual dance exchange celebrating the vintage swing music and dances of the '20s – '50s, including Charleston, Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. PDXLX was first hosted in 1999.
Darcelle XV’s Weekend Drag Show
Darcelle XV and Company have been entertaining audiences from all walks of life for over 50 years with Las Vegas-style cabaret revues of Glitz, Glamour and Comedy. Stop by when you are in Portland and you will be glad that you did! We have traveled the United States presenting a show that you have to…
Portland Gay Men's Chorus: Human/Nature: A Cascade Showcase
As spring returns, so does Cascade, PGMC’s a cappella ensemble, in this concert celebrating the earth and the stories of the lives upon it. This eclectic program of songs and stories asks: what is our place in this world, and what does it mean to be human? Explore these life-affirming questions in a concert celebrating…
Rockwood Market Hall Music Series
Each month, on a late Sunday afternoon, the Rockwood Market Hall hosts a local artist to perform for community members who enjoy their food while listening to live music in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. With various cuisine options, the Rockwood Market Hall is a great place to enjoy dinner with family and friends. See you…
Karaoke From Hell
The Northwest's original live karaoke band, Karaoke From Hell, has been rocking Portland for over 25 years and counting. The catalog boasts nearly 700 songs for you to sing, covering every genre from show tunes to skate punk. Catch it every Monday at Dante's and every Thursday at The Spare Room.
Inner City Blues Festival
A Benefit for Health Care for All Oregon – OREGON presents Soul Queens and Blues Kings Healing the Health Care Blues Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester and Lenanne Sylvester-Miller bring together some of this region's finest Rhythm & Blues favorites for an amazing night of Soul and Blues.
Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
With acts that have ranged from Phoebe Bridgers to Stevie Wonder, McMenamins Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn are an annual rite of summer and a hot ticket for cool nights.
Zoo Nights
Enjoy magical summer nights in Portland with live music while relaxing among the lush gardens and wildlife at Zoo Nights.
Foster Summer Soiree
The 2024 Foster Summer Soiree will bring live entertainment and vendors to Laurelwood Park, special activations at several Foster businesses, sidewalk sales, and other festivities. This exciting event is back for its second year.
Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival
Chamber Music Northwest’s annual summer festival combines high-caliber classical music with a laid-back atmosphere.
Latino Cultural Festival
Get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of Latin culture at the 17th Annual Washington County Chamber — Unitus Community Credit Union Latino Cultural Festiva. This culturally rich event provides a platform for sharing information, connecting with the community, and promoting local businesses and non-profits to more than 10,000 attendees. The festivities will…
Waterfront Blues Festival
Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
The Jazz Society’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is a free concert open to the public and held over three days in mid-July at Cathedral Park at the base of the St. Johns Bridge in the Cathedral Park neighborhood of Portland. Nearing four decades of history, the festival is the longest-running jazz and blues festival west…
Pickathon
Every August, Pickathon draws diverse musical performers to celebrate music and the outdoors at the lush Pendarvis Farm just outside of Portland.
Multnomah Days
This beloved annual event incorporates a one-day open-air, family-friendly street festival with scheduled musical acts, a community parade, an art fair and over 125 vendor booths, and food and beverage services available via outdoor street dining and food carts — plus outdoor street dining.
El Grito
Join in the most important holiday celebrated by the Hispanic community in Oregon. El Grito 20th Anniversary immerses the rich traditions of the Latinx community with delicious Mexican cuisine and family-friendly entertainment, folkloric and Aztec dancers, live mariachi, salsa, cumbia and pop music, and interactive and educational community booths. The event also features contests, prizes, raffles,…
Comfort and Joy
Make memories together as your Oregon Symphony creates a magical winter wonderland through classic sing-alongs and your favorite holiday music. And, just in case you forget how many fa-la-la-las are in “Deck the Hall,” lyric sheets will be provided. Artists Deanna Tham, Conductor Oregon Chorale
Gospel Christmas
Feel the spirit of the holiday season with the 25th annual performance of this beloved concert, featuring the region’s premier gospel singers alongside your Oregon Symphony. Experience the joy and uplift of gospel music, performed with passion and feeling by some of the finest musicians in the region. Artists Charles Floyd, Conductor NW Community Gospel…
Imani Winds + BodyVox: Beautiful Everything
The dynamic Imani Winds returns to collaborate with Portland’s own BodyVox on the latest chamber music and dance creation. Beautiful Everything will be an extraordinary evening of inspiring music and innovative dance celebrating beauty, hope, optimism, and joy — something needed more of after the many challenges of the past several years. Don’t miss this sure-to-sell-out fusion…
Sh-Boom! Life Could Be A Dream
Return to the days of yesteryear with nostalgic hits from the Golden Oldies, “Fools Fall In Love,” “Tears On My Pillow,” “Runaround Sue,” “Earth Angel,” “Stay,” and “Unchained Melody.” Meet Denny and the Dreamers, a fledgling doo-wop singing group hoping to realize their dreams of making it to the big time when trouble comes in…
Concerts at Ardiri Winery
Allow Ardiri Winery to appeal to your senses with delicious wines, stunning views, and intimate concerts by various local artists and performers. Featuring concerts from a number of artists who bring the dulcet tones of jazz and funk to the winery while Ardiri brings the wine. Whether the Oregon forecast brings rain, shine, or snow,…
Fiddlehead
Formed with the most modest of expectations, Fiddlehead has unexpectedly become one of the most vital groups in rock music. Their fervent audience responds to the urgency of their music, but also the intensely human exploration of loss that’s colored so much of the band’s output. Fiddlehead’s previous albums, 2018’s Springtime and Blind and 2021’s…
Glitterfox w/ The Apricots
Change and perspective expand quickly in tight quarters — and no one knows that as well as married couple Solange Igoa and Andrea Walker. It’s true of each of their time as queer kids in need of an escape from conservative towns; of their years living together in a van, traveling the country to play…
No Vacation
No Vacation originated from San Francisco circa 2015 and quickly received attention for the nostalgic bedroom-pop sounds off of their debut mixtape, Amo XO, and surf-rock single, "Dræm Girl." Early 2017, No Vacation delivered their hazy EP Intermission and wildly successful single "Yam Yam," which has garnered 90 million Spotify streams along with nearly one…
Kylie Morgan
Kylie Morgan has quickly proven herself a relatable storyteller and an engaging live performer. The Oklahoma native is known for baring her soul in her confessional lyrics and leaving her heart on the stage, whether headlining her tour or supporting acts like Old Dominion.
The Ballad of Johnny Rose
The Ballad of Johnny Rose, is a spiritual rock opera in two acts with nine-piece band and twelve singers. After returning home broke and jobless, Johnny shelters from the rain in a nearby church. After the choir’s rehearsal, an old friend recognizes Johnny and invites him to the Sunday service. Johnny declines and leaves; however, his attempts…
The Merry Widow
Indulge in the elegance, romance, and comedic brilliance of Franz Lehar’s lighthearted operetta, “The Merry Widow,” with an unexpected twist. Count Danilo and Hannah fall in love, but their marriage is thwarted by his uncle because of Hannah’s insufficient wealth. Instead, Hannah marries a wealthy older man who soon dies, leaving her all his fortune….
Willamette Falls Symphony Spring Concert
Join the Willamette Falls Symphony and conductor, Dr. Mark Perlman, for the Spring Concert featuring Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Max Bruch Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra, and Emmanual Chabrier España. Their mission is to serve our community audience and musicians by making quality classical music affordable and broadly accessible.
Jeremy Ferrara
“Certainty and clarity are like everything else. Yeah, they come and go.” These are the kind of gentle reminders you get when you listen to Portland songwriter Jeremy Ferrara. Regarded as “open-hearted and determinedly honest” by Americana UK, and as “exuding as much gentleness and vulnerability as anything in Nick Drake’s catalog” by Americana Highways, Ferrara…
Country Music Night
Every Sunday Portland's premier country music DJs, The Country Co-Op plays outlaw country and honky tonk music at The Sandy Hut. The bar is always packed with people dancing and singing.
Cheekface
When we last left the arguably interesting adventures of Cheekface, they'd released the minor phenomenon, Emphatically No. The band's sophomore album bowed at #1 on Bandcamp's alternative and vinyl sales charts, became a college radio staple, and propelled the L.A. talk-singing trio into packed houses of Cheek Freaks across the US. So now is a good…
In Concert on Downtown’s Transit Mall
Picture this: A serene mid-day in Portland, the sun gently casting its warmth over Pioneer Square. As you sit down for lunch, the air is filled with the melodic strains of live music. It's Concerts on Downtown’s Transit Mall, an oasis of sound amidst the bustling city. Let the music serenade you as you savor…
Chris Renzema
For Chris Renzema, becoming an artist was something that happened slowly but inevitably. Chris was always drawn to writing and playing songs, but his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, didn’t have much of a music scene. After moving to Nashville in 2015 to pursue a career in music, he's seen slow but steady success. Since…
AJR
Jared Logan has performed his own half hour special on Comedy Central. Recently he's been featured on Comedy Central's The Meltdown and TBS's The Pete Holmes Show. Check out his web series, Don't You Think , on YouTube. He lives in New York but originally hails from Morgantown, WV.
Great Good Fine Ok
Change precedes evolution. By embracing it, we not only expand our potential but we also actualize it. Rather than shy away from change, Great Good Fine Ok has generated a new mindset by embracing a fresh beginning, not because they’ve grown tired of their ways, but because they have grown, period. The Los Angeles-based duo — vocalist Jon…
The Strumbellas
Ever since forming in 2008 and releasing their debut album, 2012’s My Father and the Hunter, two-time JUNO award-winning alternative group The Strumbellas have steadily released follow-ups containing every ounce of stomping, hand-clapping, alt-country gusto from 2013’s We Still Move on Dance Floors to 2016’s Hope to 2019’s Rattlesnake. They’ll soon round the corner with…
Rabbit Rabbit Radio
Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi of avant-rock band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum take on Portland with their song-spinning duo, Rabbit Rabbit Radio. Creative beyond measure, the music of Rabbit Rabbit Radio draws on their collective love of art song, folk song, industrial music, improvised music and heart-wrenching balladry. If you listen closely, you’ll hear traces of…
Big Richard
The world-class musicians in Big Richard initially convened in 2021 for a festival date. The quartet showed up to the one-off like it had been together for years and quicklygraduated to club shows and dates. The musicians siphon from bluegrass, old time, classical, country, and pop. Bursting with jaw-dropping virtuosity; playfully irreverent stage banter; stunning…
Giant Rooks
In 2015, singer Frederik Rabe, guitarist Finn Schwieters, bassist Luca Göttner, keyboardist Jonathan Wischniowski, and drummer Finn Thomas founded Giant Rooks. Their accomplishments have multiplied impressively since then. They won a 1LIVE-Krone Award, a seven-figure group monthly listeners on Spotify, and have sold out concerts everywhere from Rome to Paris to Manchester. In Germany, they’re…
Prepare for the Night with DJ George the Mixologist
Come enjoy music from DJ, George the Mixologist, who will bring vibes to the park every Friday evening before people enjoy all the nighttime entertainment downtown has to offer.
Amon Amarth
Sweden's Amon Amarth, one of the most respected and consistent forces in the melodic death scene, emerged in the early ’90s with a sound that infused traditional scorched-earth Scandinavian death metal with Viking history and lore. They broke into the mainstream in 2008 with the release of their landmark seventh LP, Twilight of the Thunder…
Legally Blonde The Musical
A fabulously fun award-winning musical based on the adored movie, Legally Blonde The Musical follows the transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dances – this musical is so much fun it should be illegal. Elle Woods appears to…
Bendigo Fletcher
The full-length debut from Bendigo Fletcher, Fits of Laughter is a collection of moments both enchanted and mundane, sorrowful and ecstatic: basking in the beauty of a glorious lightning storm, waking with a strand of your beloved’s hair happily caught in your mouth, drinking malt liquor while bingeing “The X-Files” on a lonesome Saturday night….
Michael Seyer
Currently in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Michael Seyer was originally born in the Philippines. The 28 year old musician produces everything in his bedroom and takes pride in it. With hazy guitars, airy synths, and introspective lyrics, descriptions of his music have ranged from atmospheric, bittersweet, and emotional. However, his unique take on the emerging bedroom…
Willy Porter
Some folks are lucky to find what they love to do at an early age and quietly settle in for the long haul, expanding and developing their work over the arc of a lifetime. Willy Porter is one of those artists. He has followed his own path to explore the sacred language that music truly…
Grimiss with Bridal Veil and Veradas
Bridal Veil Bridal Veil is an American four-piece band from Portland, inspired by the emotional pangs of the 90s — the last era to know what life was like without a cell phone in every hand. Led by guitarist/Soprano/Flutist Emily Overstreet, the band weaves between ethereal dream pop similar to Cocteau Twins and heavy walls…
Charlotte Cornfield & Al Menne
It’s been less than two years since Highs in the Minuses became Charlotte Cornfield’s break-out — a magnetic mission statement for the Toronto songwriter described by Rolling Stone as “Canada’s best-kept secret.” Cornfield emerged from pandemic seclusion with new fans, raised expectations, and her first major US tour. She could have kept touring forever. She…
New Year in the Park
New Year in the Park will showcase cultural dance and music performances, traditional games, cultural crafts and activities, and vendor booths with food and merchandise. This cultural event aims to highlight vibrant Southeast Asian communities in the greater Portland area. Attendance is free, and you are invited to join.
Northwest Academy Performing Arts Showcase
Northwest Academy, downtown Portland’s arts-centered independent middle and high school, presents the Angry Pigeon Music Collective’s showcase. Hear from talented student musicians for a program of classic covers and other instrumental arrangements. Northwest Academy is a progressive independent middle and high school college preparatory program that inspires students to learn and achieve through its unique…
Oregon Repertory Singers present Finding Light
Oregon Repertory Singers and Youth Choir join with Camerata from Portland Youth Philharmonic for a profound reflection on life, meaning, and the search for light in the darkest of times with two stunning works for choir and orchestra. After nearly fifty years, Oregon Repertory Singers continues proving itself a choral programming leader in Portland. In…
Was this page helpful?