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Primary Menu 31 Events Near Me Search
  • Attractions
    • AttractionsView All Attractions
    • Attractions Open Now
    • Museums & History
    • Parks & Gardens
    • Family Friendly
    • Shopping
    • On a Budget
    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
  • Culture
    • CultureView All Culture
    • Arts
    • Beer
    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
    • Craft Spirits
    • Food
    • Makers
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Outdoors
    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
  • Neighborhoods
    • NeighborhoodsView All Neighborhoods
    • Alberta Arts District
    • Belmont
    • Central Eastside
    • Division/Clinton
    • Downtown
    • Hawthorne
    • Lloyd
    • Mississippi
    • Northwest / Nob Hill
    • Old Town Chinatown
    • Pearl District
    • St. Johns
    • Sellwood-Moreland
    • Williams
    • ALL NEIGHBORHOODS
  • Region
    • RegionView All Region
    • Near the City
    • Columbia River Gorge
    • Mount Hood
    • Oregon Coast
    • Willamette Valley
    • ALL REGIONS
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Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt is a multimedia creative living in Portland. Read More

Cascade Festival of African Films is the nation\'s longest-running nonprofit African film festival.
i
Cascade Festival of African Films is the nation’s longest-running nonprofit African film festival.
Credit: Cascade Festival of African Films
Portland Events / Winter in Portland

Black History Month in Portland

Celebrate African American excellence with music, art, festivals and more.

Updated Feb. 2, 2021 1 min read
Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt

Zelos Marchandt is a multimedia creative living in Portland. Read More

Know Before You Go

COVID-19 Event Update: Large gatherings are not currently permitted. Most events are canceled, modified or being held online. Please visit event websites for latest status.

Every February, Americans of all races and backgrounds celebrate Black History Month by commemorating iconic civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Black History Month’s founder, Carter G. Woodson. A citywide celebration includes the annual Black History Festival NW, which hosts events all month long (check their website to learn more about their programming). Join in celebrating, honoring and acknowledging Black history in Portland and beyond at these local events.

View the Full Calendar

You’re currently viewing a page featuring a selection of events. To find even more things to do in Portland, visit our full calendar, which you can search by date and event type.

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PDX Jazz Festival

Jumptown, Portland’s raucous jazz scene of the 1940s, is sadly lost, but every year around February (coinciding with Black History Month), visitors can dive into today’s sea of jazz greats at the PDX Jazz Festival. The festival honors special jazz anniversaries and legends, along with feature performances by legendary artists. Previous performers have included the likes of Grammy award-winning bass extraordinaire Stanley Clarke. PDX Jazz Festival performances — including many free shows — are held at multiple venues across the city every year.

Portland Jazz Festival

The Portland Jazz Festival returns every February with a stellar series of concerts and events celebrating Black History Month.

Read more

Cascade Festival of African Films

Billed as the longest-running nonprofit African film festival in America, Portland’s free Cascade Festival of African Films has celebrated African achievements and hopes for the future since 1991. Through its roster of films, the month-long festival aims to share stories of Africa as told by actual Africans, rather than the Western-made narratives that Americans typically see. Hosted by the Hollywood Theatre and Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus, the festival also includes staged theatrical readings, talk-backs with the films’ creators, an African marketplace and a social hour with food and live music every Saturday.

African American, Cultural Communities, Events

African American Community

With a diverse range of organizations and businesses, Portland’s African American community provides visitors with resources and a friendly welcome.

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Annual Events

Get to know Portland's vibrant maker, dining and music scenes at these annual events.

Full Calendar
Portland hairdresser Nelly Ayala, co-creator of Paz Hair Lounge, at My People\'s Market.

My People’s Market Spotlights Local Entrepreneurs of Color

My People’s Market showcases local entrepreneurs and makers of color, connecting them with industry professionals and consumers.

SneakerWeek founder Herbert Smith works on a new shoe design.

Sneaker Week

Sneaker Week offers fun events for sneaker addicts and footwear newbies alike.

Support Black-Owned Restaurants in Portland

Portland's African-American-owned restaurants are featured during August's Support Black-Owned Restaurant Week, but they shine all year long.

Meet a Local

These Portlanders are innovating the city's food, drink, cannabis and maker scenes.

Go to African American Community
Founders Karanja Crews and Nicole Kennedy sit outside Green Hop Dispensary.

Green Hop: The World’s First Historical Hip-Hop Dispensary

Northeast Portland dispensary Green Hop pairs recreational cannabis with local music and community-building.

Chef Salimatu Ababebe frequently hosts pop-ups in Southeast Portland.

Chef Salimatu Amabebe Showcases Nigerian Recipes and Black Artists

A Portland chef hosts scrumptious pop-up dinners, brunches and Black Feast events.

Kiauna Floyd represents the third generation to run family-owned Amalfi\'s.

Meet Kiauna Floyd, Owner of Amalfi’s Italian Restaurant

Black-owned Portland trattoria Amalfi’s has offered the same old-school recipes and community support for three generations.

Akadi\'s Chef Fatou Ouattara prepares a bowl of mafe (peanut butter stew).

Six Great African Restaurants in Portland

Enjoy flavorful dishes from Ethiopia, Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire and beyond at these local eateries.

Bertony Faustin is Oregon\'s first recorded Black winemaker.

Meet Bertony Faustin, Oregon’s First Black Winemaker

Oregon’s first Black winemaker, Bertony Faustin has been building community since 2007, when he launched his small-batch winery, Abbey Creek

Kiauna \"Kee\" Nelson founded the Kee\'s Loaded Kitchen food cart in 2016.

Two Women to Watch in Portland’s Southern Food Scene

Satisfy those comfort food cravings at these women-led restaurants and food carts.

Tiara Darnell works on her podcast, \"High, Good People.\"

Budtender Tiara Darnell Is Shaking up Portland’s Cannabis Industry

The national cannabis scene is predominantly white and male; Portland’s Tiara Darnell, named Oregon’s best budtender for 2017, is working to change that.

Black brewer Lee Hedgmon crafts beer and spirits at Portland’s Ground Breaker Brewing and McMenamins Edgefield, defying stereotypes about race and the beer industry.

Portland Brewer Lee Hedgmon Defies Stereotypes About Beer and Race

Sample Hedgmon’s one-of-a-kind stouts and spirits at Edgefield and Ground Breaker.

Dig into classic chicken and waffles at Po\'shines Café De La Soul.

Portland’s Best Soul Food Spots

Eat your way through North or Northeast Portland to find Southern food dishes that taste like they were flown in from the Mississippi Delta.

Music and Dancing

Enjoy a night of music and dancing with these local performers and venues around Portland.

Go To Dance
Retro-futurist R&B group Chanti Darling was once declared Portland\'s best new band.

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.

Portland hip-hop artist Dodgr performs.

The Portland Hip-Hop Scene

Take a deep dive into the past, present and future of Portland's hip-hop scene with our expert guide to the best performers, showcases, stores and more.

DJ Dirty Red performs at a YGB event at Dig a Pony in 2018.

Young, Gifted and Brown Fosters Community Through Dance in Portland

Y.G.B. aims to create healing spaces for Black and Brown Portlanders.

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