December Events
Celebrate winter with lights, beer and other great Portland events.
Here are some of our favorite December events in Portland. Scroll down for more picks or search the events calendar to see everything on offer.
Holiday Ale Festival
Packed with revelry and cheer, the five-day Holiday Ale Fest (always held the first week of December) features more than 40 of the Pacific Northwest’s best-tasting seasonal suds, many not available anywhere else.
Holiday Ale Festival
Holiday Light Displays
Some of Portland’s bright spots include ZooLights, a display of more than a million lights at the Oregon Zoo and the Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto. The Christmas Ships Parade, going strong since 1954, features brilliantly decorated boats on the Willamette and Columbia rivers.
Holiday Traditions
Portland gets into the spirit of the season with festive decorations at Pittock Mansion, a gingerbread display at the Benson Hotel and the Festival of Trees at the Oregon Convention Center. Annual performance traditions include Handel’s Messiah from Portland Baroque Orchestra, The Most Wonderful Season from Portland Gay Men’s Chorus and The Santaland Diaries at Portland Center Stage.
Holiday Festivities
When the holidays arrive, Portland comes to life with special events, light displays and more.
Holiday Shopping Events
Do your holiday shopping for locally made gifts at hip parties, makers' fairs, sprawling sales and garden grounds filled with handcrafted items.
Holiday Light Displays in Portland
Portland is full of bright ways to embrace the shorter days of winter; here are some of the stars in the city’s constellation of holiday light displays.
Portland Holiday Events
Like an Advent calendar loaded with sugary treats, the days leading up to Christmas in Portland hold an abundance of sweet memories.
More December Events
Exquisite Creatures
Exquisite Creatures, an artistic experience that unravels humanity’s intimate relationship with the natural world, makes its Oregon debut at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on Oct. 5, 2019. Artist, naturalist and New York Times bestselling author Christopher Marley reveals the obscure beauty in nature through his three-dimensional work with animal, mineral and…
Fighting for the Right to Fight: African American Experiences in World War II
In the years leading up to World War II, racial segregation and discrimination were part of daily life for many in the United States. For most African Americans, even the most basic rights and services were fragmented or denied altogether. To be black was to know the limits of freedom — excluded from the opportunity,…
Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal
Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal … is the first major survey of the work of one of America’s most important conceptual artists. Throughout his career, Hank Willis Thomas (American, born 1976) has fearlessly addressed racism, inequality and bias in bold, skillfully crafted works. Through photographs, sculpture, video, audience-activated digital animation and collaborative public…
Holiday Express Train 2019
Join Santa Claus and his elves for a magical ride behind Portland’s famous steam locomotives. Vintage rail cars transport you along the Willamette River in the heart of the city.
Leonard Bernstein at 100
Leonard Bernstein at 100 celebrates the life and work of Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), the great Jewish American composer and conductor who dedicated his life to making classical music a vibrant part of American culture. The exhibition features photographs, personal items, papers, scores, correspondence, costumes, furniture and audio and video recordings. A vocal booth gives visitors…
Wild About Dance: Oregon Ballet Theatre Celebrates 30 Years
Oregon Ballet Theatre enriches the community with beautiful, exhilarating and athletic dance. This exhibit celebrates Oregon Ballet Theatre’s (OBT) first 30 years with vibrant film footage and photographs, costumes and theatrical artifacts that highlight the Company’s excellent performances, school and education outreach programs. For those who love OBT and the art of dance, the exhibit…
Wine Country Thanksgiving
During Oregon’s premier tasting and cellar-stocking event, more than 150 wineries open their doors to the public, offering samples of favori
A Pittock Mansion Christmas: Wonderful World of Books
From children’s classics to modern-day mysteries, this year’s Pittock Mansion Christmas explores the wonderful world of books. Experience the literary visions of local decorators as they transform the Mansion’s rooms into magical storybook settings.