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Emma Mannheimer
Emma Mannheimer is a Seattle-born, Portland-based writer and editor. Read More
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“Smoked!” is one of the most loved events at the annual Feast Portland food festival.
Credit: John Valls
Portland’s Best Annual Festivals
Celebrate all year long at these can’t-miss events in Portland.
Emma Mannheimer
Emma Mannheimer is a Seattle-born, Portland-based writer and editor. Read More
With a never-ending roster of events in Portland, you’re sure to find plenty worth celebrating every month of the year. Here are dozens of our favorites.
January Festivals
- Portland Old Time Music Gathering: Tap your toes to tunes by the Northwest’s best old-time Appalachian-style string bands at this concert series, going strong since 2000 at the Tiffany Center.
- Portland Folk Festival: Ditch the post-holiday doldrums at this cozy midwinter fest, which features three days of an all-ages celebration of Folk and American music at the historic Crystal Ballroom.
February Festivals
- Lunar New Year at Lan Su Chinese Garden: Immerse yourself in the color and excitement of the Chinese New Year during this two-week celebration, which includes a lion dance and four glowing nights of lantern viewing at the stunning Lan Su Garden.
- Portland Winter Light Festival: Designed to bring light to the wintry darkness, this free two-week festival brightens several sites around town with imaginative works that combine light and technology to create interactive experiences.
- Biamp Portland Jazz Festival: This festival honors jazz legends, highlights local musicians and provides jazz education through films and lectures at top Portland venues.
- Cascade Festival of African Films: Celebrating African achievements and hopes for the future since 1991, this festival aims to share stories of Africa as told by actual Africans rather than the Western-made narratives that Americans typically see.
- Dumpling Week: Jet around the city sampling imaginative dumpling creations, like duck liver ravioli and kimchi pizza dumplings, from many of Portland’s tastiest eateries.
Winter Festivals in Portland
Portland's festival scene is in full swing during the long nights of winter.
March Festivals
- SheBrew: Start Women’s History Month with a brewers competition that celebrates not only female brewers, cider and mead makers but is also an event for all genders and ages, honoring equality and supporting all womxn and the LGBTQ+ community with proceeds going to the Human Rights Campaign and the Oregon Brew Crew.
- St. Patrick’s Festival: Kick off St. Patrick’s Day at Portland’s oldest downtown Irish pub, Paddy’s, where the holiday is celebrated with bagpipers, live Irish music, corned beef and cabbage and Guinness. Don’t forget to buy a raffle ticket for the charity fundraiser benefitting the Children’s Cancer Association.
- Seafood & Wine Festival: Held at the peak of Dungeness crab season, this Portland tradition features fresh seafood bites washed down with Oregon wines.
April Festivals
- Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest: Ring in spring by frolicking in 40 acres (16 hectares) of rainbow-hued tulips at the picturesque Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, only 30 miles (50 km) south of Portland.
- One Moto Show: Thousands of motorcyclists (and moto-enthusiasts) roll into Portland to celebrate bikes and biker culture with dozens of motorcycles from around the world on display.
- Portland Pizza Week: Everyone’s favorite food keeps you full and your wallet fuller, with discounted slices and pies offered all week at numerous joints around town.
May Festivals
- Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: Entertainment options abound for all ages and interests at this weekend-long festival, with classic carnival rides (including Portland’s tallest Ferris wheel), snacks, traditional Mexican crafts, an artisan village and amateur boxing.
- UFO Festival: Alien-themed parades, pet costume contests and spaceship landing parties unfold at this long-running UFO fest, a destination for alien abduction survivors and those who want to believe. The otherworldly event is held in McMinnville, 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Portland.
- Portland Rose Festival: With more than 100 years under its belt, this civic celebration has it all, including fireworks, dragon boats and the second-largest all-floral parade in the United States. The festival is held downtown at Waterfront Park.
Spring Festivals in Portland
Portland celebrates spring with beer, food, fiestas and flowers.
June Festivals
- Oregon Midsummer Festival: Get in the summer solstice spirit, Scandinavian-style, with bonfires, traditional Nordic tunes and performers, of course, a maypole.
- Festival of Balloons: The mesmerizing Festival of Balloons in Tigard (a suburb 30 minutes southwest of downtown Portland by car) brings more than a dozen brightly colored, colossal hot-air balloons to the sky every June. Enjoy balloon rides and a fair-like atmosphere, including a beer garden, live music and kid-friendly activities.
- Latino Cultural Festival: Attracting more than 10,000 attendees, this annual festival starts with a parade featuring elementary students, dancers and musicians. The event also includes cultural food and entertainment, an art village, and a competitive futsal tournament for more than 200 players.
- PDX Beer Week: The region’s top brewers join forces with some of Portland’s best-known snack spots for limited-edition pints and plates, plus way more than seven days of beer-filled events.
July Festivals
- Waterfront Blues Festival: Crowds of more than 100,000 gather in downtown’s Waterfront Park to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend by grooving to a star-studded lineup of blues artists downtown.
- The Portland Craft Beer Festival: Only beers, ciders and wine crafted within the city limits of Portland are featured at the PCBF, making it unique and different from other beer festivals.
- Cathedral Park Jazz Festival: The longest-running free jazz festival west of the Mississippi honors blues, soul and R&B with three days of musical exuberance beneath the St. Johns Bridge at the scenic Cathedral Park.
- Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival: Grab a blanket and a bottle of wine and head to the lawn of Reed College to pregame top-caliber chamber music, with concerts spanning five weeks.
August Festivals
- Chinese Festival: Head down to Pioneer Courthouse Square on the first Saturday in August to celebrate Chinese American culture. Enjoy entertainment, delicious Chinese food and authentic arts and crafts.
- Pickathon: What started as a small music festival has become one of Stumptown’s most anticipated weekends of the year, luring acts like Phil Lesh, Beach House and Mac DeMarco to nearby Pendarvis Farm.
- India Festival: Celebrate India’s Independence Day, which encapsulates the tastes, sights and sounds of India through dance, musical performances and bites from Portland’s best Indian eateries.
- Dahlia Festival: The elusive dahlia takes center stage at the free Swan Island Dahlia festival, which allows visitors to stroll through almost 40 acres (16 hectares) of dahlias at the peak of their bloom and peruse more than 400 floral arrangements.
- PDX Adult Soapbox Derby: Creativity and horsepower are tested as 40 or so competing handmade carts — many boasting whimsical designs — boldly whizz downhill at Mt. Tabor Park.
- Elephant Garlic Fest: Food vendors deliver garlic-heavy treats (including the infamous garlic ice cream), along with a parade and other activities, to North Plains, northwest of Portland … the odor is worth it.
- Jade Night Market: On a Saturday in August, nearly 100 international vendors bring an authentic, cross-cultural selection of food, music and goods to Southeast Portland.
Summer Festivals in Portland
Portland makes the most of long, sunny days and pleasant evenings.
September Festivals
- Swift Watch: Looking for a magical way to spend a September evening? Watch in awe as hundreds of Vaux’s swifts circle the chimney of Chapman Elementary School before descending for the night to roost.
- Rose City Comic Con: Comic culture reigns supreme at the Oregon Convention Center during this celebration, brimming with costume contests, expert panels and celebrity guests.
- Mt. Angel Oktoberfest: For over half a century, Mt. Angel, a small town about 36 miles (59 km) south of Portland, has celebrated the harvest season with street dancing, alpine folk music, an adult-only biergarten and other Bavarian activities.
- Festa Italiana: Bringing the best of Italy to Gresham, including a bocce tournament, a loaded musical lineup and a Mass held in Italian.
- Portland Fashion Week: Independent designers exhibit their latest eco-couture styles on the catwalk at the world’s only comprehensively sustainable fashion week.
- Polish Fest: Give pierogies and kielbasa their due respect at this Polish-palooza celebrating a weekend of Polonia’s finest.
- Negroni Week: This classic (and delicious) cocktail gets remixed by Portland restaurants and bars, with proceeds going to charity.
October Festivals
- Hood River Valley Harvest Fest: Held along the scenic Hood River waterfront, this is the Columbia River Gorge’s biggest celebration of the region’s incredible fall bounty.
- Portland Greek Festival: Folk dancing, cooking demonstrations, gourmet imports and more are all celebrated at the annual Portland Greek Festival hosted at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Don’t leave without loading up on specialty pastries like baklava and kadaifi.
- Portland Film Festival: Named one of the coolest film festivals in the world by MovieMaker, this weeklong fest is packed with workshops, guest speakers, premieres and networking events.
- Fermentation Festival: Fermentation goes way beyond pickles at this funky fest, which dishes up kimchi, ‘kraut, kombucha and more.
Fall Festivals in Portland
As the weather cools, Portland’s calendar fills with cultural, wine and holiday events.
November Festivals
- Portland Book Festival: Portland’s beloved book festival touts a vast book fair, writers’ workshops and readings by local luminaries like Cheryl Strayed and Ursula K. LeGuin.
- Holiday Food & Gift Festival: For those looking to get a head start on holiday shopping, this event at the Oregon Convention Center hosts more than 300 exhibitors peddling one-of-a-kind gifts.
December Festivals
- Festival of Trees: Local designers gather at the Oregon Convention Center to create pine-y magic with more than two dozen decorated and themed Christmas trees for this Portland holiday tradition.
- Christmas Festival of Lights: All are welcome to witness more than 160 choral performances inside the dazzling Grotto, which glows softly with 500,000 lights throughout December.
Explore More Events by Month
Festival Round-Ups
Explore more festivals in and around Portland.
Beer Festivals in Portland
Portland isn’t shy about its love of beer — the city has nearly as many beer festivals as it does breweries.
Music Festivals in and Near Portland
Looking for a tuneful way to enjoy your time in Portland? Get your tickets now for these exciting annual celebrations.
Portland Street Fairs
Come summer, many of Portland’s neighborhoods put on local parties with live music, food and fun.
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