Emma Mannheimer
Emma Mannheimer is a Seattle-born, Portland-based writer and editor. Read More
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
Know Before You Go
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Oregon’s governor has banned all large events through the end of September 2020. For details on the events listed below, please visit their websites.
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.
Upcoming Annual Events
Check out our editor's picks for top upcoming recurring events and festivals in Portland.
Cascade Festival of African Films
VIRTUAL EVENT. Please visit the event website for current information. The 2021 Cascade Festival of …
Portland International Film Festival
Established in 1977, The Portland International Film Festival is a creative, multi-media feast spotl…
POW Film Fest
POW Film Fest is Portland’s premiere film festival showcasing films made by women and non-binary f…
UFO Festival
Every May, thousands of visitors flock to the city’s famous UFO Festival, featuring four days of p…
January Festivals
- Fertile Ground Festival: This celebration of creativity spans 11 days of performances featuring brand new theater, dance, visual art and comedy works by local artists.
- Reel Music Film Festival: Celebrate the connection between image and sound at Whitsell Auditorium with this music-fest-meets-film-fest hybrid, which features archival concert footage and biopics of famous artists.
- 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.
- Chamber Music Northwest Winter Festival: Ditch the post-holiday doldrums at this cozy midwinter fest, which features four nights of timeless classical music.
February Festivals
- Chinese 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 four-day festival brightens several sites around town with imaginative works that combine light and technology to create interactive experiences.
- PDX Jazz Festival: This festival honors jazz legends, highlights local musicians and provides jazz education through films and lectures at top Portland venues.
Winter Festivals in Portland
Portland's arts scene is in full swing during the long nights of winter.
March Festivals
- POW Film Festival: This annual film festival takes place at the Hollywood Theatre and seeks to inspire the next generation of female and nonbinary media makers.
- Cider Rite of Spring: Named the Best Northwest Cider Festival by Sip Northwest Magazine, Cider Rite of Spring brings together the top regional cider makers for a sweet, tart and bubbly afternoon at downtown Portland’s Tiffany Center.
- Portland International Film Festival: Founded in 1977, this storied fest spans three weeks and captivates cinephiles with feature films and shorts from around the world.
- Kell’s Saint Patrick’s Irish Festival: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Kells Irish Pub at the largest St. Paddy’s celebration in Stumptown, which fills four days with traditional pipers, Irish dancing, boxing and plenty of beer.
April Festivals
- Japanese Currents: Whitsell Auditorium hosts Nipponese films of all varieties offer viewers intimate looks at issues relevant in contemporary Japanese society.
- Design Week Portland: Touting design as the City of Roses’ most promising cultural resource, this weeklong event is jam-packed with installations, panels and after-parties.
- 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.
May Festivals
- 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 Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: The largest multicultural festival in Oregon, Portland’s annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta held at Waterfront Park features a wide breadth of live music, dancers from sister city Guadalajara, rides, amateur boxing and an artisan village.
- 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.
Spring Festivals in Portland
Portland celebrates spring with beer, food, fiestas and flowers.
June Festivals
- Festa Italiana: Festa Italiana brings the best of Italy to Southeast Portland’s historic Oaks Amusement Park, including a bocce tournament, a loaded musical lineup and Mass held in Italian at The Grotto. 1181
- 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 7 days of beer-filled events.
- Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: Get in the summer solstice spirit, Scandinavian-style, with bonfires, traditional Nordic tunes and, of course, a maypole all at Southeast Portland’s Oaks Amusement Park.
July Festivals
- Waterfront Blues Festival: Crowds of more than 100,000 gather in downtown Waterfront Park to celebrate Fourth of July weekend by grooving to a star-st\udded lineup of blues artists in downtown.
- 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.
- Oregon Brewers Festival: Tapping some of the world’s best brews since 1988, this annual rite of summer in downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park draws more than 85,000 discerning drinkers with pours from more than 90 craft breweries over five days.
August Festivals
- Pickathon: What started out as a small music festival has grown into 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 in Pioneer Courthouse Square, 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 30 acres (12 hectares) of dahlias at the peak of their bloom and peruse more than 400 floral arrangements.
- PDX Adult Soapbox Derby: Creativity and horsepower are put to the test as 40 or so competing handmade carts — many boasting whimsical designs — boldly whizz downhill at Mt. Tabor Park.
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 Swifts circle the chimney of Chapman Elementary School before descending for the night to roost.
- Feast Portland: Founded in 2012, this renowned food fest rapidly cemented Portland’s unique and important place on the national food scene. Gorge on plates handcrafted by big-name chefs at events like the Brunch Village and Night Market.
- 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.
- Portland Fashion Week: Independent designers exhibit their latest eco-couture styles on the Pure Space catwalk at the world’s only comprehensively sustainable fashion week.
October Festivals
- The Wedge: Cheese gets its due at this farmers’ market-style event, where local cheeses are peddled alongside choice pairings. Guests can even try their hand at cheese wheel bowling!
- 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 VegFest: Come for hundreds of delicious (and healthy!) food samples at the Oregon Convention Center; stay for the plant-based speakers, films and cooking demos.
- 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.
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. More holiday shopping events >>
Fall Festivals in Portland
As the weather cools, Portland’s calendar fills with cultural, wine and holiday events.
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 held inside the dazzling Grotto, which glows softly with 500,000 lights throughout the month of December. More holiday events >>
- Holiday Ale Festival: Sip hearty mugs of holiday cheer in downtown’s Pioneer Courthouse Square at the annual Holiday Ale Festival, which proffers 50 strong ales and barley wines.
Festival Roundups
Annual Events in Portland
Portland's calendar is packed with locally beloved annual events and festivals.
Cascade Festival of African Films
VIRTUAL EVENT. Please visit the event website for current information. The 2021 Cascade Festival of African Films will be held virtually in 2021. The festival will remain free and open to the public, but films will be shown online. Visit the event website for more details and the list of films! Founded in 1991, the…
Portland International Film Festival
Established in 1977, The Portland International Film Festival is a creative, multi-media feast spotlighting artists both around the corner and across the globe—embracing bold, original, future-forward storytellers making cinema in all its forms. March 5 – 14, 2021. The Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is a community celebration of the stories that bind us—whether told…
POW Film Fest
POW Film Fest is Portland’s premiere film festival showcasing films made by women and non-binary filmmakers. The festival features the work of some of today’s top women and non-binary directors, while honoring the true pioneers and recognizing the next generation of leading filmmakers. Over the years POW has striven to encourage thoughtful and engaged discourse…
UFO Festival
Every May, thousands of visitors flock to the city’s famous UFO Festival, featuring four days of parades, costume contests, expert speakers
Oregon Midsummer Festival
Midsummer continues to be a fun, family friendly and important day with centuries-old traditions and everyone is invited! Enjoy delicious Nordic cuisine, try traditional beverages and scrumptious sweets. Spend the day making your own colorful flower crown and other crafts. Play Kubb and other fun games, take a break in the beer garden before dancing…
Waterfront Blues Festival
Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
Oregon Brewers Festival
Portland hosts dozens of beer festivals every year, but none compares to the Oregon Brewers Festival. With offerings from 80 craft brewers, the event draws nearly 70,000 attendees to the downtown waterfront every July.
Portland Folk Festival
After taking 2021 off, the Portland Folk Festival is coming back strong in 2022 with not two, but THREE days of an all-ages celebration of Folk and American music at the historic Crystal Ballroom. Visit the event website for the latest lineup!
Portland ValenTango
The City of Roses boasts one of the best tango communities outside of Buenos Aires, with dances and lessons available almost every night.
RX Fest
Music is medicine. RX Fest is a multi-venue, multi-day festival is a large-scale benefit for organizations vital to our community, all centrally located in downtown Portland at Star Theater, Dante’s, Kelly’s Olympian and Valentine’s.
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