Skip to content

The Official Guide to Portland

  • 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
  • Plan
    • PlanView All Plan
    • Maps
    • Where to Stay
    • Tours & Itineraries
    • Transportation
    • When to Visit
    • International Resources
    • Portland Weather
    • COVID-19 FAQ
    • Plan a Meeting
  • Events
  • Search
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
  • Plan
    • PlanView All Plan
    • Maps
    • Where to Stay
    • Tours & Itineraries
    • Transportation
    • When to Visit
    • International Resources
    • Portland Weather
    • COVID-19 FAQ
    • Plan a Meeting
  • Events
  • Search
Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More

The Jade International Night Market is packed with multicultural performances. The Jade International Night Market is packed with multicultural performances.
i
The Jade International Night Market is packed with multicultural performances.
Credit: Courtesy of the Jade International Night Market
Portland Events / Summer in Portland

Jade International Night Market

This August event showcases Asian music, dance, food and more.

Updated Apr. 30, 2020 2 min read Jade District
Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado

Emilly Prado is a writer, award-winning journalist and consultant living in Portland. Read More

Founded in 2014, Portland’s Jade International Night Market is the epitome of a multicultural community event. Strings of lights and lanterns illuminate the Southeast Portland parking lot where this annual event takes place. Scents of garlicky beef satay and crisp lumpia fill the air as children sit cross-legged during dragon dance performances. What started as a small volunteer group has expanded to keep up with attendance, which has grown to 20,000 attendees annually.

Origins of the Jade International Night Market

The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) founded the market following a series of workshops in which Jade District community members identified their needs. With “opportunities for community gathering” declared a top priority, the first Jade International Night Market was organized. The festival’s goal was to attract a few hundred attendees. Incredibly, 6,000 people showed up.

Todd Struble, Jade District Manager at APANO, and fellow organizers Rosaline Hui and Nannette Tran work to ensure the event supports local values. Struble recalls that before they hosted the inaugural market, his team saw a void in the community. “Our volunteers recognized that there were no outdoor events that reflected the culture of the Jade District residents,” he said.

Community Festivities

More multicultural
The annual Rose Festival features Dragon Boat Races on the Willamette River.

Chinese American Events

Celebrate Chinese American Portland with two major festivals in the winter and spring.

Portland Taiko performs at many events around the city.

Japanese American Events

Portland's Japanese American community offers engaging activities all year long.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with colorful cultural activities at Lan Su Chinese Gardens.

Lunar New Year Celebrations in Portland

Portland hosts its own Japanese Mochitsuki Festival, Vietnamese Tet Festival and multiple Chinese New Year events.

The Jade District Community

The Jade District is a lively neighborhood centered around the intersection of Southeast Division Street and Southeast 82nd Avenue. Although its borders cover less than one square mile (2.6 sq km), the district supports more than 400 small businesses. Many recent Asian immigrants and refugees call the Jade District home, and nearly 50% of all residents are people of color.

Night markets are integral to life in Asia, providing space for community members to shop, eat and socialize. The Jade International Night Market’s two stages also offer entertainment like Vietnamese and Bollywood dance and Japanese taiko drumming. For many in attendance, the Jade International Night Market is a welcome reminder of their roots.

“This event is important because it reflects the culture and diversity of Southeast Portland,” Strubel explained. “As one of the most diverse census tracts in the city of Portland, we try to ensure that vendors, performers and speakers all have a connection to this community and the folks who live and work here.”

The Night Market isn’t just a fun outdoor event, he said, but one that exists to support the surrounding community. “Our goal is to ensure that the stories, experiences and culture of the attendees build an experience that folks in this neighborhood can rally behind, and the event works to anchor the community.”

Events, Shopping

Jade District Businesses

  • Fubonn Shopping Center

    The largest Asian shopping center in Oregon houses many Asian businesses and eateries, plus the impressive Fubonn Supermarket grocery store.

  • HK Cafe

    Locally beloved spot for authentic dim sum, seafood and Hong Kong-style dining. This restaurant can get busy, so anticipate a wait to be seated.

  • Pure Spice Restaurant

    Pure Spice is an unassuming restaurant hidden in a strip mall in the Jade District. The generous dim sum menu is peppered with classic Cantonese small plates, including chive dumplings and gossamer-wrapped shrimp or pork.

  • Ha VL

    This unassuming Vietnamese restaurant serves two authentic soups each day, as well as banh mi sandwiches, coffee and smoothies.

  • Bliss Lounge

    LED-illuminated neighborhood bar and restaurant serving hot pot, stiff drinks and karaoke jams.

Asian Eats

More food
Dig into a plate of authentic vegetarian pad Thai at KaTi Portland.

Thai Food in Portland

Thai food in Portland is some of the city's best cuisine with options that are cheap or pricey, sweet or savory, authentic or Americanized, vegan or meaty.

A delicious spread of Chinese dumplings at XLB in North Portland.

Portland’s Best Dumplings

Every February, Portland celebrates its love for dough-wrapped delights with Dumpling Week. Best of all? Delicious dumplings are available year-round.

Tokyo ramen restaurant Afuri opened its first international located in Portland, selecting the City of Roses because of its excellent water quality.

Portland Ramen Restaurants

The Portland ramen scene has exploded in recent years, spurred by the arrival of two authentic eateries straight from Tokyo.

Popular offerings on the menu at Takahashi include the \"Cholesteroll,\" Jo Roll and vegetarian sushi.

Eight Great Sushi Spots Around Portland

Portland is only an hour away from the Pacific Ocean, so it should come as no surprise that the city’s sushi options are both delicious and expansive.

Chef Carlo Lamagna reviews dishes with his child at a Magna pop-up.

Chef Carlo Lamagna Brings Filipino Food to the Forefront in Portland

Opening in spring 2019, Magna explores the wide world of Filipino cuisine.

An Ota Tofu employee hand-cuts tofu into blocks.

Ota Tofu: America’s Oldest Tofu House Calls Portland Home

This local family-run shop has been making tofu by hand for over a century.

Was this page helpful?

Visitor’s Guide

cover of Travel Portland's visitor guide, 2019-'20, featuring a woman walking through Portland Japanese Garden

Get the Guide

 

Newsletter Signup

Get your monthly guide to Portland's events, attractions and news.

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Information For

Local Businesses
Media
Meeting Planners
Travel Industry Professionals
Event Organizers

Brought to you by

Travel Portland Logo

We are a promoter and steward of this evolving city and its progressive values, which have the power to transform the travelers who visit us.

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Español
  • Français
  • Deutsch
  • 日本語
  • 汉语
  • 漢語
  • 한국어
Copyright © 2021 Travel Portland
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Copyright Policy
Visit The USA Logo