Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

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The annual Bridge Pedal lets bikers take to the city’s many bridges for a day-long ride.

Pedalpalooza Bike Festival

Every June, Portland cyclists organize hundreds of fun-filled, public bike rides.

Editor's Pick

Updated July 25, 2022 2 min read

Courtney Tait

Courtney Tait is a writer from Victoria, B.C. who lives in Portland. Read More

Editor's Pick

When

June 1–Aug. 31, 2022

Days vary

Free

Where

Multiple locations

Whether you’re a cycling fanatic, an occasional cruiser or just a lover of fun events, Pedalpalooza has something for you. Held in Portland each June, this bike- and fun-focused festival celebrates summer’s arrival with over 100 rides throughout town.

Don’t know where to start? Head to Portland’s verdant Gateway Green cycling park, or test your adrenaline limits at the ZooBomb-a-thon (a white-knuckle ride down the hills of Forest Park). If slow and steady is more your speed, meander around Portland’s waterfront on the Slowest Ride of the Year, a bike convoy lead by unicycle. Or join the thousands of riders who cycle through the city in the buff during the World Naked Bike Ride.

What is Pedalpalooza?

Inspired by the success of Bikesummer, a traveling event Portland hosted in 2002, Pedalpalooza has entertained bike enthusiasts since 2003. While local bike-fun organization SHIFT runs the festival’s site and helps with planning, anyone can create and lead a ride.

“I think the thing that surprises most newcomers (and continues to entertain old hands) is the ingenuity behind some of the rides,” says Chris McCraw, one of SHIFT’s community builders and an occasional ride organizer. “It’s DIY, as is Portland’s culture, with room for every weird kind of ride, from life drawing to scavenger hunts to pub crawls to races to campouts.”

With a mix of family-friendly and adult-only rides, Pedalpalooza embraces bike fun as a way to bring community together. Many rides — such as Galactic Disco or the Bey vs. Gaga ride — encourage costumes, reflecting the festival’s celebratory, non-competitive nature. And while fun with bikes is Pedalpalooza’s priority, in previous years events like the Climate Ride, Oil Train Protest Ride, Feminist Ride, and Jazz Funeral Ride (memorializing Portland and Oregon traffic deaths) also let people speak out on important issues.

Pedalpalooza for Visitors

Visiting from out of town? If you don’t have a bike with you, it’s easy to test out Portland’s bike share program, Biketown, or one of the city’s several other bike rental programs. Want to get a taste of Pedalpalooza without pedaling? Head to an event that ends with a post-ride dance, like the Kick-Off Ride Afterparty at Vitalidad Movement Arts Center. There are also slower rides that you can join by foot or pedicab.

“Pedalpalooza is a ‘Welcome to summer, get on your bike!’ event that builds community,” says McCraw. “Hopefully, people you pass by will get a whiff of that joy — that delightful sense of being yourself and having fun in public — and join us on the next ride.”

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Rides & Events

Go To Events

Editor's Pick

Ongoing

Pedalpalooza

Multiple locations Free

Portland’s cycling culture peaks during summer’s multi-week Pedalpalooza, featuring 200+ local-led, themed rides, all open to the public.

Editor's Pick

Biking

Events

Festivals

Outdoors

Summer

Weird

Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022

Portland Criterium Cycle Race

NW Park Blocks Free

After a nearly 10-year absence, criterium racing will return to the Portland North Park Blocks. This exciting form of bicycle racing will thrill racers and spectators alike as the race speeds around the streets over 30 mph. Join in for a fun afternoon of racing that will feature some of the best athletes in the…

Outdoors

Pedalpalooza

Sports

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

Bike the Levees

Delta Park MAX Station Free

Explore Historic Vanport and Portland’s Hidden Flood Safety System Bike the Levees is a tour of Portland’s hidden flood protection system and the silenced histories of the Vanport Flood of 1948. Did you know there are 27 miles of levees along the lower Columbia River? These levees reduce the risk of flooding for tens of…

Guided Tour

History

Outdoors

Pedalpalooza

Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022

Native + Indigenous Bike Ride

various locations Free

BikePortland is hosting a Native and Indigenous-only bike ride with BikePOC, ChingonasOutside, BIKETOWN/Lyft, Trek Bikes, Fat Tire Farm, CyclePath PDX, Warpaint Mag, and SISTERS FRY BREAD, as well as Pedalpalooza for their calendar lineup on August 27, 2022. They are incredibly excited to bring the first Native and Indigenous Bike ride to Portland, Oregon. This…

Cultural Communities

Food & Drink

Outdoors

Pedalpalooza

Sports