Summer Events Round-Up
Portland embraces summer sunshine with fun festivals and 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.
When the sun finally comes out, Portlanders celebrate with their favorite things: music, beer, art and food. Here are some of Portland’s best events in June, July, August and September. Click into each month’s event round-up to discover even more things to do in Portland in the summertime.
June Events
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.
World Naked Bike Ride
The largest of its kind in the world, Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride draws thousands of cyclists to cruise commando through the streets of Portland every June. The location of the bike ride is revealed mere days before the event, so keep your eyes on their website for more information.
Portland Pride Festival & Parade
Known far and wide as a gay-friendly destination, the Rose City is open and accepting to every kind of visitor. During the month of June, it gets friendlier than ever, with the Portland Pride Festival and Parade and various LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus) community celebrations all over town.
July Events
Waterfront Blues Festival
The Waterfront Blues Festival — the largest blues festival west of the Mississippi River — rocks crowds on the riverbank at Waterfront Park and on the water with five days of top national acts, as well as spectacular fireworks on July 4.
Oregon Brewers Festival
Craft breweries from around the United States bring more than 80 beers to the Oregon Brewers Festival, the largest gathering of independent brewers in North America, held in downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
August Events
Pickathon
Since 1999, the Pickathon Music Festival, a celebrated multi-stage folk festival at the bucolic Pendarvis Farm just outside Portland has attracted headliners like Feist and Andrew Bird while establishing itself as the nation’s greenest music festival.
Bridge Pedal
Portland’s annual Bridge Pedal is a community celebration of the city’s iconic bridges and biking culture. Join with thousands of fellow bicyclists in crossing Portland’s car-free streets and bridges (including the upper decks of both the Marquam and Fremont bridges). Portland’s Bridge Pedal is both one of the largest community bike rides in the world and one of the city’s favorite summertime traditions.
September Events
Time-Based Art (TBA) Festival
During the Time-Based Art Festival, presented by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), visual artists, musicians, dancers and other creatives from all over the world push boundaries with installations, performances and interactive art experiences.
Feast Portland
International culinary festival Feast Portland taps into the wealth of renowned Portland chefs — and welcomes noted culinary stars from around the world — to make the most of Oregon’s bounty. In addition to events at restaurants around town, you’ll find happenings at Director Park, Pioneer Courthouse Square and Ecotrust.
Events by Month
June Events
Portland's "festival season" warms up every June with the Portland Rose Festival, Portland Pride Parade and Festival, plentiful outdoor concerts and celebrations of craft beer.
July Events
July in Portland is a busy time, with a variety of live music, beer fests and film events to take in.
August Events
Biking across bridges and cheering on soapbox racers are two of many great August events in Portland.
Sounds of Summer
Enjoy Portland's music scene with the summertime concerts and performances.
More Summer Events
Portland Saturday Market
Open every Saturday from March–December, Portland Saturday Market is the largest arts-and-crafts fair in the U.S.
Portland Rose Festival
Portland Rose Festival features multiple parades, waterfront carnival rides, concerts, dragon boat races, fireworks and plenty of roses.
Peacock in the Park
Sequins, boas and a rainbow of talent mark LGBTQ variety show Peacock in the Park’s takeover of Washington Park.
Fleet Week
In 2021, Rose Festival Fleet Week will be virtual, with ship tours and stories about members of the sea services shared virtually, on video. Please visit the event website for current information. Since the very beginning of the Rose Festival back in 1907, visiting ships and other fleet-related elements (like submarines) have been making their…
Portland Rose Society Annual Spring Rose Show
This annual rose show is the nation’s largest and long-running rose show, bringing more than 4,000 blooms to Lloyd Center in Northeast Portland. Explore a huge variety of roses, from the quarter-inch micro-minis to the 8 inch standard blooms.
Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
With acts that have ranged from Al Green to ZZ Top, McMenamins Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn are an annual rite of summer and the hottest ticket in town.
Festival of Balloons
Hot-air balloons take flight mere minutes from downtown Portland every summer.
Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival
Chamber Music Northwest’s annual summer festival combines high-caliber classical music with a laid-back atmosphere.
Waterfront Blues Festival
Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
Oregon Country Fair
Oregon Country Fair will be hosting Fair in the Clouds: A Virtual Event from July 9-11, 2021. Please visit the event website for current information. Delight in the Oregon Coutnry Fair’s world class entertainment, handmade crafts, delectable foods, educational displays and magical surprises at every turn of the path. The Oregon Country Fair is nestled…
Rose Cup Races
Celebrate racing history at Portland International Raceway’s 60th annual Rose Cup Races! Enjoy great racing, pageantry and honoring an iconic family-friendly event in the Pacific Northwest.
The Big Float
Every summer since 2011, thousands of people swim and float in the Willamette River for the annual Big Float event.
Portland Zine Symposium
The 2021 event will be held virtually; please visit the event website for current information. The Portland Zine Symposium is an organization that hosts, among other events, a yearly free conference and zine social exploring facets of independent publishing and DIY culture. This event has been held in Portland, Oregon every summer since 2001 and…
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.
Vanport Jazz Festival
The Vanport Jazz Festival is scheduled to return Aug. 7, 2021. See website for details. The Vanport Jazz Festival honors the city of Vanport and the voices who formed Portland’s jazz community. Near the site of the historic 1948 flood, the event transforms Colwood Golf Course into a cultural revival, welcoming nationally renowned artists and…
Bridge Pedal
The Bridge Pedal is scheduled to return Aug. 8, 2021. Please visit the event website for current information. Portland’s annual Bridge Pedal is a community celebration of the city’s iconic bridges and biking culture. Join your friends and neighbors for the one opportunity each year to bike or walk on Portland’s car-free streets and bridges…
Hood to Coast
Hood to Coast is the world’s largest running relay race, stretching 200 miles from the top of Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean in Seaside. The overnight event culminates in the West Coast’s largest beach party and draws more than 12,000 runners and walkers annually. The race fills up months in advance, but there’s no…
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