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  • Attractions
    • AttractionsView All Attractions
    • Attractions Open Now
    • Museums & History
    • Parks & Gardens
    • Family Friendly
    • Shopping
    • On a Budget
    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
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    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
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    • Nightlife
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    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
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    • Belmont
    • Central Eastside
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    • Downtown
    • Hawthorne
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    • Mississippi
    • Northwest / Nob Hill
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    • Pearl District
    • St. Johns
    • Sellwood-Moreland
    • Williams
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    • Columbia River Gorge
    • Mount Hood
    • Oregon Coast
    • Willamette Valley
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The Lan Su Chinese Garden offers tranquil garden paths and a cozy tea house. The Lan Su Chinese Garden offers tranquil garden paths and a cozy tea house.
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The Lan Su Chinese Garden offers tranquil garden paths and a cozy tea house.
Neighborhoods / Northwest Portland

Old Town Chinatown Activities

Portland's oldest neighborhood offers beloved attractions, galleries and entertainment.

Updated July 8, 2020 2 min read Old Town Chinatown

The area where Portland started is just as vital today, housing some of the city’s most beloved attractions, nightlife options and art galleries.

The female impersonation revue at Darcelle XV Showplace has been a local entertainment legend since 1967.

Must-Sees

Constructed of materials shipped directly from Suzhou, China, Lan Su Chinese Garden is considered one of the most authentic Chinese gardens in the country. A two-story teahouse pavilion overlooks a tranquil pond and meticulously tended foliage and the garden’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations are a community tradition.

Lan Su Chinese Garden

An authentic Ming Dynasty style garden built by Suzhou artisans, Lan Su Chinese Garden offers a peaceful escape in Portland's historic Chinatown district.

Read more

The Portland Saturday Market brings hundreds of artists, craftspeople and food vendors together on Saturdays and Sundays from March to December along the Waterfront Park.

And no Portland to-do list is complete without a visit to Voodoo Doughnut. Oddball delights like the maple bacon bar draw crowds to this kitschy-cool institution, open 24 hours a day.

Voodoo Doughnut

Since 2003, Portland's Voodoo Doughnut has sold millions of wacky, sugary snacks — and the 24-hour Old Town landmark still attracts lines all hours of the day.

Read more

Galleries

The monthly First Thursday  art event includes free shows and refreshments at dozens of galleries and stores throughout Old Town Chinatown, downtown and the Pearl District.

Circle the block at the Everett Station Lofts to check out more than a dozen different mini-galleries. Flashback street fashions, Japanese gadgets and prints by local artists line the walls at Compound Gallery, while Upper Playground’s Fifty24PDX gallery features collectible toys and comic-style prints. More art in a similar vein is on offer at Floating World Comics.

Nightlife

Retro fun abounds at Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade, with two floors of old-school, quarter-operated video games such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Tetris. There’s a full bar and DJs spin tunes in the evenings.

The female impersonation revue at Darcelle XV Showplace has been a local entertainment legend since 1967. Held nightly Wednesdays through Saturdays, the glitzy extravaganzas are still emceed by the grande dame herself, Darcelle XV, who turned 80 in 2010.

More restrained evening entertainment comes at Wilfs, a retro supper club in historic Union Station that features live jazz nightly, Wednesday through Saturday, and a modern, sustainable twist on the classic American menu.

Old Town is a hot spot for live comedy. Check out national headliners and local talent at Harvey’s Comedy Club, an institution of laughs since the early 90s.

Attractions, Makers, Music, Nightlife, Parks & Gardens

Old Town After Dark

More Nightlife
The Society Hotel is the perfect base camp for late-night fun in Old Town Chinatown.

Portland’s Entertainment District

On weekend nights, several blocks in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood are closed to cars, making it easy to visit the area's many dance clubs and bars.

Helium Comedy Club brings some of the nation\'s best comics to its Southeast Portland venue.

Comedy in Portland

Check out plenty of in-demand comedians in a classic format for sidesplitting humor — live and in person.

A bartender makes sparks at Local Lounge.

LGBTQ+ Nightlife

Portland has no shortage of LGBTQ-owned and -friendly bars and clubs. Whether you're looking for a relaxing night with friends, a high-energy dance party or a drag show, Portland delivers.

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