When to Visit

Presenting the sights, sounds and sensations of the season, The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights is the largest Christmas choral festival in the world. The festival features nearly 160 indoor holiday concerts performed by many of the region’s finest school, church and civic choirs. Offering a family-oriented blend of traditional celebration and serene reflection, the…

Oregon’s most popular holiday tradition is back and better than ever. Kids and adults alike agree: it wouldn’t be the holidays in Portland without a visit to ZooLights. In addition to the classic walk through a dazzling display of 1.5 million lights, you can bring your family and friends to explore the lights by car…

Pittock Mansion Christmas celebrates the wonderful world of animals with its Critters Make Merry exhibit. From reindeer and polar bears to lions and mice and a few in between, volunteer decorators have transformed the Mansion’s rooms into enchanting animal havens. Please note: Pittock Mansion Christmas is an event. General admission discounts do not apply. Due…

Come celebrate Christmas with Portland’s favorite holiday tradition. Let the glory of Christmas come alive as the three hundred-voice choir creates a Christmas extravaganza for the whole family, featuring your favorite holiday songs, dancing Santas and a beautiful cinematic Nativity. It is an awe-inspiring presentation of the true gift of Christmas and an experience not…

Recognized throughout the Pacific Northwest as the “Largest Holiday Light Show West of the Mississippi”, Winter Wonderland, will grab your attention with glimmers and glows around every corner. Since 1993, a journey through Winter Wonderland has become a holiday tradition for many families, friends, and social organizations to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season….

At the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival, you will find a wide variety of sewing, quilting, needle-art and craft supply exhibits from many quality companies, along with make ‘n’ takes, free demos, daily door prize drawings and more.

Started in 1986, First Thursday in the Pearl is a district-wide celebration that occurs on the first Thursday of each month. Originally a gathering of art collectors and dealers, the celebration has grown to a monthly event of over ten thousand people that includes art enthusiasts, wine aficionados, and scenesters looking to see and be…

The Portland Night Market showcases many unique businesses that call Portland home. Blending food, culture, music, drinks and retail together for an adventurous evening in the Central Eastside. Come meet some of Portland’s best makers and creators. The Portland Night Market is a FREE quarterly event and open to all ages. See the latest health…

Stroll the street during Beaumont Village’s annual holiday event, Fremont Holiday Fest. Get your photo taken with Santa Claus or “Santa Paws.” Stores open late with treats, discounts, crafts & more.

ScanFair Reimagined Experience the sights, sounds, tastes, and traditions of the Nordic Holiday season. ScanFair brings Scandinavia to Portland through traditional food vendors, locally crafted items, a holiday exhibit, an exciting raffle, and welcoming local community organizations. This year, ScanFair will return in a modified format to fit within Nordia House and Nordic Northwest’s campus….

The Christmas Ship Parade began in 1954 with one lone sailboat from Portland Yacht Club. Today, the Christmas Ship Fleet averages about 55 to 60 boats between the Columbia and Willamette River fleets, with displays that are brightly lit and can be seen from bank to bank on each river. The boats, 14 to 65…

Open every Saturday from March–December, Portland Saturday Market is the largest arts-and-crafts fair in the U.S.

My People’s Market showcases local entrepreneurs and makers of color, connecting them with industry professionals and consumers.

VIRTUAL EVENT. Please visit the event website for current information. In this year like no other, please join us for Festival of Trees like no other. We’ll be “Home for the Holidays,” and we hope you’ll kick off the season with us from the comfort of your home. Stay Home for the Holidays and tune…

Portland’s biannual art and craft fair boasts unique handmade wares from 225+ local vendors.

Celebrate the joy of the season at the Gospel Christmas. Presented by the Oregon Symphony. This tradition just gets bigger and better, year after year. Clap your hands and stomp your feet along with the region’s premier gospel singers and the Oregon Symphony at this beloved annual concert.

Portland Indigenous Marketplace supports indigenous artists and entrepreneurs by providing barrier-free, culturally respectful spaces that encourage cultural resilience and economic sustainability by promoting public education through cultural arts.

This boisterous street fair attracts independent artists, performers, local bands, troupes of acrobats, buskers, makers and more to celebrate their art on Northeast Alberta Street. Held year-round, the event is biggest from June through August, when the street is closed to traffic during the festivities from 15th Avenue to 30th Avenue.

TEDxPortland, the largest TEDx event in the world, celebrates its 10th anniversary. For its first time, the event heads to the Moda Center in North Portland (home of the city’s iconic NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers). Enjoy a day of notable and inspirational speakers and peruse local food vendors and businesses at a pop-up…

Since 1990, Champagne Ball has helped nearly 40,000 people ring in the New Year in a fun and safe environment. Every New Year’s Eve, Champagne Ball brings in top entertainers. The event features 18 bars because the Champagne Ball wants people out dancing, not standing in long lines. The party also includes a massive countdown…

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. This carefully curated lineup will highlight some of the best folk and Americana acts that the West Coast has to offer….

See Portland’s newest theater and dance works every January at Portland’s Fertile Ground Festival.

Brighten your February with glowing sculptures and thousands of twinkling lights at the annual Winter Lights Festival.

The City of Roses boasts one of the best tango communities outside of Buenos Aires, with dances and lessons available almost every night.

​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.

SheBrew is an all genders, all ages fundraising event to show support for female-identified members of our community, while supporting LGBTQ people here in Oregon and across the Nation. Come try local female craft beer and cider accompanied by musicians, comedians, games, raffle and community celebrities. Join us for our 3rd annual festival while celebrating…

Founded in 1979, the Shamrock Run Portland is the largest running and walking event in Oregon and is the third-largest running event in the western United States.

The Hippie Chick half marathon, quarter marathon, 5k and kid’s half-mile race returns for Mother’s Day weekend. This female-focused event is designed to celebrate how amazing women are. Grab your mom, your sister, your friend, or your co-worker and register to run through Oregon’s scenic countryside. The route finishes back at Ron Tonkin Field with…

The Mt. Tabor Art Walk is a Portland tradition. This juried show and sale is a great opportunity to see quality visual art and meet artists in their studios and homes. Diverse media are represented including photography, painting, ceramics, sculpture, prints, metal arts, photography, glass, jewelry, book arts and mosaics. The Mt. Tabor Art Walk…

Considered the “hub” of the annual Portland Rose Festival, CityFair fills Waterfront Park with carnival rides, concerts, food and fireworks for multiple weekends during the festival.

For more than 40 years, Portland’s Starlight Parade has offered funky, eclectic fun for everyone. From traditional marching bands and flood-lit floats to glow-in-the-dark umbrellas and unique hand-built entries, you’ll see the best of Portland’s diverse community groups (and surrounding Northwest region) together in one whimsical pageant.

Portland’s most popular fun run, the Starlight Run, is the wacky warm-up act for the Portland General Electric/SOLVE Starlight Parade is starting and finishing on Naito Parkway at Rose Festival CityFair. All runners will get a medal and enjoy free access to CityFair following the race! Other goodies for race registrants TBA.

Since 1907, visiting ships have made their way to Portland’s waterfront. The City of Roses is known to be a favorite port of call for military (and non-military) visitors, as Portland’s citizens thank them and make them feel welcome. The Portland Rose Festival is extremely fortunate to be one of a few U.S. Ports of…

From the moment the lovable Fred Bear cuts the ribbon to kick off the Fred Meyer Junior Parade, fun reigns. Children come from all parts of the city to join in: dressing in costume, transforming wagons into floats, decorating their bikes with colorful flowers, or just parading with their pets (and parents!). Elementary and Middle…

Each year, the Lloyd Center hosts the Portland Rose Society Annual Spring Rose Show, the largest and longest-running rose show in the nation. The exquisite beauty and fragrances of this yearly show emanate from more than 4,000 blooms. Entry is open to anyone, and all entrants are encouraged. Rose growers from across the Pacific Northwest…

A cherished highlight of the Portland Rose Festival, this popular procession is more than a spectacular floral-filled parade; it’s a beloved annual tradition. For more than 100 years, Portland families, visitors and community groups have been making memories at the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. A colorful reflection of local, regional and international communities, the…

The Rose Festival is proud to host the Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races, an event that has been bringing an exciting Chinese tradition to Portland for more than two decades, beginning in 1989. Held on the Willamette River near the Hawthorne Bridge, the races feature exciting four-team heats held every nine minutes. More than…

The Rose Festival Queen is chosen from all of the Court members and is crowned at the Queen’s Coronation presented by Unitus Community Credit Union. The Queen represents Portland and the Rose Festival for one year at appearances throughout the country and abroad. When choosing a Queen, judges consider each Court member’s leadership and scholastic…

A classic Rose Festival event and family-friendly community tradition dating back to 1973, the Milk Carton Boat Race is a spectacle you won’t want to miss. Children and adults race and show off their handmade, human-powered boats that float only by means of recycled milk cartons and jugs. Creatively constructed watercraft will compete in nine…

2021 event has been canceled. The festival will return in 2022 at the following July dates. The Portland Craft Beer Festival brings a huge outdoor party to the Fields Neighborhood Park, along with a huge selection of local beers, ciders and wine, originating from Portland, Oregon breweries. Only beers, plus ciders and wine, crafted within…

The annual Harefest music festival in Canby presents the Northwest’s best tribute bands performing on three stages over two days. The Harefest experience has been described by many attendees and performers as “adult summer camp” not only for the fun-loving, good-natured attendees but also because of its rustic location and tent camping around the festival…

Every summer since 2011, thousands of people swim and float in the Willamette River for the annual Big Float event.

Portland Fashion Week, the Sundance™ of Fashion Weeks, is the 3rd oldest fashion week series in the United States, TIME ™ Magazine’s “BEST Indie Fashion Week in the USA since 2012, and the only carbon-negative fashion week in the world as outlined by The Huffington Post. From top-of-the-line eco-chic fashion experiences to our support for…

Portland’s premier pop-culture event, Rose City Comic Con is produced locally with a focus on creating a fun and friendly event for everyone. While its primary focus is that of comics, comic creators and the creative process, Rose City Comic Con also provides its attendees with access to gaming, sci-fi, cosplay, anime, fantasy and everything…

Taking runners along a loop of Portland along the east and west sides of the city’s Willamette River, the Portland Marathon is an excellent way to see a lot of Portland in one great run. The race starts and finishes at Waterfront Park, crossing four bridges and passing by some of the city’s most iconic…