Special Events in Portland
January
Chinese New Year Celebration
Held in late January - early February
Location: Classical Chinese Garden
503-228-8131
In keeping with over 4,000 years of Chinese tradition, the Portland Classical Chinese Garden welcomes the New Year with an exuberant and colorful celebration. For two weeks, the Garden showcases a number of activities for the whole family which include: lion dances, knot tying and paper cutting crafts, storytelling, martial arts demonstrations, and an art exhibit featuring David Lee. The Garden's Annual Chinese New Year Plant Sale, its largest plant sale of the year, delights the senses with fragrant orchids, citrus, witch hazel, quince, Chinese paper-bush and more.
March
Spring Beer & Wine Fest
Held in late March
Location: Oregon Convention Center
503-238-3770
Annual Spring Beer & Wine Fest is one of the nation's largest "spring-time" alcoholic events held annually at Easter time and encourages responsible drinking.
St. Patrick's Irish Festival
Held in mid March
Location: Kells Irish Pub
503-227-4057
Kells is host to the annual Portland St. Patrick's Irish Festival, one of the largest on the west coast; a live music filled event for the entire family.
June
Portland Arts Festival
Held in mid June
Location: South Park Blocks
503-227-2681
The Portland Arts Festival is one of the region's largest and most significant visual arts events.
July
Oregon Brewers Festival
Held in late July
Location: Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park
503-778-5917
The Oregon Brewers Festival features handcrafted beers from 72 of the top craft breweries from around the country. The festival is considered one of the finest craft beer festivals in the nation. Joining the breweries are industry exhibits, vendors, restaurants and live entertainment.
August
Homowo Festival of African Arts
Held in early August
Location: South Park Blocks
503-288-3025
The annual Homowo Festival of African Arts is a two-day community-wide event featuring jubilant African music and dance performances, food, arts and crafts, storytelling and more.
Annual Mount Hood Huckleberry Festival & Barlow Trail Days
Held in late August
Location: Mount Hood Village
503-622-4798
This festival has something for everyone: live music, Native American storytelling, singing, drumming and dancing; salmon bake and many food offerings, all featuring huckleberries. The carpool tour of the Barlow Trail, which became the first toll road over the Cascade Mountain Range, views remnants of the historic wilderness path including ruts and swales of the long gone Prairie Schooners and struggles of the Eden-seeking emigrants.
September
Cascade AIDS Walk
Held in late September
Location: Pioneer Courthouse Square
503-223-WALK
Annual AIDS walk with family, friends, and co-workers. Thousands of walkers raise urgently needed funds, honor friends and loved-ones lost to AIDS or living with HIV/AIDS and send the message that the crisis is not over and together the course of the pandemic can be changed.
Annual Oregon Polish Festival
Held in late September
Location: St. Stanislaus Polish Catholic Church
503-286-3776
This ethnic celebration is one of the largest Polish festivals in the Western US. Included in the festival are rich, homemade, cream-cheese filled pierogies Polish entrees, soups, pastries and of course kielbasa sausages. The last day concludes with a "Let's Gdansk" street dance.
October
El Dia de Los Muertos Festival
Held in mid October - mid November
Location: Miracle Theatre, Portland
503-236-7253
Every year, the dead are commemorated in a lively show of dance, music and theatre in Portland's only annual Day of the Dead Celebration. Join everyone for an extraordinary bilingual journey through the traditions of this colorful Mexican festival.
November
Annual Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Festival
Held in mid November
Location: The Heathman Restaurant
503-292-6871
The French American Chamber of Commerce announces the annual event. The event celebrates the arrival of the first, fresh "new wine vintage" - the famous Beaujolais Nouveau of the Beaujolais region of France, whose ceremonial uncorking announces the end of the harvest season in the countryside and in the cafes of France.
December
Annual Holiday Box
Held in early - late December
Location: Portland Window Project
A changing display of desirable art by gallery artists fills the PDX Window Project; the selection rotates frequently.
Handel's Messiah
Held in mid December
Location: First Baptist Flanagan
503-222-6000
Portland Baroque Orchestra brings audiences home for the holidays with its annual performances of Handel's enduring Messiah.
Christmas Festival of Lights at the Grotto
Held in late November - late December
Location: The Grotto
503-261-2400
Welcoming visitors annually, this ecumenical lighting and music festival is quite possibly the largest Christmas choral festival of its kind in the world. The Festival features 140 holiday music concerts performed in The Grotto's 600-seat chapel with over 5,000 singers and musicians giving their gift of music during the annual celebration.