Greater Portland Area Activites and Newsletter - May 1-8, 2026
Secure your spot at Oregon’s largest multicultural festival, filled with live entertainment, authentic Mexican cuisine, carnival rides, artisan vendors, and so much more. Early ticket purchases guarantee the best prices and a seamless entry to this five-day celebration of culture, community, and fun for all ages.
May 2-3
All aboard! The Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Historical Society in North Portland would like to invite you to experience the majestic PNW in miniature HO scale, as they open their doors to the public for a special Open House on May 2nd and 3rd. Come experience their intricate layout in person, as this society of model railroaders has been operating continuously in Portland for 78 years and fosters a community for a diverse group of train enthusiasts. This event is family-friendly, and all are welcome.
BRICKS CASCADE
May 2-3
Head to the Oregon Convention Center for the annual Bricks Cascade, Portland’s premier public LEGO event. See creations from hundreds of builders from the Pacific Northwest and worldwide in this two-day event. Talk to the creators of these fantastic creations, then leave your own builds on the Wall of Creation. Race your own brick-built car on the derby track, and build your own creation at a creation station. There will also be dozens of vendors on-site with custom, unique and rare LEGO-based products.
Voted one of the “best 50 events in Oregon”, Bricks Cascade has something for the whole family, including hundreds of amazing LEGO creations on display, various opportunities to build and play, and several specialty vendors. 2024 will be the 12th year in operation, with hundreds of builders bringing their original LEGO based models for your viewing pleasure
ONE MOTO SHOW
May 1-3
In 2010, the inaugural One Motorcycle Show (often referred to simply as “One Moto”) was hosted in an abandoned warehouse near downtown Portland. “Because we thought it’d be fun,” organizers say.
The three-day One Moto Show event has evolved significantly since then. The weekend draws thousands of fans into Portland to revel in bikes, biker culture, and abundant fun. The showcase at The One Moto features hundreds of motorcycles from across the globe, offering an inclusive display that honors unconventional, unique, and custom-built bikes.
May 1–3
It’s baby goatpalooza over at the farm. On May 1, the gates open at Frog Pond Farm in Wilsonville, where baby animal season is officially underway. Have you ever met a baby llama? Now is your chance. Meet camels, llamas, mini donkeys, goats, pigs, cows, and more, plus all the spring babies everyone has been waiting for. With 10+ acres to explore, Frog Pond Farm offers a full day of outdoor fun designed for all ages.
- Meet and feed 80+ animals, including spring babies
- Bounce, climb, and play in the covered Bounce Park (rain or shine)
- Live shows and hands-on farm experiences
- Coffee and fresh apple cider doughnuts made fresh daily
- Plenty of space to wander, play, and connect
The 19th installment of the Portland Derby is back. Celebrating the greatest two minutes in sports, the “Run for the Rose City,” is the social event of the Spring. A day for fashion, mint juleps, roses, ponies and dancing. Prizes for best dressed.
Now you have a reason to get dressed up with friends and have an incredible time. Who doesn’t love a great day party featuring: the ornate beautiful hats, sun dresses, seersucker suits, garlands of roses, mint juleps, the horse action, bow ties, a splash of makers, my old Kentucky Home, cigars, champagne, outdoor dance floor, indoor dance floor and the greatest two minutes in sports.
CRAFTY WONDERLAND + CRAFT MARKET
May 1–2
Founded in 2006, Crafty Wonderland is now the city’s biggest arts and crafts market, drawing hundreds of vendors and tens of thousands of visitors to the (nice and dry) Oregon Convention Center in Northeast Portland. The twice-yearly market returns in early December and May (just in time for holiday shopping and Mother’s Day, respectively).
At Crafty Wonderland’s markets, you can find products like illustrated portraits of punk rock cats and hipster triceratopses, pins, patches and prints, and elemental brass and copper metalwork combined with geodes and gemstones. (That’s not to mention a slew of clever t-shirts, unique stationery, funky pet accessories, small-batch mustards and nut butters, craft spirits, natural soaps, terrariums and more.)
SCIENCE PUB: TORNADO TECH
May 5
Severe weather captures people’s attention. TV stations and streaming platforms offer nearly continuous coverage of tornadoes, strong thunderstorms, flash flooding, and blizzards.
Over the last 15 years, technology has advanced to the point where a live video stream can originate anywhere on the planet. TV station staff, storm chasers, independent meteorologists, and weather enthusiasts have turned streaming platforms into major sources of weather coverage. In this lecture, we will take a look at the technology used to track these storms and how storm chasers in the field can share real-time video and photographs despite the storm raging around them.
With Bobby Corser, Digital Meteorologist and Content Producer for KATU-TV in Portland.
SOLAR SUPERSTORMS
Apr. 1–May 12
Solar Superstorms, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, takes viewers into the tangle of magnetic fields and superhot plasma that vent the Sun’s rage in dramatic flares, violent solar tornadoes, and the largest eruptions in the solar system: coronal mass ejections. Audiences will witness a fury building on the surface of the Sun — high-velocity jets, a fiery tsunami wave that reaches 100,000 kilometers high, and rising loops of electrified gas. What’s driving these strange phenomena? How will they affect planet Earth? Find the answers and venture into the seething interior of a star.
PORTLAND JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Ongoing Until Apr 26
The Portland Jewish Music Festival 2026 is now in its second year. This celebration of Jewish musical traditions from throughout the diaspora and Israel will fill EJC for more than a week with top-tier artists from near and far. One of the most famous Mizrachi musicians in the world, Yair Dalal, is a festival headliner. The Portland Jewish Music Festival is quickly becoming not only a tentpole of EJC and local Jewish programming, but also a highlight of the region’s cultural calendar, period. Enjoy 11 days and nights of concerts, discussions and community.
WESTSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Apr 4-May 9
Come Alive is a six-week journey that begins with the explosive hope of Easter and unfolds into the life-changing reality of what the resurrection of Jesus truly means. The empty tomb wasn’t simply the end of death—it was the beginning of a brand-new future for humanity and for the whole world.
In this powerful series, we’ll explore the breathtaking hope unleashed by Jesus rising from the dead: the promise of heaven, the future God is preparing, and why eternity changes the way we live right now. What really happens after we die? What kind of life awaits those who belong to Christ? And how does the promise of eternity fill our everyday lives with courage, purpose, and hope?
If death is not the end and heaven is real, then every moment matters more than we imagine.
Death is finished. Hope is forever.
It’s time to Come Alive.
AANHPI HERITAGE MONTH: "SONG OF THE FIREFLIES" Film SCREENING
May 2
Experience “Song of the Fireflies,” a beautiful and moving story of resilience and community. The film follows the origin story of the Loboc Children’s Choir and how, through their almost magical singing talent and the sheer determination of their teacher/founder, it has continued to wow the world and bring pride and honor to the Philippines from the 1980s to this day. The film will be dubbed in English.
BLUEGRASS JAMS
On-going
Hopworks is thrilled to welcome Patrick and his rotating vintage bluegrass band for a weekly jam session. They’ll be playing classic tunes from the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, along with a solid lineup of original songs in that same hard-driving, traditional style.
Join a toe-tapping good time filled with lively music, great vibes, and cold drinks. Whether you’re a bluegrass fan or just looking for a fun night out, Hopworks is the place to be.
Come on down, grab a drink, and soak up the good vibes.
This foundation of inspiring individuals forms the basis of the community we're building in Portland to inform our present and evolve our future. We'd love for you to join the movement.
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Apr. 29–May 10
The Phantom is back to thrill audiences once again! Cameron Mackintosh presents a revitalized new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary musical, The Phantom of the Opera, which was rapturously received by London critics when it reopened in 2021. Featuring Maria Björnson’s brilliant original design and based on the celebrated direction of Harold Prince, with musical staging and choreography by Gillian Lynne. The Phantom of the Opera is widely considered one of the most beautiful and spectacular productions in history, playing to over 160 million people in 47 territories and 195 cities in 21 languages. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s romantic, haunting, and soaring score includes “The Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again,” “Masquerade,” and the iconic title song. It tells the tale of a disfigured musical genius known only as ‘The Phantom’ who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerized by the talents and beauty of a young soprano, Christine, the Phantom lures her as his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine’s love for Raoul, the Phantom’s obsession sets the stage for a dramatic turn of events in which jealousy, madness, and passion collide.
PORTLAND SATURDAY MARKET
Ongoing
Nationally recognized as the largest continuously operating open-air arts and crafts market in the country, Portland Saturday Market is proud to provide a marketpla
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