Greater Portland Area Activities: September 11-18, 2026

Nationally recognized as the largest continuously operating open-air arts and crafts market in the country, the Portland Saturday Market Combines the vibes of an art show, a live street concert and an open-air bazaar. has been a beloved Rose City tradition since 1974 — in 2024, the market celebrated its 50th anniversary and earned the "Oregon Heritage Tradition" title. It's considered the largest continually operating arts-and-crafts fair in the United States, drawing up to 1 million visitors during its annual season.

Rose City Comic Con is produced locally and has a weird and wonderful vibe unique to the Pacific Northwest. The ultimate goal remains the same — to deliver the most rewarding, memorable, laughter-inducing weekend ever. While comic books and their mega-talented creators remain the cornerstone of RCCC, fans of all ages can also access top-tier celebrity guests, video and tabletop gaming, cosplay, anime, science fiction, fantasy, and everything in between.

As one of the most popular groups to emerge from the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer merges the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick and the angular guitar leads of the Pixies, while infusing their melodies with doses of ’70s metal gleaned from bands like Kiss. What truly sets the band apart, though, is their implied geekiness. None of the members of Weezer, especially leader Rivers Cuomo, were conventional rockers: they were kids who holed up in their garage to play along with their favorite records when they weren’t studying or watching TV. As a result, their music is infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness tha

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 the local fashion community and the community, it’s no wonder Portland Fashion Week is on the “Top 100 Things to Do Before You Die” Portland Bucket List.

Since 1989, Portland and its sister city Kaohsiung, Taiwan, have shared the tradition of annual dragon boat racing on the Willamette and Love (Ai He) rivers. Teams practice all summer to compete in three-ish-minute sprints ending under the Hawthorne Bridge. Racing teams are formed by friends, coworkers, cancer survivors, schools, and more, with the festival encouraging community connection through friendly competition.

So come and join an adrenaline-packed day filled with colorful dragon boats, friendly competition, and awesome vibes by the water. Whether you’re a paddler or just there for the fun, there’s something for everyone. Food, music, and non-stop energy make this a can’t-miss summer bash in Portland. Don’t miss out on the splashy fun at the 2026 Portland Dragon Boat Festival.

Panda Fest, a nationally celebrated Asian food and culture festival, is making its Oregon debut this fall, transforming Tom McCall Waterfront Park into a vibrant culinary and cultural destination featuring street food vendors, handcrafted goods, live entertainment, cultural showcases, and Instagram-worthy panda-themed experiences.

Great blue herons, bald eagles and peregrine falcons are just a few of the Rose City avian residents routinely spotted by visitors. But to really “put a bird” on a Portland memory, mark the calendar for September’s Chapman Swift Watch — the time of year when thousands of Vaux’s swifts drift through the city on their annual migration from Canada to Central and South America. The tiny birds spend their days hunting for insects and their evenings roosting, bat-like, in trees and chimneys.

The towering smokestack of Chapman Elementary School in Northwest Portland, which attracts as many as 16,000 swifts looking for a place to hunker down for the evening.

You are invited to celebrate the season of Dahlias. Stroll through almost 50 acres of breathtaking fields and a beautiful display garden of stunning dahlias featuring over 375 varieties. Treat yourself to a rainbow of colors by taking photos, shopping in our gift shop, and purchasing fresh-cut dahlias to take home. Select and order your favorite dahlias for spring delivery to enjoy the beauty in your garden the following year. Fill your belly with yummy treats from the food carts, relax and enjoy the live music on the weekend, or take one of the classes throughout the festival dates.

Join The Star Theater for a two-day celebration of Portland’s incredible music scene in support of youth experiencing homelessness. It’s music with a mission. The 2026 festival is a face melter.

Night one features Is This Real? with two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Matt Cameron (Soundgarden and Pearl Jam), supported by Jenny Don’t and the Spurs and local legend Pete Krebs ( Hazel).

Night two is packed with local favorites Grolixes, Triple Lutz, The Mistons, Ogre (Willamette Week’s Best New Band of 2025), and Altar Girl (Willamette Week’s Best New Band of 2026).

Welcome to the Kit Kat Club, where the music is hot, the nightlife is intoxicating, and the world outside is beginning to unravel.

Theatre in the Grove proudly launches its 55th Season with the landmark musical Cabaret, directed by Zoe Centers. Set in Berlin during the final years of the Weimar Republic, Cabaret follows aspiring American writer Cliff Bradshaw as he becomes entangled in the vibrant, seductive world of nightclub performer Sally Bowles. Inside the Kit Kat Club, life is a dazzling celebration of freedom, self-expression, and escape. Outside its doors, however, political extremism and social upheaval are quietly reshaping Germany.

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.

Sign Squad is a popular, inclusive weekly American Sign Language (ASL) meetup where Deaf individuals, beginners, and experienced signers gather to socialize and practice signing. It is an all-ages, no-pressure environment. The Sign Squad community meets at Woodstock Cafe, a beloved gathering space for the local Deaf community, famous for taking orders in sign language and providing an accessible, welcoming environment. Affectionately called the Sign Language Cafe, Woodstock café offers a space for Deaf and hearing individuals to communicate and collaborate seamlessly, supporting community bonds through shared interests.