Downtown Portland recorded more than 22.2 million pedestrian visits from January through August 2026, according to Downtown Portland Clean & Safe. July and August each surpassed 3 million visits, while worker traffic remained nearly 50% below 2019 levels, creating a mixed picture for the central city’s businesses and economy.
Dream Big City is moving Portland Dream Plaza into a new phase, more than a year after the Central Eastside space first opened. The nonprofit is preparing renovations and new community-built features at SE 9th Avenue and Taylor Street. This report explains the plaza’s timeline, current expansion, programming and
By: EM Crocker There is a specific quality of authenticity that separates fiction written by someone who has been inside the world they are describing from fiction that has been researched from the outside, and it announces itself on nearly every page of Rising Star. Michele Kwasniewski spent more
By Colin James Portland has always had a complicated relationship with polish. This is a city that can appreciate a beautifully constructed record while remaining deeply suspicious of anything that feels manufactured. From the alternative-rock explosion of the 1990s to today’s sprawling network of indie, Americana, punk and roots-rock
By: Eric Johnson In Shadows & Kings, part of Jennifer Aitken’s Legends of Light & Shadows saga, the battles may unfold across fantastical worlds, but one of the story’s most important conflicts is strikingly human: learning to believe in yourself when doubt insists that you can’t. For Aitken, that
By Natalie Marks There are easier ways to write a pop song than asking your audience whether they’ve ever loved like a tree. You could write about a breakup. You could write about revenge. You could write about somebody who left you on read and turn three dots on
A 4,000-square-foot Phoenix pollinator garden has opened at the Phoenix Library in Southern Oregon, creating a public green space shaped by community discussions after the 2020 Almeda Fire. Jackson County Library Services and the Jackson County Library Foundation helped develop the garden, which includes plants selected to attract butterflies
Portland, Oregon, is known for its quirky neighborhoods, lush parks, craft breweries, and famously eccentric personality. But beneath the city’s laid-back exterior lies a darker history filled with mysterious deaths, vanished sailors, underground passageways, and forgotten graves. From elegant mansions overlooking the city to notorious tunnels beneath its streets,
Portland’s James Beard Public Market has secured a construction permit for its downtown site, advancing the next phase of a roughly 38,000-square-foot project planned for Southwest Sixth Avenue and Alder Street. The year-round market is expected to house more than 40 small businesses, with a spring 2027 opening target
Portland’s Lloyd Center ice rink is scheduled to close on August 8, ending a 66-year run at the center of the Northeast Portland mall. The closure affects longtime skaters, coaches, families, and tenants as redevelopment plans move forward. This report explains the final-day events, the rink’s history, and the
Pickathon is returning to Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley with a four-day schedule featuring live music, family-friendly activities, and immersive festival spaces. The annual event brings together artists from multiple genres while offering attendees opportunities to experience performances, community activities, and outdoor attractions. Key Takeaways Pickathon returns to Pendarvis
By: AP Sanders There is a specific reading experience that the best psychological thrillers produce and that most merely competent ones approximate without quite achieving, the experience of being so completely inside a story that the real world becomes temporarily less real than the fictional one, where the anxiety
By: GP Sullivan Many fantasy novels know how they end before you do. Terrence W. Walsh wrote one that does not, or more precisely, one that holds three different endings open simultaneously and then gives Prince Adam the unusual and slightly disorienting freedom to choose between history, comedy, and
Free Art in the Park is returning to downtown Portland with a series of free creative gatherings scheduled throughout the summer. The initiative invites residents and visitors to take part in public art activities that encourage community participation while making creative experiences accessible in a shared outdoor setting. Key
Portland and communities across Oregon are beginning a busy July festival season, with events focused on music, art, food, wildlife, agriculture, rodeo traditions, and outdoor recreation. The statewide calendar includes free concerts, coastal gatherings, community fairs, lavender festivals, and heritage events organized by local groups, nonprofits, municipalities, volunteers,
In-N-Out Opens First Portland-Area Restaurant in Hillsboro became a reality on June 18 as the California-based burger chain welcomed customers to its newest Oregon location, bringing its first restaurant to the Portland metropolitan region. The opening took place in Hillsboro at Tanasbourne Town Center, where large crowds gathered to
Native American dancers, drum groups, artists, families, and visitors are set to gather at East Delta Park in North Portland from June 19 to June 21 for the 56th Annual City of Roses Delta Park Powwow and Encampment. Organized by the Bow & Arrow Culture Club, the free public
Portland food scene received national recognition at the 2026 James Beard Awards after Scotch Lodge secured the Outstanding Bar award and Ryan Roadhouse of Nodoguro was named Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific. The honors were announced during the annual awards ceremony hosted by the James Beard Foundation, placing two
Portland Mercado is moving closer to welcoming vendors and visitors back after reconstruction efforts continued at the community marketplace that was heavily damaged by a fire. The nonprofit-operated cultural and business hub in Southeast Portland is targeting a September reopening date, marking a major milestone in recovery efforts that
Portland Rose Festival marked the end of its 2026 celebration weekend as thousands of spectators gathered in the city center to watch a newly combined procession featuring two of the event’s signature attractions. Festival organizers brought together the Grand Floral Parade and the Starlight Parade into a single downtown
Portland dog park access expanded this month with the opening of a new off-leash facility near Portland State University, marking the first dedicated dog park located in the city’s downtown core. The fenced space, known as Valhowlla, recently welcomed visitors at the corner of Southwest 11th Avenue and Market
By: Conor Murray The Pacific Northwest has never needed the spotlight to do its most important work. It has always built its most enduring music in the gray spaces, in the perpetual drizzle, the dense evergreen canopy, and the particular kind of introspection that forms when a city turns
Portland arts tax revisions moved forward Wednesday after city officials approved a new structure that lowers the number of residents required to pay the fee while increasing the annual amount charged to qualifying taxpayers. The decision came during a Portland City Council session focused on revenue measures tied to
Portland Opera 2026-27 season programming was announced this week as the company introduced a slate of productions and events organized around the theme “Driven by Vision.” The organization outlined a schedule that includes mainstage operas, concerts, community programming, and artist development initiatives planned for audiences in Portland during the
