summer festivals + outdoor activities in portland

What happens when you combine creativity with a questionable amount of engineering experience and then send it hurtling down the side of a hill? You get the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby—the epitome of Portland culture.

It’s the time of year when the sun should be shining in the Rose City, and whether or not that’s a fact, Portlanders take to the streets and parks to enjoy live music, parades, street fairs and more. If you need ideas for where to find summer fun outside, Neighborhood Notes has some suggestions to get you started. Now, get out there and join your neighbors for an outdoor movie on the big screen or a bike ride.

Portland Rose Festival

May-June

Proud to be the Rose City, the Portland Rose Festival is our namesake festival. While there are innumerable events and activities planned, the carnival-like CityFair is open three weekend in a row—from May 24 to June 9—starting on Memorial Day weekend (opening night features fireworks) and includes rides, vendors, music, food and more. Then, the June 1 Starlight Run and Parade gives participants a chance to join a fun run through downtown’s streets while spectators can enjoy the runner’s costumes and the following floats, marching bands and more. June 6 and 7 bring the Portland Rose Society’s 125th Annual Spring Rose Show, while June 8 is the big day, marking the Queen’s Coronation at Memorial Coliseum, followed by the Grand Floral Walk, and then the culminating event: the Grand Floral Parade.

Movies in the Park

June-September

While it might not be a drive-in theater, the Portland Parks Foundation keeps a little piece of American history alive with its free Movies in the Park. On select warm summer nights throughout the city, some 40,000 community members come together in more than 40 local parks under an open sky to watch a movie, snack on popcorn, and enjoy the company of their neighbors.

Waterfront Blues Festival

July 4-7, 2013

More than a quarter century old and going strong, the nation’s second largest celebration of blues, rock ‘n’ roll and soul takes place right here in Portland. A benefit for the Oregon Food Bank, the Waterfront Blues Festival draws more than 100,000 people to see more than 100 artists on multiple stages during several days of music, sun, brews and, of course, fireworks on the Fourth of July.

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Visit Neighborhood Notes to find more summer festivals and outdoor activities across town all summer long, like Sunday Parkways, Concerts in the Park, the Mississippi Ave Street Fair and more.