2024 Amplify Portland Grant Awardees

In partnership with Travel Portland, the Portland Events and Film Office is excited to announce the three recipients of the Amplify Portland: Local Filmmakers Production Grant. The Amplify Portland Grant is intended to create opportunity for filmmakers utilizing local talent, crew and vendors during production. Our aim was to contribute to productions that build professional development of the local industry and have the potential to bring exposure to Portland through unique stories with diverse representation both in front of and behind the camera.   

“Once again, I am blown away by the talent that is coming out of Portland. The stories being told range from many different genres, but the one thing they all have in common is the character of Portland. Film and the vibrant art scene in this city help us write our own narrative and portrayal of the stories that represent us and the Portland we want the rest of the World to see.” Elyse Taylor Liburd, Film Industry Project Manager.  

After a thought-provoking and spirited review process, the grant panel, made up of industry professionals, awarded the three top scoring film productions $10,000 each.   

  
Please join us in congratulating the 3 award recipients:  

Something About the Tide

"Something About the Tide" is a feature-length coming-of-age dramedy for those of us over 30. The story follows a Type A addict in recovery who is tasked with reuniting her dying mother with a previous child given up for adoption, and she must choose between fulfilling her mom’s final wish or risk being replaced by her picture-perfect half-brother who is everything she should have been.  

The film is directed by Desdemona Chiang, written/produced by Julia Morizawa, and lead produced by Ashley Song. Set in Portland, Oregon, the story highlights local businesses, landmarks, and is employing local crew and talent. To find out more about the film (including a pitch video produced as part of AT&T's Untold Stories program at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival) you can go to at www.somethingaboutthetide.com. 

Dragathon: Meeting Hate with Joy

photo by: Holly Andres

In 2023 hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation were introduced prompting three friends to set out to break the Guinness World Record for the longest drag show ever at Portland's historic Darcelle XV Showplace. Dragathon: Meeting Hate With Joy is a 90-minute feature-length documentary covering conception through 48-hour execution with intercuts of personal stories from the events performers from local queens to RuPaul's Drag Race talent and emcees from politicians to Saturday Night Live alumni involved. This film is brought to you by executive producers Eden Dawn and Emma Mcilroy. Eden Dawn is an award-winning journalist from her years as senior editor of Portland Monthly magazine, a PNBA and Powell’s bestselling author, curator of the Fashion in Film series at the Hollywood Theater, and a life-long Oregonian. Emma Mcilroy is a queer-feminist-Irish-immigrant-female-CEO. She is the founder and CEO of Wildfang, a fashion brand on a mission to rewrite the future of gender. Director Pamela Ralat is an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer and editor. She earned a finalist position for the Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship for emerging doc editors with her first feature-length film, a prestigious recognition by the American Cinema Editors. 

"Every 45 seconds in this county a young LGBTQ+ person attempts suicide. Our goal with breaking the world record was for those kids to see a community that will stand up for them. And now the documentary will spread that message widely to queer kids everywhere that Portland is a place that will show up for them and love them, just as they are, because they are perfect." 

Leaders of Men

"Leaders of Men" is a compelling documentary that follows Portland football coaches Anthony Stoudamire of Jefferson High School and Ryan McCants of Roosevelt High School, capturing the transformative power of mentorship and the role of coaches as community role models. Set against the backdrop of Portland's North neighborhoods, this film delves into the lives of two dedicated coaches as they guide and inspire their players, all while preparing for their much-anticipated rivalry game. Through this journey, "Leaders of Men" showcases the lasting impact of mentorship both on and off the field. This is a story of leadership, coming-of-age and community.  

This film, directed by Lorenzo Lowe III of A Stella Visual, draws on his years working for the Coalition of Black Men Dream Bigger Mentoring Program working to uplift youth and families. Throughout this time, he also filmed for various community organizations, capturing the spirit and dedication of local leaders striving for change. "Leaders of Men" is the culmination of these experiences, blending his perspective as both a filmmaker, mentor and mentee to spotlight the impactful work happening here in Portland.   

Congratulations Scale Up Event Grant Awardees July-December 2024

In partnership with Travel Portland, the Events & Film Office at Prosper Portland is proud to announce five awardees for the Scale Up Grant, a competitive grant program providing funding and technical assistance for local Portland events that are positioned to grow and attract attendance beyond the Portland metro region. The awardees are Sneaker Week PDX, the 11th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival, Lan Su Chinese Garden’s Mid-Autumn Moonlight Market, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Art Festival, and the 2024 Portland Book Festival. 
 

Commissioner Carmen Rubio said, “Scale Up Event Grants build on Portland’s reputation as a creative and eventful city. By helping mid-sized events grow to attract more audiences — especially visitors — this program greatly benefits our community and our economy.” 

Sneaker Week PDX – Friday, July 26 – Thursday, August 1 

Sneaker Week PDX is a seven-day, all-ages celebration of sneaker culture and its economic impact throughout Portland. Enthusiasts, designers, and brands are given the platform to exchange ideas and explore sneaker culture. The weeklong festival includes workshops, panel discussions, collaborative demonstrations, skill challenges, a consumer summit, and many exhibits. Cultural celebrations will include food and drinks from local vendors, as well as live music and performances. During the week, participants will network and support local businesses by participating in Open Houses offering exclusive glimpses into the opportunities in the sneaker industry beyond footwear design and production. 

“The receipt of the Scale Up grant from Prosper Portland is not only a crucial asset for expanding our operational capacity but it also symbolizes the recognition of our potential to generate more employment, tourism, and economic opportunities for Portlanders and aspiring footwear professionals across the globe." 

• Herbert Beauclere, Co-founder, Sneaker Week PDX 

11th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival – Friday, August 30 – Sunday, September 1     

Photo by Kathryn Elsesser. All rights reserved.

The 11th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival (MJF) celebrates local artistry, food, and shops in a village-style event for the whole family. In a mix of venues, the festival presents 3 days of ticketed and free concerts indoors and outdoors in iconic locations such as Mt. Tabor Park, the Historic Downtown Montavilla Street Plaza, and other notable indoor venues such as Strum, The 1905 and Alberta Rose Theatre. Award-winning Montavilla businesses such as Yaowarat, Vino Veritas, Threshold Brewing, The Observatory and many others will help showcase what makes Portland, Oregon special, with nightly food and drink specials, live music, and DJ sets. 

“Montavilla Jazz is immensely excited to receive Prosper Portland’s Scale Up Grant for summer 2024. This significant funding and technical support from Prosper Portland and Travel Portland will help us realize our grand vision for a fun and inclusive event that reaches more people, boosts the local economy, and most of all celebrates Portland’s creative spirit.”

• Neil Mattson, Executive Director, MONTAVILLA JAZZ 

Mid-Autumn Moonlight Market – Sunday, September 1 – Tuesday, September 3 

Lan Su celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with a three-day bustling marketplace of local Asian businesses open to all ages. Visitors indulge in mouth-watering culinary delights, and captivating cultural performances. As dusk falls and the moon glows, they’ll witness the enchanting spectacle of illuminated lion dances and lanterns adorning the garden while engaging in interactive activities like the rabbit meet & greet and enchanting story time. We'll also have the world debut of adorable rabbit lantern sculptures from China that add a finishing touch of whimsy to this unforgettable celebration of culture, community, and the luminous beauty of the Mid-Autumn Festival!  

"At Lan Su Chinese Garden, we are deeply honored to receive the Scale Up Event Grant, which enables us to extend the Mid-Autumn Moonlight Market beyond the walls of Lan Su and into the heart of our community. This pivotal support from Travel Portland and Prosper Portland not only allows us to showcase and celebrate Asian culture more broadly but also helps us bring more visitors to Old Town, positively impacting our local business partners. We are excited about the potential to transform our festival into a larger, more inclusive celebration that draws the community closer, both to our traditions and to each other." 

• Elizabeth Nye, Executive Director, Lan Su Chinese Garden 

Time-Based Art Festival 2024 – Thursday, September 5 – Saturday, September 14  

Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) will present the 21st edition of the Time-Based Art Festival (TBA), our annual contemporary art festival, in September 2024. TBA:24 is a multi-day, in-person festival, supporting local, national, and international artist projects representing various artistic mediums, including performances, visual art, film, and more. Many projects will be presented by BIPOC and QTPOC artists. While we include content warnings for some of our programs, all ages are welcome to the Festival. Food and drink are available at all TBA:24 events and we partner with local food and drink vendors, with priority for working with BIPOC and Queer-owned businesses. 

“PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival, lovingly known as TBA, is a celebration bringing together groundbreaking artists, engaged audiences, and vibrant communities. Grants like the Scale Up Grant are essential in sustaining this creative ecosystem and enables us to support and present visionary artists. Join us this September to experience the unexpected and the extraordinary at TBA.” 

• Leslie Vigeant, Director of Marketing and Communications, PICA 

2024 Portland Book Festival – Monday, October 28 – Sunday, November 3    

Portland Book Festival is a regional festival that features ~148 authors and moderators in discussions, readings, writing workshops, story times, book fair, local food trucks, and more with ~58 stage events, ~18 readings, ~87 book fair vendors, and four partner bookstores. We have 11 stages at the Portland Art Museum and nearby venues. The Cover-to-Cover series features ~37 literary events put on by ~40 partner bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. throughout the city before and after the Festival. The Friday Night Book Market kicks off the weekend, with book fair vendors; food, beverage and craft vendors; and live music. 

"Portland Book Festival is a cornerstone annual event at the center of art and civic life, bringing readers and writers of all ages together to exchange stories about the world’s most important ideas. We are honored to be a recipient of Prosper Portland’s Scale Up Grant, which will provide much needed marketing resources and publicity support to expand our reach throughout the region. We will be able to engage experts and create new assets to use across our website and social media that will support targeted marketing to attract new audiences to Portland Book Festival, the largest general interest book festival in the PNW." 

• Senior Artistic Director, Amanda Bullock 

Scale Up Grants are intended to advance the city’s economic and cultural revitalization, with an emphasis on supporting areas of Portland that have experienced a significant impact from COVID, including high losses in number of businesses and employment, high increase in office vacancies, and significant change in visitor and employee foot traffic.   

Award packages are comprehensive programs consisting of up to $25,000 in direct financial support plus custom technical, marketing, administrative, and logistical assistance provided by Travel Portland and Prosper Portland. Packages are customized for each recipient depending on needs requested during the application process. Awardees can also connect with other grant recipients as a part of a cohort model.  Applications are slated to open in fall 2024 for the next round of Scale Up Grants to support eligible 2025 events.  

Prosper Portland, Travel Portland, and the City of Portland Office of Arts and Culture support and fund this program.   

Congratulations Post Production Grant Recipients 2024

The Portland Events and Film Office, in partnership with Travel Portland, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Post Production Grant to five feature films.  The funding is designed to encourage the completion of a local feature-length film and position local producers to build toward larger, more resourced productions. Past recipients of the Post-Production Grant have included “Nora” by Anna Campbell and Dawn Redstone Jones’ “Mother of Color,” the latter picked up by Amazon Prime Studios for worldwide streaming distribution.   

Five films, selected from a pool of over 23 applicants will be awarded $8,000 each. Grant funds must be applied towards Portland based post-production services such as: sound, picture editing, color matching, color grading, closed caption, tech specs for distributors, VFX/animation, and music clearances using local post-production houses.  

“Keeping post production in Portland is so important; so many times when people make movies here, they end up doing post in other places.  It is really important to continue to build on the post production infrastructure that we have here in the city,” said Film Industry Project Manager Elyse Taylor Liburd. “I was really blown away by the caliber of the productions and the uniqueness of the storytelling.  Every year that I think we can’t top the last, it just keeps on getting better.”   

The projects were selected based on their commitment to diverse representation in their film and/or in production, the potential impact of the film on local talent and economy; influence of funding on the project and/or career of the applicant, and the potential impact of the film on external markets by way of bringing Portland’s vitality to the big screen. 

Congratulations to all of the recipients of the 2024 Post Production Grant:

Trash Baby-  

Trash Baby is a coming-of-age drama that follows 12-year-old Stevie as she navigates growing up, getting out, and the art of finding beauty in the ugliest of places. 

The film takes a look at poverty in America through the lens of one of the most dismissed communities in the country. “We’re telling a story that is rarely given the attention it deserves and shining a light on the beauty of a world often left socially unclaimed.” says Jacy Mairs, Director of Trash Baby. 

Directing narrative features has been a dream of Oregonian Jacy Mairs for as long as she can remember. She has a long history of working as a part of production in the commercial world, but Trash Baby will be her directorial debut. 

A Simple Machine –  

Nick Allander is a creative soul - a thoughtful, but indecisive, young man with an accounting job, a serious relationship, and a problem... he’s drowning in debt. Coming out of the pandemic, he and his partner, Marie, are looking to take the next step in their relationship, but when Nick’s mother, a hoarder in poor health, suddenly passes, he snaps, abandoning his career, leaving his apartment, and selling all his possessions to secretly squat in the garage of her foreclosed home. 

“This is my first feature production as a producer, however I have worked on multiple productions in other roles over the years. I have been an advocate for filming in Oregon and am passionate about both telling Oregon stories and bringing projects to Oregon. A Simple Machine will hopefully be the first of many for me,” says Producer Michelle Damis. 

5 Weeks in Silverton- 

Nothing goes as planned when a group of trans and queer filmmakers set out to document the last 5 weeks of Stu Rasmussen's life. The heartbreaking story of a trans teen at the beginning of her life and a trans elder at the end of theirs in smalltown Silverton, Oregon, and the wild things that happen when a crew of trans filmmakers show up for 5 weeks to ask big questions on gender, freedom, life, and death.  

 The film is being directed by both L Morgan Lee and Andrew Russell. Tony Award® nominee L Morgan Lee is an American actress, director and writer. She made history as the first openly transgender actor to receive a Tony Award® nomination for her standout work in A Strange Loop. Andrew Russell is a theatre and film director with a focus on real humans who have made a change in the world in which they live. 

This is An Awesome Rock Show-

In the summer of 2023, a group of adults with disabilities set out with a dream: to perform an epic rock concert at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. THIS IS AN AWESOME ROCK SHOW is a feature-length documentary film about their incredible journey, from their first day of rehearsal all the way to the stage at Revolution Hall, where they performed “Stop Making Sense,” their interpretation of the Talking Heads classic album. 
 
Filmed over three months with candid, behind-the-scenes footage, you will get to know the cast and who they are – not just people with disabilities, but artists with talents who are daring to do something they’ve never done before. The film follows JJ Ross, a man with down syndrome, who is the show’s lead choreographer, as he practices and teaches the dance moves. You’ll also meet the rest of the cast, who are all part of the Portland nonprofit organization called PHAME, from the dance ensemble to the vocalists to the IPAD musicians. The cast does not want to inspire you. They want to rock you. 

Connection/Isolation:  

A feature documentary film witnessing the lives and experiences of trans people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an airborne pandemic when separation, isolation, and self-sufficiency became the punishing norm, many trans people faced the COVID-19 era differently. G. Chesler’s new documentary feature presents eight portraits of trans, postgender, and genderqueer people sharing their experiences of cultivating, sustaining, and joining communities in this pandemic. Interlacing documentary portraits are reenactments with real folks reliving common COVID memories. G. Chesler’s film Connection | Isolation highlights how COVID-19 and Long COVID have impacted trans people disproportionately. This is not a new story for a community that faces violent loss, less access to health care, criminalization, and whose freedoms are legislatively restricted by transphobes forcefully. But it is one that must be heard and understood. 
 
“This film is intended for impact and meant to foster dialogue,” says G. With a film about an unforgettable time in which we can all relate to during the pandemic, the cast and crew have high hopes for international distribution. “Community-based screenings around the US will allow me to highlight the artistry of the Portland filmmakers who are my collaborators,” says G. 

2024 Summer Community Event Grant Awardees

Spring and Summer 2024 Community Event Grant Awardees 

The office reviewed and scored 196 applications for the spring and summer seasons. Awards went to the top scoring 36 applications, including seven that were film-related.  

Additional funding was also secured to award an additional 18 runners-up with up to 50% of their request.  

• Awarded grants totaled $189,750. 

• 77% of awardees identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color. 

• All of the events are free or have an accessible pricing structure. 

Prosper Portland, Travel Oregon, Travel Portland, and the City of Portland Office of Arts and Culture support and fund this program. 

2024 Community Event Grantees

Grantees are listed in alphabetic order by the name of the event. Descriptions provided by grantees

*Indicates grantee runners-up 

MAY

 * Oregon Rise Against Hate (ORAH) Free Admission Day | Lan Su Chinese Garden 

Saturday, May 4 | Lan Su Chinese Garden, 239 NW Everett 

St Johns Bizarre | St. Johns Bizarre 

Saturday, May 11 | N Lombard Street between N John Ave and N Alta Ave 

The 9th Vanport Mosaic Festival | The Vanport Mosaic 

Wednesday, May 22 – Saturday, June 1 | N and NE Portland; check the website for exact locations. 

* Survival: An Integration of Art | Alexander Quezada 

Friday, May 24 – Sunday, June 2 | Chinatown 

JUNE

*Bloom 2024 | Steps for Youth 

Saturday, June 1 | Portland State University (PSU) Lincoln Hall  

Indigenous Marketplace Celebrates Pride | Portland Indigenous Marketplace 

Saturday, June 1 – Sunday, June 2 | 710 SW Jackson St 97201 

*FamJam – 4th Year Blast Off | Dream Big City  

Tuesday, June 4 | 2700 SE 67th Ave 

*Community Markets at The Cart Blocks | Friends of Green Loop 

Friday, June 7 – Sunday, June 9 | The Cart Blocks, 770 W Burnside 

HONK! PDX | HONK PDX 

Saturday, June 8 – Sunday, June 9 | Lents Park, 4808 SE 92nd Ave and Montavilla Park, 8219 NE Glisan  

FISH FRY – Back to Black Traditions | Deep Like... 

Saturday, June 8 | 770 W Burnside  

“Food Foray” Screening | MetroEast Community Media 

Sunday, June 9 | Milagro Theatre 

*Bigfoot Regional Poetry Festival | Bigfoot Regional Poetry Festival  

Thursday, June 13 – Saturday, June 15 | Downtown, multiple locations. 

A three-day poetry festival and spoken word competition happening in Portland, OR on June 13- 15, 2024. Free poetry open mics, writing workshops, showcases, and access to a poetry market throughout all three days, with a big poetry slam tournament across the evenings (the Finals Stage being the only ticketed event of the entire festival). All are welcome to attend - we hope to see you there! 

Ten, Tiny Talks Artist in Residency and Film Festival | T&A Grand Theater and Media and Ten, Tiny, Talks Film Festival  

Friday, June 14 – Sunday, June 16 | Clinton Street Theater 

BwPCon 2024 | Books with Pictures, LLC 

Saturday, June 15 | Books with Pictures, 1404 SE Division St 

BwPCon! is a one-day event celebrating comics, illustration, zines, and our local artist community! BwPCon will feature live music, special guests, and panels, along with the Short Box food carts on the east side of the building and their wonderful comic shop in the middle of it all! 

BwPCon! is an all-ages event. Pups are very welcome, too! 

Foster Summer Soiree 

Saturday, June 22 | Laurelwood Park, 6315 SE Foster  

JULY

Summer Nights | Historic Parkrose 

Wednesday, July 10 | NE 104th Ave and Sandy Blvd 

Fresh Cuts| Rose Leon LLC 

Friday, July 12 – Saturday, July 13 | T.E.A.M. Center – 115 SE 9th Ave 

*Nothing Left to Lose: Multidisciplinary Performance Festival | Shaking the Tree 

July 12, 13, 19, 20 | Shaking the Tree Theatre 

Taste of Thailand | Yard Residences LLC 

Saturday, July 13 – Sunday, July 14 | 33 NE 3rd Ave 

Experience Portland's first-ever Taste of Thailand Food Festival, which offers authentic dishes from northern, northeastern, central, and southern regions of Thailand. The festival showcases well-known local restaurants, including Nong Kao Man Gai, Khao Moo Dang, Farmhouse Kitchen, Kati Thai Vegan, Somtum Thai Kitchen, BKK PadThai and many more. 

The event celebrates Thai culture and is a collaboration between the Yard Apartments, the Thai Royal Consulate, and Prosper Portland. 

Overlook Porchfest | Overlook Neighborhood Association 

Saturday, July 13 – Sunday, July 14 | Overlook neighborhood 

*Mississippi Street Fair | Historic Mississippi Business Association 

Saturday, July 13 | Mississippi Ave between Fremont and Skidmore 

*Summer Fruit Celebration | Montavilla Farmers Market 

Thursday, July 18 and Thursday, September 12 | Montavilla Street Plaza, SE 79th and Stark 

Beautiful Street Festival | Beautiful Street 

Saturday, July 20 – Sunday, July 21 | Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave 

Mt. Scott – Arleta Summer Free for All | Mt. Scott-Arleta Neighborhood Association and the Arleta Triangle Project 

Friday, July 26 | Arleta Triangle 

 Multicultural Celebration Event at Director Park 

Saturday, July 27 – Sunday, July 28 | Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave 

11th Annual Montavilla Street Fair | Montavilla East Tabor Business Association  

Sunday, July 28 | Stark Street between SE 76th Ave & 82nd Ave 

Montavilla Street Fair is the largest event in East Portland, attracting 16,000 attendees to Historic Downtown Montavilla on the last Sunday in July. Attendees can expect family-friendly fun, music, incredible food from around the world, art, crafts and other wares from more than 150 vendors on SE Stark and nearby side streets, alongside sales and specials from more than 25 participating brick-and-mortar businesses. 

*Summer Free for All @ Kenton Park | Kenton Neighborhood Association (KNA) 

Monday, July 29 | Kenton Park  

AUGUST

*Coraline's Curious Cat Trail Launch Party | Downtown Clean & Safe 

Friday, August 2 | Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave 

*St. Johns Art Walk | Vibe of Portland  

Saturday, August 3 | N Lombard Street 

*Dumpster Thriving: Vol 2 | Colours PDX 

Saturday, August 3 | The Roll Up 

Sin Maíz Hay No País | Heidi Duckler Dance Northwest 

Monday, August 5 – Saturday, August 10 | Portland Mercado, 7238 SE Foster Rd 

Jade District International Night Market | Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) 

Saturday, August 10 | SE PCC Campus, 2305 SE 82nd Ave 

Portland Deaf Film Festival for 2024 | CymaSpace 

Thursday August 15 & Saturday, August 17 | Woodstock Community  

77th India Independence Celebration | Bollywood Dreams Entertainment 

Thursday, August 15 | Oregon Park  

*Arts Alive! A Community Arts Celebration | Free Arts NW  

Saturday, August 17 | Arte Soleil, 5530 SE 122nd Ave 

18th Portland Latin American Film Festival | Portland Latin American Film Festival  

Wednesday, August 21 – Monday, August 26 | Hollywood Theatre 

Women in Animation Night | Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology 

Friday, August 23 | OMSI 

*Skilfest PDX | Rated Ill LLC 

Saturday, August 24 | Morrison Market, Stage 722, 722 SE 10th Ave 

*Deep Mulch Dry Farming Garden Party and Tour and Community Resource Mapping | Rhythm Seed Farm  

Saturday, August 24 | 4606 NE 55th Ave 

Time Sound | Albina Music Trust 

Saturday, August 24 | Patton Square Park 

Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC) and Patton Square Park come to life with family-friendly arts activities and a concert presented by Albina Music Trust. The concert features the Noah Simpson Group performing "Time Sound: The Sounds Of Albina Reimagined." 

Landback – Honoring an Indigenous Movement | Ittibani 

Sunday, August 25 |Shemanski Park  

Montavilla Jazz Festival/ | Montavilla Jazz Festival  

Friday, August 30 | Mt. Tabor Park Caldera Amphitheatre 

The 11th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival celebrates the leading edge of Portland’s jazz scene, as well as the historic Montavilla neighborhood’s food and shops, in a village-style event for the whole family. Between August 30 – September 1, MJF offers more than 30 events in 12 venues, including a range of free and ticketed events. 

Lakad for Kalusugan: A Family-Friendly 5K Race and Community Festival 2024 | Foundation for Philippine Progress 

 Saturday, August 31 | Laurelhurst Park  

Inward Out – Panel Discussion and Screening | Off Our Backs, LLC 

Saturday, August 31 | Clinton Street Theatre 

SEPTEMBER

Geek Week PDX | BabbleBuy 

Monday, September 9 – Sunday, September 15 | Multiple Locations, Downtown Portland 

The World's First Citywide Comic Con. The Geeks of Portland are uniting to bring you the world’s largest pop culture festival of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Super Heroes, and the Supernatural. 

Each quadrant of the city will be transformed into a new mythical realm. Cosplay, Film Festivals, Markets, Parties, Tournaments and more... Your Destiny Awaits! 

Design District Week | House of Commons 

Thursday, September 12 – Tuesday, September 17 | Multiple Locations, Central Eastside 

*The Immigrant Story Live | The Immigrant Story 

Saturday, September 14 | Downtown  

*Community Launch of the film, "CARE Project: A Documentary about Caregivers in Oregon" | Care is for Caregiver Coalition Oregon 

Saturday, September 28 | Filipino Bayanihan Center and other community neighborhood centers 

2024 Round 1 Scale Up Event Grant Awardees

In partnership with Travel Portland The Events & Film Office at Prosper Portland is proud to announce the Scale Up event grant recipients: Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, Kickstand Comedy in the Park, and Good Food Awards Weekend. For more info on the awardees and selection process, read on! 

Fertile Ground Festival of New Works  

Fertile Ground Festival of New Works is an 11-day festival featuring new performances by local artists including world premiere projects, staged readings, developing works, and a myriad of other arts events from the Portland creative community.  

After a strategic hiatus, the Portland Area Theatre Alliance (PATA) is presenting their first in-person Festival since 2020.  

Fertile Ground showcases new and local "acts of creation" at various stages in their development. In 2020, the Festival included 52 unique projects by 46 different producers, including fully staged world premieres, readings of new scripts, songs from new musicals, solo shows, puppetry, dance, circus arts, and panel discussions with local artists. In 2024, the Festival will expand to include local restaurants and bars near venues and invite them to offer a discount for Festival attendees.   

Kickstand Comedy in the Park  

Kickstand Comedy in the Park is a series of free Friday evening comedy shows curated for an all-ages audience. The event was created in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic-related closures of comedy and performing arts venues and has continued every summer. Hosted in Laurelhurst Park from late June to early September, Comedy in the Park regularly attracts 4,700 Portlanders and out-of-town guests to the park each week.  

Good Food Awards Weekend  

The Good Food Awards Weekend is a nationally recognized three-day celebration of sustainable, socially responsible, and delicious food and drink makers from all over the country. The first day features a welcome dinner that bring together local Portland and Oregon leaders in food and farming for a special dinner highlighting local agriculture and small food businesses. The second day includes an Oscars-style awards ceremony where 200 top national food makers will be awarded medals and give inspiring acceptance speeches, followed by an after party. The third day is the Good Food Mercantile, where 240 local and national sustainable food makers sample their products for grocery store owners, food media, and distributors from all over the country.   

The office received 18 applications and each application was scored based on the following five criteria: 

• Long Term Vision: What is the applicant’s vision for the long-term growth and potential of this event?  

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Does this event center historically marginalized communities? (i.e. communities who have experienced systemic barriers to business/property ownership, affordable housing options, high-wage income, access to capital, quality education, safe transportation options, or other access barriers)  

• Location Investment: Does this applicant prioritize areas that have experienced a significant impact from COVID (including high losses in number of businesses and employment, high increase in office vacancies, and considerable change in visitor & employee foot traffic such as in the Central City)?  

• Creative Spirit: Does this applicant exemplify Portland’s culture, spirit, and creativity?  

• Attendance: Does this event attract between 750-7,500 attendees with proposed capacity to attract more?  

Applications open in spring 2024 for the second round of Scale Up Grants to support eligible events happening July – December 2024.  

Fall/ Winter 23/24 Community Event Grant Awardees

The office reviewed and scored 137 applications for the fall and winter season. Awards went to the top scoring 37 applications, including five that are film related.

• Awarded grants totaled $159,000

• 80% of awardees identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color

• All of the events are free or have an accessible pricing structure

• Estimated economic impact:$1.14M

Support and funding for this program is provided by: Prosper Portland, Travel Oregon, and Travel Portland.

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Community Event Grantees

Descriptions are provided by the grantees and information is subject to change.

OCTOBER

The Sticker Movie Sticker Swap | Lottie and Zula | Oct. 6

The Sticker Movie Sticker Swap celebrates the community of artists who are coming together in Portland for the Sticker Movie world premiere. Two local small businesses, PDXchange and Lottie & Zula's, will host us. We are excited to share our love for stickers with fans of all ages. Our mascot, Slappy the Slaptagger, will be there in all of his pink-felt glory with puppeteer Jim Tozzi. Alongside free stickers, we will have sticker-making stations and sticker trades. This event reflects our commitment to giving back to the community that helped make this film possible.

First Thursdays in Old Town | Everett Station Lofts | Oct. 5, Feb. 1, & Mar. 7

MirCat DragonFae is an accomplished dance/pole/aerial/fire performer and exceptional visual artist, and we are bringing that breadth of creativity together for a First Thursday showcase on Thursday, October 5!

100% of the proceeds for the evening go directly to the artist (as they always do with "Paint the Town!")

Burnside DIY or DIE | Burnside Skate Park | Oct. 8

Come join the locals and bring the family on Sunday afternoon. There will be non-alcoholic beverages, hot dogs, local artwork, music, and shredding. Donations are encouraged, but the event is free. Raffle tickets are for sale to win prizes from local vendors. There will be an afterparty around sunset at a nearby venue where footage will be screened with scenes from documentary film that explores the evolution of Burnside Skatepark and the local skaters.

Indigenous Peoples Day Marketplace | PSU Native American Student and Community Center and Barbie's Village | Oct. 9

Oct 9 Indigenous Peoples Day will be a GOOD one/two!!

First, join us at the PSU Native American Student and Community Center for the Indigenous Peoples Day Marketplace!! Find more than 30 vendors, music, raffle, art and so much more!!

Parkrose Trunk or Treat | Parkrose Middle School | Oct. 15

A community-based Trunk or Treat event bringing together the Parkrose School District students and families to a free, fun and safe Halloween celebration. To be held rain or shine, Sunday, October 15, 2023, 3:30-6 pm.

Dandiya & Navratri Festival in Portland | ADX (Art Design Xchange) | Oct. 20

𝐊𝐄𝐌 𝐂𝐇𝐎❗BOLLYWOOD GARBA NIGHT IN PORTLAND! 💃🏽🌟❤️

All the lovers of our favorite folk theme, Navratri, can rejoice because we are bringing it back to you after a gap of 2 years!🎉 Come dressed in vibrant festive attire and be immersed in folk music out of the state of Gujarat this Saturday night at ADX, the oldest community space maker in Portland. Please note the entrance itself is free. However, we are asking for a suggested donation of $10 per person for the pair of Dandiyas as in sticks. These will be available for purchase at the venue.

Holy Sh!t Improv Series in Portland | Kickstand Comedy | Oct. 21, Nov. 24, Dec. 29, Jan. 26, Feb. 23

Kickstand Comedy is bringing Holy Shit Improv (LA) to Portland for a quarterly series of face-melting comedy. The rotating cast of HOLY SHIT (your favorite comedians from TV/Film/Podcasts and more) are coming to Portland! Joining them will be our in-house Improvisers from Kickstand Comedy!!

Dia de los Muertos Community Celebration | Zenger Farms | Oct. 28

This cultural celebration is often our largest event of the year. It is led by our Community Chefs, women of color from our neighborhood sharing knowledge, food traditions and building community through the process of making and sharing recipes that connect their cultural foods and community practices with farm-fresh vegetables. Join Community Chef Paula Hernandez for this annual celebration that includes sharing traditional foods and food practices, music, dancing, and activities for families designed to build and strengthen our Latinx community.

The Science Fiction Double Feature | Alberta Abbey | Oct. 29

Marla Darling, The CDS Drag, and the Alberta Abbey present the SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE, This interactive theatre experience is presented by The Rocky Horror Lavender Shadowcast under the direction of Marla Darling Our cast will be presenting 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show and it's sequel (equal) 1981's Shock Treatment, This shadowcast is comprised of local drag and burlesque entertainers, new performers, and local producers. We are a collective of queer, trans, nonbinary, and BIPOC-identified individuals.

Harvest Festival | Center for Self-Enhancement | Oct. 31

Harvest Festival is a safe, free, and fun alternative to Halloween trick-or-treating hosted by Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) at our Center on North Kerby Avenue. The theme of this year’s Harvest Festival is “Warner Brothers Meets Universal Studios,” and our SEI volunteer staff teams will be on hand dressed up in costumes as they help lead games and other activities, and hand out treats and prizes to participating children and their families. 

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Hazelwood Haunted Night Out | Menlo Park Park and Ride | Oct. 14

Where the Queers Grow | Rossi Farms | Oct. 21

Multicultural Festival | Oct. 29

NOVEMBER

All Boats PDX | CoHo Productions Black Box Theatre | Nov. 30 - Dec. 3

All Boats is an evening of 6 original pieces of work spanning theater, dance, song, film, stand-up, performance art and beyond. Each show gives the opportunity to 6 artists in 6 different mediums from 6 different communities to explore their creative process, present new work in a non-normative space of experimentation, and expand their artistic connections in an authentic & genuine way. 

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2023 Fall Black Podcast Festival | Nov. 4 + 5

Make Banana Cry | PICA | Nov. 17 + 18

Portland Night Market Holiday Edition | Alder Block | Nov. 30 - Dec. 3

December

Winter Multicultural Holiday Gift & Food Fair | Dec. 16 + 17

Discover exceptional gifts and support local immigrant businesses at the Winter Multicultural Holiday Gift & Food Fair, on December 16 and 17, 2023. This festive gathering features one-of-a-kind treasures while empowering diverse entrepreneurs. Celebrate diversity and make a meaningful impact this holiday season!

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A Hanukkah Pop-Up Experience | Leikam Brewing Company | Dec. 1 - 5

Films to Make You Feel Some Type of Way - Series 3 | Breathe Building | Dec. 1 + 8

PDX Black Collective Cultural Market - Holiday Edition | Oregon Contemporary | Dec. 2 + 3

Flower Factory Group Art Show | Flower Factory | Dec. 5

Briq Studio Holiday Market | Briq Studio | Dec. 9

Dongzhi: Winter Solstice 2024 | Lan Su Chinese Gardens | Dec. 15 - 17

Zambomba | Espacio Flamenco | Dec 16

Chinatown Meet | Old Town Chinatown | Dec. 17

JANUARY

Keepin Alive the Dream | Highland CC | Jan. 15

The Black History 101 Mobile Museum | Historic Alberta House | Jan. 5 + 6

Barn Radio Music Festival | Barn Radio | Jan. 12 + 13

FEBRUARY

African American Walking Museum | Mimi’s Fresh Tees | Feb. 1-7

The Black History Walking Museum celebrates the invaluable contributions and rich history of Black Americans. This exceptional exhibition features a diverse range of elements, including student art displays, a captivating history timeline, recognition of groundbreaking inventors, and an enlightening history wall. Moreover, the museum proudly presents a remarkable collection of African art pieces and sculptures.

With a strong focus on education and community engagement, we are delighted to host student field trips to the museum, providing young minds with an immersive and enlightening experience. As we commemorate Black History Month, this museum stands as the perfect platform to honor and showcase the vibrant tapestry of Black culture, ensuring its profound impact is duly recognized and celebrated.

All Power to the People: “It’s a marathon not a sprint”, remembering the Legacy of the Black Panther Party in Portland | Alberta House | Feb. 2 - 4

All Power to the People: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” remembering the legacy of the Black Panther Party in Portland. The Vanport Mosaic invites you to 3 days of memory activism linking the Black Panther Party’s 10-Point Plan to the challenges we face today.

Join Mr. Kent Ford, founding member of Portland's chapter of the '60s-era black empowerment organization, and invited guests for theater performances, presentations, conversations, tabling, and screenings.

Indigenous Marketplace of Love | Bar Carlo | Feb. 9 +10

Indigenous Marketplace of Love. A two-day event activating the SE Foster neighborhood with Indigenous/Black vendors and local brick-and-mortar businesses working together for the love of the community. Free gifts to the first 50 Elders each day (50 years plus)! Music, art, and community! Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome!

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Winter Delight Secret Roller Disco | Davis Street Parking Garage | Feb. 2

Investigating Joy | Feb. 16

A Beat Happening 7-Year Anniversary Concert | Lolo Pass PDX | Feb. 18

MARCH

Mother/Other @ Las Adelitas | Las Adelitas Affordable Housing | Mar. 22 + 23

HDD/NW presents “Mother/Other @ Las Adelitas” on March 22-23, 2024, at Las Adelitas’ public plaza and community room in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. The event honors Women’s History Month and strengthens community bonds as it connects the complex history of the building, the site of a former prostitution ring turned into multifamily affordable housing, with the resiliency and vibrancy of the surrounding neighborhood. Attendees of all ages can participate in free movement classes exploring site-specific dance, Aztec dance, and contemporary movement, visit a pop-up market with local vendors, view a HDD/NW dance film, and enjoy free site-specific dance performances.

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Friends of Noise Spring Break All Ages Music Fest | Portland Institute of Contemporary Art | Mar. 30

2023 Post-Production Grant Recipients

The Portland Film Office, in partnership with Travel Portland, has announced the recipients of its 2023 Portland Post-Production Grant Program. Selected from a pool of 32 applicants, four local filmmakers will receive $7,500 each for their respective projects.

The grant program is intended to support the professional development of local Portland filmmakers by providing funds for such activities as sound, picture editing, color matching, color grading, closed caption, tech specs for distributors, and music clearances using local post-production houses.

Grants encourage the completion of a local feature-length film and position local producers to build toward larger, more resourced productions. Past recipients of the Post-Production Grant have included “Mother of Color,” which premiered in the Portland area and is circulating the film festival docket with much success; and “Dearest Eva,” premiered at OMSI in August of 2022.

Elyse Taylor, manager of the Film Office, said, “I am blown away by the vast amounts of talent that were in these grant applications. The work that is coming out of Portland is vibrant, relevant, and diverse. If these are our future filmmakers, than the future looks bright!”

The selected projects are: 

Lilly

Sarah Johnston Awa’xe, Producer

Lilly is a surreal, dramatic genre film about a guilt-ridden woman who is haunted by the ghost of her daughter and plunges into madness through the course of a drug fueled fever dream. The film dissects concepts of parentification, isolation, grief, and resilience through a class-conscious lens. This is the first feature film created by producer Sarah Johnston and writer/director Martin Melnick who live and work in Portland, Oregon.

Lilly

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Outdoor School

Outdoor School

Ime Etuk, Director

The film tells the story of Vin Shambry, a Black 12-year-old boy in Portland, Oregon. Homeless, Vin sleeps under a tree in the park with his mother and baby sister, daily palling around with his school-yard friend, the daughter of a famous shoe designer. Vin’s 6th-grade class embarks on an educational coming-of-age adventure known as Outdoor School. Reluctant to leave his family, Vin goes on the trip, where his worldview is transformed by nature and caring adults. For the first time, he learns what it means to be a kid. He faces the dilemma of sacrificing his only pair of sneakers, his prized Deon Sanders Nikes, to help his team win in tug of war. Ultimately, Vin navigates the tension between his family life and the great outdoors while masking his poverty at all costs to protect himself and the people he loves.

Ime is a Portland native who is deeply invested in developing and showcasing local talent. This is his second feature film as a director.

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Mai American

Mai American

Kevin Truong, director

Kevin Truong is a Sundance-supported artist whose work spans photography, journalism and filmmaking. As a filmmaker, he has received fellowships from both the Center for Asian American Media and BAVC Media, and his first feature-length film, Mai American, has received support and funding from the Sundance Institute, MacArthur Foundation, A-Doc, California Film Institute, SFFilm, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Haverford College, and the Portland Events and Film Office. As a journalist, Kevin has written stories for NBC News and Motherboard Tech by VICE and has worked as a producer with Student Reporting Labs at the PBS NewsHour, where he recently helped produce and film a series of short documentaries on misinformation. Mai American is Kevin's first feature length documentary film and tells the story of his mother, Tot Mai, a 70-year-old Vietnamese American refugee living in Oregon who writes down the story of her life, which is deeply shaped by the War in Vietnam. As she shares with him what she has written for the first time, they begin separate but parallel journeys confronting the traumas of their past and the emotional divide in their present.

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Nora

Nora

Anna Campbell, Director

Nora moves back home to suburbia, giving up on her dream of being a musician to focus on her child. But does her dream give up on her?

First time feature filmmaker and Portland native Anna Campbell brings a joyful, unflinching look at modern motherhood clashing with the artistic notion of having it all. This uniquely structured film with a completely original soundtrack by Noah Harmon (Airborn Toxic Event) uses the emotional bombshell that music provides in a way that appeals to the MTV generation and beyond. Combining intimate independent filmmaking with dramatic flights of fantasy in the form of music videos, NORA takes a unique approach to indie filmmaking. Shot almost entirely in Portland during the pandemic, NORA represents a return home for the filmmaker and the audience, celebrating the big dream and the place called home

2023 Community Event Grant Awardees

Portland Events & Film Office is proud to announce the 2023 Community Event Grant recipients. The office received 380 applications. We scored each application in four categories: Economic Impact, Community Building, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Viability. Grant funds went to the 115 top-scoring applications.

• Awarded grants totaled $544,077.

• 76% of awardees identify as Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color

• 88/115 of the events are free

• Estimated economic impact of grantees: $6.67M

2023 Community Event Grantees

Grantees are listed in alphabetic order by the name of the event.

Descriptions provided by grantees

(TBD) Juneteenth Celebration Juneteenth rodeo and celebration at Portland Expo Center open to the public on Saturday, followed by guided horseback tours for Black Portlanders through Downtown Portland on Juneteenth.

2023 Juneteenth OR Parade and Festival Juneteenth Oregon’s celebration starts with a parade, followed by the festivities which include live music and entertainment, art, food, educational booths, cultural booths, community resources, and a children’s play area.

6th Annual Brazilian Festival in Portland Join us for our 6th Annual Brazilian Festival in Portland! Celebrating the Brazilian culture, we are bringing the community together, sharing music, food, art, dance, and much more!

Art Connect Art Connect is a multi-day art gallery with an opening night & closing night, with open gallery hours during the week.

Artist Alley Comics Fest Artist Alley Comics Fest is a celebration of independent comics and their creators. Meet the diverse array of comic artists, writers, illustrators, zinesters, storytellers, and publishers who make up this vibrant, creative community. Join us on August 5th in appreciation of Portland's legacy of independent, alternative, underground, and eclectic comic creation! General admission is free to the public.

Ascending Flow Block Party – highlighting foster youth resiliency Our event will showcase the stories and talents of our former foster youth. It will include performances from not only our former foster youth but also the BIPOC community in Portland including comedy, live music, break dancing, live art, and activities that the community can join in. We will have food trucks in attendance and our program will run from noon to 4 pm

Barrio BARRIO, An inclusive culturally specific gathering for Oregon’s diverse arts community. The main idea of BARRIO (a neighborhood in Spanish) is to feature specific arts communities in Portland through well-curated monthly events that offer a greater understanding of the art, cultural heritage, and creative expression of the various underrepresented artists that enrich our civic life.

Bike Play For 14 years and running, "Bike Play" creates and performs an all-original play each year in conjunction with Pedalpalooza.  Half ride and half play, Bike Play takes the audience on a pedal-powered adventure like no other.   Ride along from location to location watching scenes unfold along the way.  Full of dancing, singing, epic bike crashes, and other surprises, Bike Play is a not to be missed yearly summer event.

Black Friday The Black Friday event is a celebration of Black artistry and entrepreneurship. This event represents a cultural reclamation and is intended to be a resource for our community that provides an opportunity to reconnect and be seen. BPW will provide free access to quality healthcare: group acupuncture, chair massage, and wellness checks to participants, along with healthy snacks. The event will host an interactive reception with a BIPOC Visual Artist where they share stories of their work and intersection with healing. The event is focused on BIPOC and LGTBQIA community members and is open to all.

Blues Kool-aid and Chicken Block Party This family-friendly block party welcomes neighbors across the city to dance in the street to live Blues, Jazz, and NeoSoul music, play card games, eat food from local vendors, and make new friends.  What started as a small family gathering nearly two decades ago is now an open event for people of all ages to enjoy wholesome fun and festivities on the 4th of July.

Body Positive Block Party Come celebrate body diversity at this event full of shopping, food, music, games, and community! Meet the artists, service providers, fashion designers, creatives, small business owners, and neighbors that make Portland a powerhouse city for Plus Size fun!

Broadway in Bloom: A Celebration of Health, Sustainability, and Community Get ready to party with a purpose in Lloyd! Broadway in Bloom: A Celebration of Health, Sustainability, and Community is an exciting event that combines all the best things in life - live music, a vibrant market featuring local and BIPOC vendors, and delicious food trucks. This block party is all about promoting sustainability, health and wellness, and environmental awareness, but that doesn't mean it's all work and no play! With a pop-up exercise class, a plant sale, and recycling education, there are plenty of fun and engaging activities for everyone.

Burnout 2023 Burnout is the officially sanctioned post-Burning Man Decompression event for Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding areas. Burnout features a wide variety of visual, art, and musical performances and will have family-friendly interactive activities. The goal for this event is to provide an opportunity for local Burners to host art, build community, inspire creativity, perform and enjoy music, and give people in the Portland area an opportunity to celebrate and build connections.

Cathedral Park Jazz Festival The 43rd Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is the largest outdoor, free jazz festival in the nation. We offer three days of jazz and blues performed by some of the greatest musicians in the Pacific Northwest.

Celebrate 2023 – IRCO Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center Open House PIAFC will host an open house to celebrate its 29th year of operation with cultural performances, food from local BIPOC vendors, and speeches by community and IRCO/PIAFC leaders.

Celebrate Portlands Alberta Street Fair A street fair and market supporting local businesses while highlighting our underserved communities; particularly our disabled and BIPOC entrepreneurs.

Chinatown Meet Chinatown Meet is a community sale led by all boutiques in Old Town Chinatown such as Deadstock Coffee, Index PDX, Unspoken, Orox Leathers Co., etc. Alongside our neighborhood stores, we bring in a variety of really dope vendors that encompass the Old Town Chinatown community to sell items their goods too, a few notable past vendors: Trillblazin', Vain Glory, Stussy Inc., Compound Gallery, and many more! The sale is paired with amazing food from vendors like Matta PDX, Baon Kainan, and Fabos Tacos. We'll also have some of the city’s favorite DJs playing a mix of Hip Hop, RnB, and Neo-Soul for a full-blown backyard boogie in Couch Plaza accompanied by drinks for those 21+. It is a legit block party.

Cine / Seen CINE-SEEN is a short film festival showcasing the talents of filmmakers from the Pacific Northwest. We aim to highlight the unique perspective and films of underrepresented artists. Join us in creating a space for artistic celebration for us and by us here in Oregon.

Community for Positive Aging Summer Block Party Community Block Party! All are welcome. The event is FREE and open to all. Features live music, food and drinks, vendor market by PDX Vendor Collective, health and wellness information, children's activities, and other entertainment!

Compassion Through Literature Positive Charge! PDX is hosting a diversity literacy event to encourage everyone to share diverse books in little free libraries!  We will have a variety of speakers, performers, booksellers, book giveaways, info booths, and light refreshments available.  Come join us in celebrating and embracing diversity via our Compassion Through Literature program!

Culture Shock 6 performances at this event (3 of them are 94 Prynce, D3, and De$zo Money) Fashion show segment from a woman's clothing business, Rich Risk. Face painter for the kids to get their faces painted, and food for guests to order and eat. It’s all ages and it’s hard to find food venues for all ages shows to display these young artists who are not +21 so their friends and family can see them in their own community performing and working with all the local establishments and artists.

Dark Arts Collective presents SABBATH The spring is upon us, so let us lay to rest our old ideas and cultivate the dawn of new ventures. Music, Fire Performances, Live Art, and Communal Gatherings will take place from 7 pm-12 am. Artist Lineup will be announced soon.

Deconstructing Karen Third Eye Books presents a screening and Q&A with authors Regina Jackson and Saira Rao. DECONSTRUCTING KAREN (2022), directed by Patty Ivins Specht, is a documentary about Jackson and Rao’s Race2Dinner program, in which nice, white women attend the wildest dinner party of their lives. The main course is a radically honest conversation to inspire white women to confront themselves and acknowledge their own racism and complicity in white supremacy.

DhopeFest DhopeFest will be the first-of-its-kind, full-day summer music festival bringing together some of Portland's best local artists and DJs on one stage. This is a curated event with select artists, and an opportunity to shine a light on the immense talent in our very own backyard. A festival for lovers of hip-hop and R&B of all ages. This will be the show of the year!

Division Clinton Street Fair Division Clinton Street Fair is a long-standing event that celebrates community, music, and our neighborhood.

Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo Join us for the Inaugural Eight Seconds Juneteenth Rodeo on June, 17th 2023 in Portland, OR. The top Black Western athletes from around the country will thrill and inspire the crowd with barrel racing and bull riding. But the excitement doesn't stop there! Be ready to feast on delicious food, laugh with our hilarious comedian, and groove to the beats of DJ OG One. This is a celebration like no other, honoring the historical significance of Juneteenth while showcasing the incredible talents of Black rodeo stars.

Entirely Together Entirely Together is an all-ages event to bring people together in celebration of music, culture, dance, storytelling, and performance art. This event will feature local musicians and artists, from conscious Hip-Hop to world music, a guest indigenous elder, youth participants, and vendors. This will be a fun and engaging environment for intergenerational sharing, healing, and unity.  

Fall Harvest Fest Food, games, music, community booths, bounce house, face painting, and more! In collaboration with Prescott Elementary, Prescott Family Community Association, and Camp ELSO.

Fall in Love with Lents This two-day event aims to activate Lents Town Center by providing free activities, entertainment, and art for all to enjoy from dawn to dusk. Friday evening is a "Really Really Free" Market and Saturday is the East Portland Arts & Community Fair. The mission of Fall in Love with Lents is to build community, celebrate art, and activate Lents Town Center by creating opportunities accessible to all members of our diverse East Portland neighborhoods to connect, explore, and create in our own community.

First Saturdays at Oregon Contemporary On the First Saturday of every month May through September, Oregon Contemporary hosts a First Saturday Open House from 5–8 pm. The events are free to the public and are an opportunity to experience art throughout the center, in our galleries and performance spaces. Our partner tenants (Carnation Contemporary, Well Well Projects, and Small Talk Collective) are also open for the night, and we offer food, drinks, and special performances.

Flowers for Black Elders Archiving Black Elders & Amplifying Hidden Voices is a multidisciplinary art exhibit in August at the IFCC in Portland, showcasing, honoring, and documenting five Black musicians who shaped Portland's musical culture over several decades. The exhibit is an immersive experience featuring portrait photos of each artist and oral history interviews for guests to learn more about their contributions.

FLOWERS FOR FREE A floral installation will be set up on location - designed to be photographed. Guests can visit the installation and take free flowers by showing a receipt of purchases from local businesses.  A key will indicate how many flowers a guest may take based on the dollar amount spent.

Free Comic Book Day/BwPCon!/Hot Orc Summer/Rose City Comic Con Afterparty Free Comic Book Day: A community celebration of local comic shops, complete with comics giveaways, a pop-punk dance party in the evening, and signings by creators Charlie Jane Anders and Becky Cloonan!

Sellwood Summer Concerts Milieu collective will be Friday Family Fun Night which includes Art Jams and makers market from late spring till early fall. Some project participants will enjoy our Giant cardboard face masks, Kokadama making, sip& draws, jewelry making, shopping, food tasting, and more. On Saturday evenings Milieu in partnership with SMILE will host the first part of the Sellwood Summer Music Series. Live Music starts between 6&630p and goes till 830. In August we will close out the summer with an Art crawl and BIPOC maker market. milieupdx.com and sellwoodmoreland.com/links

Gateway Block Party The Gateway Block Party is a community event taking place in mid-July 2023 featuring black-owned small businesses, black artists, and black performers. The event will take place outdoors and will be centered around the Soulsation Hip Hop Academy in Cole's Complex in the Gateway neighborhood. A family-friendly gathering open to all, the block party features musicians, visual artists, live painters, dance performances, craftspeople, and small businesses. Its mission is to celebrate the diverse array of art forms and entrepreneurship within Portland's black community to strengthen our cultural bonds, increase visibility for small businesses, build family connections in the neighborhood, and magnify creativity in all its forms.

Hanabi Japanese Film Festival The Hanabi Japanese Film Festival at the Clinton Street Theater will take place over nine days at the end of July and beginning of August, and feature several critically acclaimed Japanese films.

Honk! Fest PDX Honk! PDX is an accessible community music festival of energetic street band performances in public spaces. Honk! offers an opportunity for anyone, at any age, to learn and participate in the global street band movement. Honk! is about cooperative values, participatory culture, breaking down barriers, and introducing different cultural traditions through music.

ICP Festival PETE (Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble) presents the ICP Festival of new work, a collection of new site-specific performances happening across Portland May 11-14. Featuring a post-apocalyptic concert, mud creatures in the park, pop songs in a baseball field, and four variations on brunch, these performances are celebrations for end-times and will take audiences across Portland, making the familiar strange.

Indigenous Marketplace Celebrates Pride Month Indigenous Marketplace Celebrates Pride Month There will be live music on both days and over 20 vendors each day!!!

Jade International Night Market After three years, the Jade International Night Market is back! This summer event provides a space to celebrate and recognize the diversity and culture of the communities who live and work in the Jade District and sheds light on the issues impacting a neighborhood in transition. We envision an event that supports and roots the Jade District community in place while providing an opportunity for community members and businesses to benefit economically from the event. The Jade District is centered around Southeast 82nd Avenue and Division Street. The goal of the Jade District is to build social and economic capacity while mitigating unwanted displacement in the face of gentrification pressures.

Juneteenth Celebration by Zenger Farms This cultural celebration is led by our Community Chefs who are women of color from our neighborhood sharing knowledge, and food traditions and building community through the process of making and sharing their recipes connecting their cultural foods and community practices with farm fresh vegetables. This will be our fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration, commemorating the 1865 abolition of slavery in Texas, and will prioritize space for our Black community members and features family activities.

Juneteenth Celebration by BNO Entertainment Calling all Come celebrate Juneteenth with us! Free for all ages, so bring your friends and family out for an empowering night of fun. Food carts and vendors. Celebrating and empowering. Engaging and uplifting

JUNTOSpdx A 3 weekend event that aims to connect, highlight, inspire & celebrate Latin Hispanic culture. All 3 weekends will have different themes and activations.  Weekend one will highlight Latin Hispanic artists.  Weekend two will bring together a group of Latin professionals from different industries to share their stories and inspire the culture & community. Weekend three marks the closing ceremony where Latin dance, music, and food will be highlighted.  All finer details are yet to be finalized. Please know that this information is a rough draft and not the final release.

Kick Flix Sneaker Week PDX presents Kick Flix, an amateur film festival. We’re putting the call out to all aspiring filmmakers, documentarians, and those that love to capture lives and moments in motion. We’re asking those creative minds around the globe to create a 3-5 minute short film focused on the 2023 SneakerWeek PDX theme.

Kickstand Comedy in the Park Kickstand Comedy in the Park is a weekly summer showcase of some of Portland's best stand-up comedy and special drop-in touring guests.

Lakad for Kalusugan: A Family-Friendly 5K Race & Community Festival Lakad means to walk in Filipino, and Kalusugan means Health. Lakad for Kalusugan: A 5K Race and Family-Friendly Community Festival aims to gather our community while raising awareness and support for health-related projects and initiatives for the Filipino community. The day will start with a family-friendly 5k race at 9-10 am, followed by a 10 am-3 pm community festival which will feature booths of local food vendors, small businesses, and community organizations. At the same time, there will be an entertainment program that will feature cultural performances by local community artists and performers.

Matta Day We will be using the funds to host the closing of Matta, the Vietnamese-American food cart, on the cart’s 5-year anniversary and will be having a huge community event to celebrate the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Matta as a brand has been a part of the BIPOC community through numerous social events and engagement and will continue to do so as we become an events business that will focus on highlighting local BIPOC artists and creatives. We will be blocking off the street in front of the food cart to have a breakdancing battle, live music, a lot of food being cooked out of the food cart, and merch giveaways. This will be a huge community event that we are really looking forward to.

Mic Check PDX 7-Year Anniversary Mic Check Year 7 Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop. Hosted by DJ Klyph Performances by Homeboy Sandman, Vursatyl, Cool Nutz & DJ Fatboy, Boom Bap Project, Bremer Baden, Music by DJ O.G. One All ages welcome
ALL AGES

Milagro Mandela Film Camp The camp will include workshops led by local Latino leaders in film and video production, marketing, directing, and acting, along with video showings and networking opportunities. The film camp will be the week of July 18: Nelson Mandela International Day, launched in recognition of Nelson Mandela’s birthday on July 18, via unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly.

Mississippi Street Fair The Mississippi Street Fair is Portland's largest community fair and festival! Scheduled for July 15, 2023, the Fair includes multiple music stages, over 300 art, craft, food, and beverage vendors, the Boise Elliot Elementary Kids Zone, the annual Grandfather's Rib Off, and other activities sponsored by and at Mississippi Avenue businesses. It's a fun, diverse, delicious, beautiful day on the Avenue!

MLK Dream Run On behalf of the Soul District Business Association, we invite you to run, walk, vendor, volunteer or donate to the 12th annual MLK Dream Run weekend celebration on September 16 & 17th. The event kicks off on Saturday, Sept 16 from 10 am to 6 pm featuring the Soul-Ful market filled with fabulous food, beverage, and retail vendors, live music, raffles, and activities for all ages- including a free kids race for youth 9 and under. Then ramps up on Sunday morning from 7 am to noon with our USATF professionally timed sanctioned 5k, 10k & 15K races and more action in the Soulful Markets entertainment stage. Don't miss out on the chance to win round-trip tickets courtesy of Alaska Airlines!

Montavilla Farmers Market Thursdays on the Plaza Montavilla Farmers Market Thursdays on the Plaza is a bite-sized evening market for the summer season. Join your neighbors in picking up mid-week groceries and enjoying the public plaza every Thursday! You’ll find local fruit and veggies, sweet and savory baked goods, and frozen treats every week.

Montavilla Street Fair 2023 Montavilla Street Fair is one of the largest street fairs in Portland taking place annually on the last Sunday in July. In 2022 the event returned after a 2-year hiatus. 122 local vendors participated and 12,000 attendees. The event features all-ages performances on two stages with late-morning kid-focused shows and professional touring acts later in the day.

Multicultural Kids Festival Celebrate and have fun at the Multicultural Kids Festival NW. The goal of the festival is to showcase the diversity of the people that live in our city. This event will bring together kids and adults from different communities and provide an opportunity to explore different cultures, try different foods, and learn about different traditions.

Multicultural Music Festival We will activate a neighborhood, outdoor space with a free-for-all, 4-hour multicultural festival. It will include music, art, food, singing, and dance performances from BIPOC artists such as DJ Prashant, the Jai Ho Dance Troupe, Bollywood Tunes & Lady Raven. We will invite the community to dance together and enjoy food and other craft vendors from numerous cultures. We will feature dance music from all over the world including South Asian, Latin, and African rhythms. Our event will create a safe, celebratory platform for emerging BIPOC artists, offering them the opportunity to showcase their talent and build community through their artistry.

Neighbour Hood Market The concept of an open-ground night market stemmed from the resale closet shop, Neighbour. They took their name as an opportunity to be a beacon for community and hospitality but realized that it didn’t have to stop at apparel. Sharing goods with friends and neighbors has always been a bedrock of community, but Neighbour realized that, with their penchant for throwing night parties, they could bring local vendors and artists, like themselves, together into one space. Thus, Neighbour Hood Market was conceived, a defined space with a curated community of intermingling BIPOC vendors, food & drink pop-ups, designers, artists, and DJs from the PNW. A safe space for our BIPOC community to take ownership. Neighbour Hood Market will open around dinner time and eventually ease into a night party with dance and drink.

Nothing Left to Lose: A Multimedia Art Event Nothing Left to Lose, A Multimedia Performance Festival Presented by Shaking the Tree Theatre will run July 7th-15th 2023, with 5 nights of performances by musicians and performances, in a set created by various contemporary visual / graffiti artists. Each night, the visual artists’ installation will be on display, with performance artists and musicians using the space as a stage for their work. The Festival will engage and present work by artists that have not traditionally been seen in a theatrical environment, thus expanding the audience’s ideas of the type of art that can happen within a theatre. The title, Nothing Left to Lose, is a quote from David Wojnarowicz.

Nuestras Raices (Our Roots) "Ven A Nuestra Casa" (Come To Our Home) Nuestras Raices (Our Roots) “Ven A Nuestra Casa (Come to Our Home)” is a celebration of Latino/a/x/e arts, culture, and heritage. Cinco de Mayo is widely celebrated in the USA but  Visit "our home" and learn about Hispanic traditions that center around food, music, and culture not just for Cinco de Mayo! It is a multi-cultural event.

Nuestro Camino, Aqui Seguimos Nuestro Camino is a Portland-based, Latinx artist exhibition dedicated to showcasing the variety of talented artists our community has to offer. Natalia named this show Nuestro Camino our first year, as an ode to a proven history of the Latinx community creating our own path in order to fulfill our dreams and create a better, stronger future for ourselves. With that said, last year’s theme, chosen by Dulce was Nuestros Antepasados. It was a call for the artists to reflect on those who came before us, and did what they needed to better our circumstances in today’s world. Building off the themes from the past two years, this year’s exhibition named "Aqui Seguimos,” will be a show dedicated to the resilience of queer people in the Latinx community. We have focused on showcasing queer artists, performers, and creatives this year to truly emphasize how this resilience is all the more present when breaking down barriers presented by the world outside of the direct Latinx community, as well as breaking the cycles and stigmas that have been present within that same community.

Oregon Rises Above Hate Oregon Rises Above Hate on May 6, 2023, in Portland, Oregon Join together to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and the AANHPI (Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander) community, its resilience, and commit to combating the continued rise anti-Asian hate.

Our Village Gardens' Neighborhood Block Party This neighborhood celebration will be chock full of free food, games for kids, an amazing raffle, and information about neighborhood partners serving this North Portland community, including Our Village Gardens' beautiful 1.5 acres of food production and corner grocery store. There will be a live DJ, and plenty of activities and neighbors to connect with. Join us!

Paseo Organized and curated by a BIPOC-led, steering committee and production team, Paseo is unique: a free, public, all-ages, interactive, unticketed event that brings together thousands of people in downtown Portland’s South Park Blocks for a summer weekend of arts, culture, and advocacy centering BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and communities. Now in its 3rd year, Paseo 2023 will take place July 15 and 16.

Paul Knauls Film Celebration The Paul Knauls Film Celebration will be an opportunity for the community to gather in honor of the man who has been a huge part of Portland's history. We will have live bands, food vendors, and opportunities to share memorabilia and stories about Mr. Knauls and the community he was a major force for years.

PDX Black Collective Cultural Market PDX Black Collective Cultural Market is a collection of high-quality BIPOC vendors with live entertainment, delicious food, and music celebrating Black and Indigenous culture in Portland.

PDX Hip Hop Week This year is in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop culture, so our STAR AWARDS event will include performances that include all elements of the culture from break dancing, graffiti art showcase, rap performances, and dj mix-off finals. We will continue with the tradition of honoring awards to individuals who have contributed to the growth of Hip Hop culture both locally and nationally. Some of last years recipients was the Legendary Kid Capri, Female Break dance legend LaRokafella, as well as a host of local artists.

PDX Pop Now! PDX Pop Now! is a free, all-ages music festival that features live performances of original music by local artists from the Portland area. Now in our 20th season, this year's festival will be celebrated at the Electric Blocks in the Central Eastside.

Picnic in the Park The inaugural Picnic in the Park is an art event presented by Objective Collective and local partners, set amidst the stunning scenery of Portland's parks. This community-based gathering offers an array of activities such as live performance art, music, art installations, and more for you to discover. With a family-friendly vibe, Picnic in the Park promotes a collaborative atmosphere that bridges diverse communities, encouraging new connections, innovative ideas, and cherished memories. Our ultimate goal is to create a catalyst for introducing various demographics in the PNW region to unique and exciting communities, fostering inclusivity and an unforgettable experience for all attendees. Gather your loved ones, picnic essentials, and a cozy blanket to be a part of this upcoming event in Portland.

Porch Concert Series Join us on the Porch for free, live music on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month from May-September. Stop by the St. Johns Farmers Market and then come enjoy live music while lounging on the front lawn. Bring a blanket, bring a picnic, or just bring yourselves and your dancing shoes!

Portland Bookmobile Day Portland Bookmobile Day is a free event that celebrates literacy and arts for all.  Scarlett the Japanese Fire Truck from Bookmobile Babe will be distributing free and diverse books to all attendees.  We will also provide mini art workshops for children, poetry readings, live entertainment, and food and drink from some of Portland's best food carts.

Portland Mid-Autumn Moon Festival The Portland Mid-Autumn Moon Festival was the first cultural night market hosted by the White Lotus Foundation. With over 30 AAPI vendors and over 6000 attendees, this was the first significant event in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in Portland, Oregon. Celebrating culture and highlighting locally owned AAPI businesses in the Portland area.

Portland Sisters 18th Anniversary An anniversary party marking 18 years of fundraising and service to Portland and the surrounding area. Food, music, and dancing in the square will combine with education and outreach from our community partners.

Portland TextileX Month Mixed Identities: Interlaced Communities A day filled featuring talks, exhibits, screenings, and workshops centered around the theme of Mixed Identities. A free family-friendly event aimed at those aged from 6 to 70 held at Textile Hive (room 203 ADA accessible Space). Collaborating with artists, makers, businesses schools, and cultural organizations to celebrate the richness and diversity of the Portland Textile Community.

Portland’s Festival of Colors Celebration - FREE + ALL AGES | DJ Prashant Come dressed in white and play with colors at our family-friendly community cultural celebration, outdoors with your favorite DJ: Prashant.

PRIDE Exhibition and Showcase AFRU Gallery's PRIDE opening night celebration will showcase a wide array of LGBTQIA+ visual artists, drag performers, comedians, dancers, puppeteers, and musical acts, all exploring questions around Queer identity and empowerment. Artists include the amazing Svetlana Trantastic and the musical group The Ukulezzies. Performances will be going on throughout the evening.

Project Market The Project Market will celebrate underrepresented members of our community by creating an immersive experience for supporting BIPOC artists, creatives, designers, and owned- businesses.

Put the Art In Cart The upcoming event, taking place from April 24-30, is a week-long celebration of Portland's food cart culture, closing out Portland Food Cart Month. The event will showcase our local food cart small businesses, each with their unique cultural culinary offerings through the lens of local artists. The event will happen simultaneously at The Cart Blocks and Gallery Go Go.

Queer & Dear: A Festival of Dazzling Queer Talents Queer culture is mainstream, and drag queens are visible and legion like never before. Yet LGBTQIA+ representation still promotes caricatures and tokenism rooted in a tired status quo. Queer & Dear explores the intersection of classical music, theater, and queer culture to lift up individuals’ stories, celebrate the lives and work of LGBTQIA+ artists, and smash the patriarchy — with love.

Queer Summer Concert Series Summer concert series will feature Portland LGBTQ+ artists in the Q Center parking lot. This pay-what-you-can event will include local food vendors and be a sober event. pending

Quiet Storm 2 Yoga classes one morning one afternoon, discussion on the importance of exercise. 10 participants max for each class. Kombucha vendor, free samples, and Q&A on healthy eating and health.

RADFAF Radical Faerie Arts Fest The Radical Faerie Arts Festival (RADFAF) is a five-day dynamic event celebrating the art and creativity of the Radical Faeries. Held in an 11,000 square foot indoor space in Portland’s Pearl District this event will feature a large visual art gallery, film, performance, workshops, durational art, an art shop, a Saturday morning art bazaar and coffee event, and a “salon” area for fashion shows, participatory events, and impromptu art happenings. Expect something different every day and throughout each day, and due to the sex-positive nature of the Radical Faeries some art and events will be restricted to adult viewers only. Parental discretion is advised.

Repair PDX: Spreading Repair Culture We have three events: How to Host Your Own Repair Café: Community members learn how to host repair events in their own communities. Pop-Up Shop: Partnering with PBOT Couch Plaza, we will host a pop-up shop giving away repaired and refurbished items. Repair Café at Alder Commons: volunteers will be fixing broken belongings for free. Free bike repair, sewing/mending, and bike repair will be offered.

Re-Presented: A Pilipino Musical Re-Presented is an original hip-hop musical about a group of Filipino rappers who become the target of a CIA investigation. The events and characters are a reflection of Filipino revolutionary history during Spanish colonization in the 1800s but reimagined in America and a modern context. See the full production at Lincoln Hall on June 17th or at CoHo Theatre on June 21-23rd (Time and TBD) for an up-close and intimate performance.

Respect the Culture The Black culture is strongly rooted in fellowship, cuisine, and entertainment. Therefore, we invite our community to join us in a 4 part event series storytelling of the culture of the Black community through different art forms such as painting, dance, live music, food, and poetry.

Rocky Butte Farmers Market The Rocky Butte Farmers Market (RBFM), at the base of beautiful Rocky Butte in Northeast Portland, is a nonprofit neighborhood market full of heart! We’ve worked hard to build an inclusive community that encourages growth, opportunity, and support, especially for new and underrepresented vendors. Our market serves as both a shopping destination and community gathering space and takes place every Saturday from 9 AM-1 PM at 9200 NE Fremont Street from June through September. Neighbors from near and far come to shop for locally grown produce while enjoying live music, educational and fun activities at our kid’s booth, and more! RBFM is also dog-friendly, and offers plenty of parking for cars and bikes, plus indoor bathrooms!

Roots and Beats Project Summer Park Days Each event will happen at a different public park across Portland with a lineup of performances and workshops/demonstrations featuring an array of local BIPOC/LGBTQ+ performing artists focusing on digital music production, analog synthesis, generative video, creative coding, djing, and new media. We'll have a main performance stage area and a 10x15 tent set up as an open-format music technology activation station housing a variety of digital instruments, synthesizers, MIDI controllers, and DJ mixers. We'll also host a tabling area for partner organizations to set up information about their services.

Roses in the Heart of Portland The 17th Annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade "Roses in the Heart of Portland" will brighten up 82nd Avenue and amuse and delight the community members and friends of The Avenue. The Parade starts at 9:30 am at Bush Street (north of Burger King and Eastport Plaza) and travels 2.2 miles to SE 78th and Yamhill Street. Parade lovers are invited to clap and wave and appreciate the Rose Festival "Clown Price", several musical groups, dancing horses, Dragon and Lion dancers, classic cars, and more.  We are happy to celebrate Joe V from KPTV as our Grand Marshall.

Secret Roller Disco Secret Roller Disco is a regularly scheduled, pop-up roller disco adventure that invites participants on all types of wheels to explore transformed locations around the Portland Metro Area.

She ROSE: A healing-centered impartation of hope, self-care, and joy for Black women who are missing, longing for, or healing from a traumatic or tender mother wound. She/ROSE: A Mothers Day event that focuses on a healing-centered impartation of hope, self-care, and joy for Black women who are grieving the loss of, longing for, or healing from a traumatic mother wound.

Skilfest Our event is a Dance competition where Break Dance will be the main feature. International 5-person dance teams will compete for the title and cash prize. We will also be featuring live musical performances to commemorate the 50th birthday of Hiphop Culture. And we will also have pre-event workout for the dancers of Portland to learn from international dance champions and professionals.

Sneaker Week PDX Sneaker Week curates organic experiences that bring together sneaker enthusiasts, industry influencers, & aspiring creative professionals to Portland, Oregon, the sneaker capital of the world. Our mission at Sneaker Week is to highlight the diverse culture and talented community amongst global sneaker enthusiasts while providing access and visibility to information and career pathways.

Soul Revival Ecstatic Dance for BIPOC Soul Revival is an Ecstatic Dance that centers BIPOC. This is a bi-monthly safe space to use the dance floor as our outlet, sanctuary, and playground. We get to connect and move together as a community. This is a place to allow ourselves to be vulnerable during these hard times and tap into our body’s inherent wisdom and need for expression!

Spraycation A day of live art, music, and great food.

St Johns Art Walk Meet creatives and makers of all ages at the St Johns Art Walk. Local businesses partner with a curated group of artists and showcased throughout the downtown business district of St Johns. Youth artists will also be featured prominently throughout the walk.

St John's Family Wellness: Back to School Block Party The St Johns Family Wellness: Back to School Block Party, will be a day that will bring families together from the St. Johns Community to take a break and enjoy a relaxing, fun-filled gathering enhanced by the sounds of music and entertainment from local talents.

St. Johns Bizarre The St. Johns Bizarre is a uniquely crafted celebration that kicks off the summer street fair season in Portland. This year the Bizarre is on May 13, 2023, and will bring music, crafts, and food to the crowds who traditionally attended the St. Johns Parade. After the parade, a portion of the business district in the St. Johns is closed to traffic, and filled with over 135 juried craft vendors, several stages for music, great food, and tons of games and activities. It’s an amazing community event with something for everyone. The event is free.

Summer Nights Historic Parkrose is hosting one main Summer Nights event near its office at 104th and Sandy. This event will provide free family-friendly activities and resources to the community as well as offer an evening night market where handcrafted items, food, and beverages will be sold.

Summer Solstice Festival Our Summer Solstice Festival is a celebration of our community and our way of welcoming in the Summer. Last year, as the community was just getting to know us, we saw 350 people through our space; record attendance at the time. We started the day with a Drag Bruch catered by the Waffle Window and featuring the talent of Nashville Hott and her trusty sidekick, Syda Pickles. This was a sold-out event, so we are doubling occupancy this year and expect to post ticket availability much earlier. The remainder of the events throughout the afternoon will be free and open to the public. They will include two bands playing in our front room that spills out onto the street, with a garage door access. We are hiring an ice cream truck and a taco truck, a photo booth, and face painters. We will also have Happy Fang Tattoos doing flash tattoos, flower crown-making workshops going throughout the day as well as a curated group of artisans selling their summer solstice-themed wares.

Talakayan at Kapehan Talakayan at Kapehan (TAK) is an educational and cultural event series aiming to bridge intergenerational gaps in the Filipino community by covering topics such as current events in the diaspora, health and wellness, and a deepened connection to our heritage. Talakayan is a Tagalog word that translates to discussion. Each TAK starts conversations on how Filipinos can come together to build a strong and caring action-oriented network. Each discussion will identify our next steps as a community, transforming dialogue into action. Kapehan translates to coffee time, which in the Filipino tradition is accompanied by pan de sal. Symbolically we hope each TAK awakens our participants and provides the tools for sharpening our understanding and energy for continuous action.

Taste of Latin America Taste of Latin America is a Portland Mercado signature event and will be bigger than ever as we expand to a two-day festival that celebrates food and the diverse and vibrant cultures of Latin America! Attendees will enjoy delicious food and drinks from a variety of Latin American countries, as well as live music, dance performances, and cultural activities. This event is free and open to the public

Ten, Tiny, Talks Ten, Tiny, Talks artist residency and film festival celebrates its third year of Black, Indigenous trans, queer, Two Spirit, and gender expansive art and film at the Clinton Street Theater June 23-25 2023. Three afternoons/evenings of films from the Black and Native trans and queer diaspora preceded some of the finest drag productions in the pacific northwest later in the evening. A street fair with vendors and performers greets attendees in this year’s celebration of melanated trans and queer joy.

The 8th Vanport Mosaic Festival THE 8th VANPORT MOSAIC FESTIVAL Curated by Story Midwife Laura Lo Forti “The annual festival is a highlight of Portland’s cultural calendar, blending history, culture, arts, and activism into a living and highly creative memorial.” Oregon Arts Watch/ Bob Hicks. From May 18th to May 29th,  the 8th Vanport Mosaic Festival will offer in-person, virtual, and self-paced memory activism opportunities to Remember, Repair, Reclaim, and Re-image our collective story.

The Electric Blocks Summer Series Multiple musical events with vendor markets that help bring awareness to BIPOC and women-owned businesses

The Freadom Festival The Freadom Festival is a celebration of literacy and liberation! Freadom Festival’s mission is to celebrate and acknowledge the power of literacy and its role in the fight to end the enslavement of Black people in the United States. Freadom Festival takes place annually during Juneteenth weekend to honor how books and reading have been integral in our liberation. This festival was created to honor, uplift, and celebrate literature that centers Black Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and their stories. This festival is the first and only Black Book Festival in Portland and the Greater PNW. A core tenet of The Freadom Festival is that reading and books should be inclusive and accessible, which is why The Freadom Festival is FREE to attend and will be hosted in a local Portland park open to all to come and learn the importance of Juneteenth, fellowship with a community of fellow book lovers, support Black businesses, receive reading resources, and celebrate literacy and liberation!

The Homecoming The "Homecoming" is a free community music festival to bring the people who have been displaced from North/Northeast Portland together. This event allows Black Portlanders to come together, for fellowship, and celebration, and to have a good time in the neighborhood where their families grew up. The musicians/artists who perform are a combination of Black youth and adults who have generational ties to North/Northeast Portland.

The Rainbow Ride The Rainbow Ride is a guided bike ride that celebrates the LGBTQIA2S+ community and supports its members taking part in Portland’s bike culture. The ride starts at Colonel Summers Park, where organizers hand out souvenirs (commemorative spoke cards and stickers created by a local, queer artist) and connects them to a Biketown bike if they need one. This is followed by rallying a speech from ride leader Sumi Malik before we bike as a big, colorful group to the Cart Blocks downtown. Upon arrival, riders will enjoy performances from queer and trans artists, including DJs, drag queens, and dancers.

The Rebound Kiki Ball The Rebound Kiki Ball is a dance and runway, MCed, and DJed performance and competition, born from and centering the POC queer community, particularly trans-women. The Rebound Kiki Ball has occurred four times, with the last being an all-ages event at The Crystal Ballroom. The event draws approximately 30-40 performers and up to 550 attendees depending on venue capacity. Cascades AIDS project and healthcare workers are on site providing STD testing and vaccinations.

Tiger Tiger: A Celebration of Our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, & Pacific Islander Communities On Saturday, July 22nd, 2023, Portland’s Fernhill Park will host Tiger Tiger, a festival created *for* AANHPI *by* AANHPI. Five bands, eight of Portland's hottest food vendors, visual artists, dancers, and poets--this is Oregon's largest festival uplifting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific-Islander communities.

Vanport Jazz Festival Outdoor jazz festival featuring internationally known musicians, Oregon wines and spirits, local merchandise, and food vendors, all coming together to celebrate the former city of Vanport, Oregon

Views Of An Urban Volcano Views of an Urban Volcano is a concert featuring the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble premiering three place-inspired works by local composers Cyrus Nabipur, James Powers, and Kirsten Volness presented at Mt. Tabor Park as part of the 10th Montavilla Jazz Festival. The music illuminates aspects of Mt. Tabor and is informed by a community input process, taking place now in early 2023. The works are built on the layers of meaning for different community groups involved.
The event gives music lovers, park enthusiasts, and civic-minded Portlanders, a chance to celebrate homegrown creativity and hear music that the community helped create.

Woodlawn's Summer of Music “Woodlawn’s Summer of Music” will be a free, weekly event at our neighborhood Farmers Market. Woodlawn residents will enjoy live performances from Portland musicians while shopping for fresh food from local farms and vendors. Many folks from our diverse and vibrant community visit the Market to shop, spend time with family and friends, and catch up with neighbors. Live performances will give residents a chance to better connect through music, dancing, and celebration! The musicians featured will be predominantly local residents and will specialize in a variety of languages and genres from jazz, and bluegrass, to rock, soul, and more.

Open House Oldtown Chinatown A celebration of new beginnings - open spaces and experiences in Oldtown Chinatown

XVII Portland Latin American Film Festival For the seventeenth consecutive season, the PDXLAFF will host at the Hollywood Theatre six screenings of new award-winning films that explore the social and cultural issues of Latin America. The festival will start on September 27th in celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month. This annual festival encourages dialogue among cultures and explores and celebrates the art of contemporary Latin American filmmakers. PDXLAFF's mandate is the encouragement and appreciation of motion pictures as a medium of art, information, and education. We have screened over 150 internationally awarded films and hosted 20 artists (actors, directors, and film professors from Latin America.)

Spring Pop-ups are blooming - Wednesdays at Director Park!

Treat yourself to a mid-week lunch hour break with these curated events designed to ease you into spring:

Location:
Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave (SW Park Ave. between Yamhill & Taylor)

Wed, April 19 Poetry & The Creative Mind Day
11 am - 1 pm

Explore flower pressing with Ideal PDX, poetry by Gypsy Typewriter Poet, and music provided by The Numberz.

Wed, April 26 Administrative Day
11 am - 1 pm

Enjoy free flowers, paletas, and cupcakes! Music provided by The Numberz.

Wed, May 3 Meditation Garden Day
11 am - 1 pm

Relax in our free meditation garden surrounded with plants, pillows, and music from The Numberz.

Wed, May 10 National Small Business Day
11 am - 1 pm

Support local small businesses and refresh your workspace! Music provided by The Numberz.

Spring Pop-ups are brought to you by Portland Events & Film.

Locally Produced Black Joy Miniseries Premieres at OMSI

For Immediate Release: August 1, 2022

• Media Contact(s): Jace Meyer-Crosby, 585-775-6432, jcmeyercrosby@gmail.com

• Tickets

• Facebook Event

• Other Info: krypticfilms.com, @krypticfilms on Instagram

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Kryptic Films to screen six episodes of un-historical Victorian romance ‘Dearest Eva’

Portland, OR – The long-awaited premiere of the first Victorian family drama to center Black characters and Black love is scheduled to descend with perfect poise upon the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry on Thursday, August 18th. Dearest Eva is a six-episode miniseries filmed in Portland and the surrounding areas in 2021.

After a letter from her childhood crush arrives, a young Black woman struggles to balance love and happiness with her responsibilities as matriarch of her chaotic and dysfunctional 19th century family. Our heroine, Eva Williams, assumes the burden of supporting her younger sister Mary, brother Sam, and her father. While Eva entertains the idea of kindling a relationship with George, Mary plans a wild house party, undermining Eva’s authority and getting in touch with the town’s social scene. The aftermath triggers a series of consequences that will test the strength of Eva’s family bonds and challenge her notions of love in all its forms.

“The objective of Dearest Eva is to create a timeline in an alternate world without slavery, gender oppression and land theft so that we can see how Black and brown folks would have lived in this Victorian aesthetic and what that looks like,” says creator and Kryptic Films founder Kamryn Fall. “OMSI makes sense as a host for the premiere,” adds the event’s coordinator J. C. “Jace” Meyer-Crosby, “because dreaming up worlds unaffected by colonization and white supremacy has always been science fiction. What guests are going to see up on that screen is a reimagining of the past that shapes possibilities for the future.”

After stepping out onto the red carpet for celebratory photo ops, premiere attendees will enter the Empirical Theater to watch the groundbreaking series on the museum's massive projection screen ahead of its mainstream release online. The run time is approximately two hours.

A VIP reception (ticketed event) following the screening will include hors d'oeuvres, beverages, cast meet & mingle, and live music, featuring a performance of original song from the show “My Dearest,” written by award-winning local indie artist Kingsley.

• 6:00pm Event start

• 6:30pm Showtime (screening begins)

• 8:30pm VIP reception for eligible ticket holders

Event is masked, and proof of vaccination or negative test within 24 hours will be required. Friends and family of the Dearest Eva project thank you for helping keep our community safe.

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Kryptic Films is a collective of BIPOC artists working to tell their own stories and help other disenfranchised folks tell theirs. They are focused on bringing the most affordable high-quality video services to often under-represented community members that deserve only the best

Four local film projects awarded post-production grants

The Portland Film Office, in partnership with Travel Portland, has announced the recipients of its 2022 Portland Post-Production Grant Program. Selected from a pool of  23 applicants, four local filmmakers will receive $7,500 each for their respective projects. 

The grant program is intended to support the professional development of local Portland filmmakers by providing funds for such activities as sound, picture editing, color matching, color grading, closed caption, tech specs for distributors, and music clearances using local post-production houses.  

Grants encourage the completion of a local feature-length film and position local producers to build toward larger, more resourced productions. Past recipients of the Post-Production Grant have included Sophie Jones and Clementine, both picked up by Oscilloscope Studios for world-wide theatrical release and streaming services.  

Thalia Martinez, manager of the Portland Film Office, said, “We were inspired  by the work of so many talented filmmakers this year and the creativity and diversity they represent both on and off the screen. The Portland film industry is fortunate to have such an incredible array of local talent."

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The selected projects are: 

Mother of Color

Mother of Color

Mother of Color is about a single mother of two who begins receiving messages from her ancestors as she sets out to make it to a life-changing job interview. This is the first feature film for Dawn Jones Redstone, an award-winning queer, Mexican American writer/director whose short films have screened around the globe, including the acclaimed Sista in the Brotherhood. Her work often features women of color (cast and crew) and explores themes of resistance, feminism and the internal machinations that help us transform into the people we want to become. She believes in using her hiring decisions to lift people up and help create an inclusive filmmaking community that reflects and brings needed perspective to the world we live in. She resides with her wife and daughter in Portland, Oregon.  

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Through My Board

Through My Board

A project from Dan Eason, Through My Board tells the story of Paul Johnson, a deaf skateboarder and Burnside skate park OG, as they reckon with aging, addiction, and the often-uncomfortable process of personal evolution. Producer/director/editor Dan Eason moved to Portland, Oregon to work as a location manager for several seasons on the hit NBC show, Grimm. He now enjoys working consistently both as a location manager and as a producer on a myriad of films and commercials shot in the greater Portland area. In 2016, Dan location-managed “I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore,” which went on to win best picture at the Sundance Film Festival.  

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Dearest Eva

Dearest Eva

Executive-produced by Riley Lozano and directed by Kamryn Fall, Dearest Eva is a period piece in an alternative world without slavery, land theft, or gender oppression, allowing for the highlighting of Black and Brown joy without Black and Brown trauma. A Kryptic Films production, Dearest Eva is the culmination of Lozano and Fall's wildest dreams, a creation which elevates under-represented communities and celebrates joy. They believe that film and theatre should be innovative and accessible for everyone.   

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The Landless

The Landless

Created by Ramone Palmore, The Landless focuses on the homeless crisis in America and the struggle to balance community resources. The effects of changing neighborhoods and gentrification affect the survival of a mother and her young son.  Ramone Palmore is an American stage and film actor and producer, filmmaker, and founder of Global Millennium Pictures, an American film company based in Portland, Oregon focused on being an international voice in film, collaborating globally on film development and production.  

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Housed at and supported by Prosper Portland, the Portland Film Office is committed to the economic vitality of a Portland-centered production ecosystem and seeks to build the local supply chain and industry capacity.