Portland and Area Activities Planner - July 18 - 25, 2025

21st ANNUAL WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIR
July 18-27
The Washington County Fair is the place for Big Fair Big Fun, July 18-27, 2025, at Westside Commons in Hillsboro. This annual fair includes amusement rides, live entertainment, food, livestock exhibits, and more. Admission is always free. 

HAREFEST
July 17–19
The annual Harefest music festival in Canby presents the Northwest’s best tribute bands performing on three stages over two days. The Harefest experience has been described by many attendees and performers as an “adult summer camp,” not only for the fun-loving, good-natured attendees but also because of its rustic location and tent camping around the festival site.

24 outstanding bands on three stages, delicious foods, onsite camping, and a giant party of rock n’ roll revelers. `

DRONEART SHOW: A MUSIC CONCERT AND DRONE SHOW
July 25
Experience the extraordinary with DroneArt Show! This magical open-air concert blends technology and art into one spellbinding experience all audiences can enjoy. In a beautiful candlelit setting, a talented string quartet breathes new life into classical masterpieces, including Debussy’s The Snow Is Dancing, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Synchronized with the music, drones decorate the night sky with colorful patterns, bringing these iconic compositions to life and taking your concert experience to new heights. This is unlike anything you’ve experienced before — get your tickets today for DroneArt Show: A Music Concert and Drone Show in Portland!

PORTLAND SKETCH COMEDY FESTIVAL
July 24–26
The Portland Sketch Comedy* Festival is BACK for its 7th year. Sketch comedy troupes and performers from all over North America descend on The Siren Theater for three glorious nights, and IT IS A BLAST. Featuring performances from Toronto (Canada), NYC, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Columbus, OH and of course Portland. This is the only Portland comedy festival dedicated solely to sketch comedy.

*Sketch comedy: short, scripted scenes or “sketches” typically featuring anywhere from 1-12 people whose intention is to amuse. Think Saturday Night Live, Black Lady Sketch Show, I Think You Should Leave.

FESTIVAL OF ARTS
July 17–19
Celebrate art with free, family-friendly fun at the annual Festival of Arts in Gresham with more than 125 Pacific Northwest artisans, live music, Kids Village, and local cuisine. The Festival of Arts draws thousands from around the region each year to Gresham’s charming downtown streets to meet, browse and shop from a carefully curated selection of Northwest artisans, ranging from painters, potters and sculptors to woodworkers, photographers, jewelers and more. 

Come explore the Art and Culture Gresham has to offer, and don’t forget to grab your limited edition Festival of Arts Tote bag for convenient shopping.

ZOO NIGHTS
June 20–Aug. 22
Nothing says summer in Portland like a warm evening outdoors with good food and live entertainment. On several evenings throughout the summer, the Oregon Zoo hosts Zoo Nights filled with local music, food carts, activities for all ages and the chance to get to know some of the animals active during twilight hours.

Zoo Nights occur from mid-June through mid-August, with live music on the lawn at 6:30 p.m. and activities from 5:30 p.m. Guests will also find tasty food and snacks — plus the ever-popular elephant ears and a selection of local beer and wine for adults.

Zoo Nights is a special event and is not included with regular daytime admission. Tickets must be purchased online in advance.

ORIGINAL PRACTICE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
June 20–Aug 31
OPS Fest brings no-cost repertory Shakespeare to parks and venues all over the Portland Metro area. The company uses the original practice techniques of Elizabethan England: limited rehearsal, scrolls in hand, audience interaction, and an onstage prompter.

In Shakespeare’s Era, the audience knew the actors had not rehearsed and that the only context each had of the play was their own role on a scroll. The play was as fresh to the actors as it was to the audience.

In the Original Practice Shakespeare Company, you’ll NEVER see the same cast do the same play in the same way. Because Shakespeare should be a little dangerous.

PEDALPALOOZA BIKE FESTIVAL
Ongoing
Whether you’re a cycling fanatic, an occasional cruiser or just a lover of fun events, Pedalpalooza  — aka Bike Summer — has something for you. Held all over Portland, this bike- and fun-focused festival celebrates summer’s arrival with over 100 rides throughout town.

Inspired by the success of Bikesummer, a traveling event Portland hosted in 2002, Pedalpalooza (also known as Bike Summer) has entertained bike enthusiasts since 2003. While local bike-fun organization Shift runs the festival’s site and helps with planning, anyone can create and lead a ride.  

CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST'S SUMMER FESTIVAL
June 23-July 27
Chamber Music Northwest (CMNW) manages an unusual combination: classical music played by musicians of the highest caliber in an informal, intimate setting. Since 1971, chamber musicians have flocked to Southeast Portland’s Reed College to play the great classic repertoire with their friends. Music fans share picnics and wine on the campus lawn before heading indoors to hear the sublime music.

Returning annually, the festival is one of Portland’s rites of summer. The festival returns from June 23 – July 28, and the theme for 2024 is The Beethoven Effect, which illuminates how Beethoven’s genius sparked ever-emerging ripple effects in the music world. This summer spotlights well-loved and new music inspired by Beethoven’s revolutionary foundations and explores where today’s chamber music has grown. View their festival concert guide for a full lineup of events.

CATHEDRAL PARK JAZZ FESTIVAL
July 18–20
The Jazz Society’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is a free concert open to the public and held over three days in mid-July at Cathedral Park at the base of the St. Johns Bridge in the Cathedral Park neighborhood of Portland. Nearing four decades of history, the festival is the longest-running jazz and blues festival west of the Mississippi River.

This major musical event in the heart of summer features the region’s best local jazz and blues musicians. It also fosters cooperation and pride in the North Portland neighborhoods of Cathedral Park and St. Johns and recognizes and promotes the community’s local businesses.

THE WINTER'S TALE
June 27–July 20
Oregon Adventure Theatre presents Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, featuring Commedia dell’arte masks and a live Foley artist. The show will be performed in various locations around Portland from June 27 to July 26. Bring a chair, blanket, and snacks to a park, backyard or garden near you and enjoy the outdoors while being taken away to this magical, wintery world. All shows are free and open to the public. (It will be in a different location every weekend, so please check the website to find out where.)

THE LITTLE MERMAID
July 16–19
Share the Little Mermaid’s adventure from her magical underwater sea palace to the royal castle. Watch as she outsmarts the Sea Witch and shows how love can overcome greed. This musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale bursts with song, dance, and an enchanting love story. This 50-minute musical features professional actors supported by an ensemble of our kids’ drama camp participants.

All ages are welcome for this family-friendly production.

FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK|
July 18–20
Join the Portland Actors Ensemble for FREE Shakespeare in the Park this summer. Come see the family-friendly “Twelfth Night” in Gresham’s Main City Park. All shows begin at 6 p.m.

ANNUAL OREGON COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 12-26
The 47th Oregon Coast Music Festival returns this July 12 – 26 with two weeks of stunning classical and jazz performances. Known as the “Tanglewood of the West Coast,” it's the longest-running music festival on the Oregon Coast, featuring over 80 musicians from across the country. Enjoy concerts at scenic venues like Shore Acres, Mingus Park, and the OIMB Boat House, plus free seminars at Southwest Oregon Community College. The festival wraps up with three powerful performances by the 80-member Festival Orchestra at Marshfield High Auditorium.

Get the calendar of events and your tickets here.

AMERICANA HARVEST FEST
July 8–Sept 7
Topaz Farm is excited to announce the 2025 Americana Harvest Fest series. The festival features a mix of nationally and internationally known folk, country, and bluegrass artists. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to enjoy live music on the farm, surrounded by farm animals, U-pick fields, and the market bar and grill. Come early to enjoy the farm, including the cow train, fresh grilled farm food, craft beer, cider, and more.

CRABBING  EXPLORIENCE
July 20
Enjoy the bounty of Siletz Bay with Explore Lincoln City’s Crabbing Explorience. Hit the sand and catch your own dinner.

Before heading out to the shoreline to toss a line, meet a local expert for an overview of Oregon’s crabbing regulations, harvesting methods, identification, cleaning, and cooking techniques. Each crabber can use up to three devices; we recommend a folding crab trap for Siletz Bay crabbing, which can be done right from the shore. The adventure will last approximately one to two hours, is free, and requires no registration.

JURASSIC WORLD BY BRICKMAN
Mar. 15–Sep. 31
Get ready for an immersive adventure like no other as Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught re-imagines Jurassic World, the blockbuster franchise from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, through 6 million LEGO bricks.

It features large-scale LEGO brick dinosaurs, props, scenes, and activities, as well as the newest Jurassic World by Brickman® dinosaur, made from over 100 thousand LEGO bricks, the Baryonyx. Walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates and relive the magic of beloved stories and characters from the Jurassic World franchise, as you embark on a thrilling journey across the Isla Nublar.

Get hands-on with LEGO brick paleontology, mystery mosaics, island-building, hybrid dinosaur creations, and much more. There will be 2.5 million LEGO bricks for you to show off your own building skills.

LINCOLN CITY'S FINDERS KEEPERS GLASS FLOATS 2025
Year-Round
Finders Keepers is Celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2025. Be on the lookout for the colorful twinkle of a hand-blown glass float when you’re exploring the beaches of Lincoln City. As the name says, Finders Keepers.

Discover “random acts of findness” in Lincoln City, with —Finders Keepers. Over 3,000 glass treasures are hidden along the town’s seven miles of sandy beach, made by local artisans. If you find a float, it’s all yours. Let your treasure hunt begin. Discover glass treasures every day of the year from Roads End on the north to Siletz Bay on the south.

WAITRESS
June 26–July 20
Grab a little slice of heaven with the Broadway hit musical, Waitress. With music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominee, Sara Bareilles, this pop musical tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker, stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna fights to reclaim a long-forgotten part of herself. Through the support of her fellow waitresses and an unexpected romance, Jenna begins to find the courage to take an abandoned dream off the shelf. Waitress celebrates the power of friendship, dreams, motherhood, the family we choose, and the beauty of a well-baked pie

PORTLAND SATURDAY MARKET
Mar. 1–Dec. 20
Combining the vibes of an art show, a live street concert and an open-air bazaar, the Portland Saturday Market has been a beloved Rose City tradition since 1974, earning it the “Oregon Heritage Tradition” title in 2024. In fact, the market is considered the largest continually operating arts-and-crafts fair in the United States, drawing up to one million visitors during its annual season.

On any given weekend from the beginning of March to the day before Christmas, shoppers can wend their way through the rows of tents of this large outdoor market featuring local makers, artisans, and chefs. A full sensory experience, the sights, and sounds will have shoppers and on-lookers tapping their heels to bluegrass pickers and jazz trios with weekly sets of local musicians performing for market-goers and passersby in Tom McCall Waterfront Park

FARMERS MARKET AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Year-Round
The Portland Farmers Market at Portland State University will be open every Saturday, year-round. April through October hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. November through March hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Market at PSU is located in Downtown Portland in the South Park Blocks between SW College & Montgomery Streets.

HOLLYWOOD FARMER'S MARKET
Year-Round
Year-round on Saturdays, the Hollywood Farmers Markets hosts 50+ vendors, bringing you the best of the region’s agricultural bounty.

In addition to amazingly fresh, local food,  you’ll find live music, children’s activities, and fun events throughout the season.

• April through September, every Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM,
• October and November, every Saturday 9 AM to 1 PM,, and
• December through March: 9 AM to 1PM on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month

ST. JOHN'S BAZAAR AND PARADE
May 10
The St. Johns Bizarre is a uniquely crafted celebration that kicks off Portland's summer street fair season. Held annually on the second Saturday in May, the Bizarre brings music, crafts, and food to the crowds who traditionally attended the St. Johns Parade. After the parade, a portion of the business district in 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 a fantastic community event with something for everyone.
The event is free.