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Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Multi-Day

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FRIDAY

FILM

Barbarella Bingo Hosted by Violet Hex Past Event Like List
Few images can top Jane Fonda in silver go-go boots with a cool space gun, so this screening of the '68 cosmic thrill ride Barbarella shouldn't be missed. Roger Vadim's lavish sci-fi follows a groovy space adventurer who must stop a diabolical scientist's plot to destroy humanity. Plus, this Tomorrow Theater screening of the flick will up the ante in everyone's favorite way: with a game of bingo. The shindig will be hosted by cult cinema starlet Violet Hex, who I'm certain would be able to stop the evil scientist Durand Durand. Don't forget your daubers. LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond, $15)

Hanabi Film Festival Past Event Like List
This fest isn't for those expecting screenings of Ponyo and Ringu—not that there's anything wrong with those flicks, but the Hanabi Japanese Film Festival shirks typical Japanese film fare in favor of cult cinema and lesser-known tales. I loved the Mieko Kaji double feature Lady Snowblood and Song of Vengeance, Kurosawa's brilliant thriller High and Low, Yasujirō Ozu's crowning achievement Tokyo Story, and Church of Film's screening of the moody, dreamlike August in the Water; this weekend, Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 shouldn't be missed. I recommend grabbing snacks from Kashiwagi's conbini beforehand. LC
(Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy)

Troll Tales on the Lawn Past Event Like List
Whether you're in Oslo or the Pacific Northwest, no summer is complete without catching an outdoor movie screening (or three). Nordic Northwest agrees, and their hygge film programming offers a little something for everyone's cinema tastes, as long as those cinema tastes include trolls. On September 13, the Troll Tales on the Lawn series concludes with Norwegian fantasy The Ash Lad: In the Hall of the Mountain King. Attendees can sip on a range of Oregon wines, beers, and non-alcoholic options during the film, and resident troll expert (yes, that's a thing!!) Britte Rasmussen Marsh will chat trolls beforehand, offering a wide context of "discord and history" pulled from her ample troll research. LC
(Nordic Northwest, Metzger, $5-$10)

VISUAL ART

Unseasonably Warm: Nia Musiba Past Event Like List
Portland-based interdisciplinary artist Nia Musiba's second exhibition at One Grand Gallery is a dreamy selection of works on paper, encapsulating milestone moments like her "first heartbreak, graduating, questioning the meaning of life, and finding the answers in friendships and experimentation and new love." Musiba's stars, flowers, and spirals are welcoming, yet imbued with subtle narrative. Unseasonably Warm also features ceramic sculptures Musiba created in collaboration with Sara Victorio of the trendy local studio Hotel Ceramics. LC
(One Grand Gallery, Buckman, free; closing)

SATURDAY

COMMUNITY

Community Day: Book Arts, Zines, and Book Forms Past Event Like List
Celebrating the current exhibition A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon’s 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer, this fam-friendly community program will include free admission to OHS, plus demos on softcover bookbinding, folded zines, pamphlet stitching, and saddle-stapled notebooks. Presented by Harper Quinn of the Independent Publishing Resource Center, the event invites attendees to create their own book on-site to capture their thoughts on the historical society's many new exhibitions. (I recommend checking out the new exhibition Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West while you're there.) LC
(Oregon Historical Society, South Park Blocks, free)

FESTIVALS

Portland Mid-Autumn Festival Past Event Like List
This free, family-friendly event hosted by the White Lotus Foundation at the recently opened Hong Phat Supercenter promises a slew of food and drink vendors, merch, cultural performances, games and activities, handmade wares from local AAPI-owned businesses, and a moonlit lantern parade symbolizing hope and unity. Admission is free to all, but impatient festival-goers can purchase a fast pass ticket to skip the line at the entrance. JB
(Hong Phat Food Center, Montavilla, free)

FOOD & DRINK

Fourth Annual Tomato Fest Past Event Like List
Each year, the specialty grocer Wellspent Market teams up with the Culinary Breeding Network to throw this end-of-summer bash uplifting everyone's favorite fruit masquerading as a vegetable. Channel your inner tomato girl with cooking demos, tastings, samples, BLTs, and savory tomato-based treats. JB
(Wellspent Market, Richmond, free)

OUTDOORS

OMSI Star Party Past Event Like List
Don't miss OMSI’s final star parties of the year, which will delight whether you're a night sky novice or a seasoned stargazer. This event celebrates the autumnal equinox (even though technically fall doesn't start until the 22nd) with telescopic views of Saturn and other celestial bodies. Arrive at Rooster Rock or Stub Stewart at sunset with red light flashlights and warm clothing; you'll be surprised how fast a few hours can go by when you're gazing in wonder at the heavens. SL
(Various locations, free)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

TROPITAAL! Desi Latino Soundclash with DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid Past Event Like List
Latin American tropical sounds blend (or as they say, "clash") with rhythms from India to create a distinctive sound that perfectly soundtracks this recurring dance party. This time around, resident DJs Anjali & The Incredible Kid will spin genre-blending sets focused on Latin, Caribbean, and South Asian music. AV
(Goodfoot, Kerns, $12)

SHOPPING

Belmont Street Fair 2024 Past Event Like List
Annually on the second Saturday of September, a stretch of Belmont Street closes to cars and opens up for one of the city’s most well-attended street fairs. Local musicians will rock three stages all day long, with performances from sparkly psych pop band Mama Sam and The Jam, Chicano country rock group James Jones & the Chupacabras, and Bollywood funk DJ Desi Jhankaar. This year, the fair hosts the first annual "baby races," which will provide adorable entertainment from toddler waddling to bubblegum blowing. If your little isn’t competitive at heart, stop by the kids’ zone to make a custom Belmont Street tote bag (while supplies last). SL
(Belmont District, Sunnyside, free)

Spectrum Art Market Past Event Like List
Show off your pride with some fresh duds and housewares at this LGBTQ2SIA+ pop-up market, where local artists hawking ceramics, art, textiles, apparel, jewelry, and accessories (perf for pool parties) will celebrate summer by keeping things rainbow-hued and sparkly. It'll all go down at Q Center, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Pacific Northwest. LC
(Q Center, Boise, free)

SUNDAY

FILM

Daisies with woo-woo: Self-Care Sunday Past Event Like List
Once banned in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the gleeful, surrealist Daisies is chock-full of hedonistic splendor, revolving around two young women who shrug off stereotypes in pursuit of debauchery and pleasure. Who says anti-patriarchal antics can't be fun?! Stop by Tomorrow Theater for the screening of the '66 flick, which will be preceded by a "self-care moment" with local wellness experts woo-woo. (They'll host a Bodyroll session, described as an "all-levels dance practice to heal your inner dancer and enliven the collective spirit," so come prepared to sweat a little.) LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond, $15)

FOOD & DRINK

Negroni Week Kickoff Party Past Event Like List
Award-winning local distilleries will join Bar Loon to celebrate the return of Negroni Week with a festive evening of snacks, Negroni specials, flash tattoos from Disco Bandaid, bouquets and arrangements from Heather Fields Florals, tarot card readings, and vintage glassware market from Lost & Found. A portion of proceeds will go toward Milk Crate Kitchen's mission to provide free family meals for those in need. JB
(Bar Loon, Sunnyside)

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

El Grito Past Event Like List
El Grito has plenty planned for its annual two-day fest: folkloric dance performances, mariachi tunes, traditional food offerings from Latin-owned businesses, community resource booths, and more. The 20th-anniversary celebration coincides with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month; the September 15th start date commemorates the independence days of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and recognizes those of Mexico and Chile on the 16th and 18th, respectively. El Grito invites Portlanders to join in and celebrate the traditions passed from generation to generation in the Latinx community and their indigenous roots. SL
(Rose Quarter Commons, Lloyd District, free)

LIVE MUSIC

Brothertiger Past Event Like List
New York electronic artist Brothertiger is bringing his uber-chill '80s synth sounds to Portland this weekend via a trove of recently released music. Along with the improvised instrumental album Fundamentals, Vol. V, he has also dropped the radio-ready singles "Stained Glass" and "The Garden" this year. Don't miss an opening set from local avant-pop harpist Sheers (aka Lily Breshears).
(Mississippi Studios, Boise, $15)

SPORTS & RECREATION

5K Series Fun Runs Past Event Like List
I recently attended my first marathon as a spectator, and all I can say is, “Damn, those people are serious about running.” Whether or not you identify as a runner, Portland Parks & Recreation's annual 5K Fun Run Series works to make road running accessible to all ages and levels of athleticism. It's free for youth under 18, and only five bucks for everyone else—bring cash if you're planning to register day of! There will be many perks for participating: raffle prizes, crafts, free bananas, and a ribbon for every finisher. SL
($0-$5)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

Bridge City Improv presents: SEPTEMBER SHOWCASE! Past Event Like List
Bridge City Improv’s September showcase presents three nights of ad-libbed performances by uber-funny local comics split into three sets a night. Think of it as a comedic version of Macbeth's three weird sisters around the cauldron, or an evening with the Bee Gees brothers, but funny. (Not sure what it says about me that those were the only trios I could think of, but I digress.) This edition's line-up includes unpredictable stylings by Broke Gravy, Fuckos, Hot Goss, Cliffbanger, and several others. Return for each night of the showcase and you'll have nine opportunities to laugh, which sounds like pretty good odds to me. LC
(Echo Theater, Richmond, $15 presale / $20 at door / $30 all-weekend pass, Friday–Sunday)

COMMUNITY

Chapman Swift Watch Remind Like List
Because you live in Portland, you are surrounded by folks whose idea of a good time is gazing at Vaux's swifts—a species of dark, tiny-bodied aerialists that like to roost in hollow spaces—as they gracefully funnel into an elementary school chimney each sunset in September. Their numbers vary; sometimes you'll see 5,000, and in mid-September, up to 15,000, as they migrate to Mexico and Central America. Their evening ritual is nothing short of poetic, a visual display that would make Mary Oliver weep. Therefore, arrive early and anticipate fighting for parking. (If you're as lucky as I was last year, you might also witness a Cooper's hawk tucked to one side of the chimney, awaiting a teensy swift snack.) LC
(Chapman Elementary School, Northwest Portland, free, Friday–Sunday)

Coraline's Curious Cat Trail Remind Like List
Google doesn't often classify movies as "family/horror," but Coraline is one of the few flicks that fits the bill. The 2009 LAIKA film, which follows an audacious 11-year-old who finds an alternate world populated by strange characters (including a button-eyed Other Mother), is based on the creepiest, most addictive Neil Gaiman book I read as a seventh-grader. If the book/movie's lanky black cat elicits your nostalgia, I recommend spending an afternoon with Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail, LAIKA's path of six-foot Cat sculptures stationed throughout downtown Portland. LC
(Various locations, free, Friday–Sunday)

Dahlia Festival Past Event Like List
Grab your camera and your allergy meds and get ready to experience 40 acres of dahlias featuring over 370 varieties. Floral novices and aficionados alike can sign up for flower arranging and crafts classes, listen to flower care lectures, take a bunch of flowers home, and more. Time your visit to check out local bands performing on weekends, or grab a bite to eat from a rotating selection of food carts. SL
(Swan Island Dahlias, Canby, free, Friday–Sunday)

EXHIBIT

Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West Remind Like List
While many Native cultures recognize more than two genders, the term "transgender" is relatively new. What might the lives of trans people in the West have been like before the word existed? The Washington State Historical Society's original exhibition, Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West, offers a rare look at trans narratives from 1860 to 1940. Curated in collaboration with historian Peter Boag, the exhibition shares the stories of heartbreaker Harry Allen, medical doctor-turned-novelist Dr. Alan Hart, and "the mysterious Mrs. Nash, a laundress to the famed Seventh Cavalry," among others. LC
(Oregon Historical Society, South Park Blocks, $0-$14, Friday–Sunday)

FESTIVALS

Portland Polish Festival Past Event Like List
The longest-running Polish festival on the West Coast is right here in Overlook, and it’s back again to deliver a hearty supply of polka and pierogies! The two-day fete invites you to learn about Polish history, see stunning costumes and folk dances, grab plates of classic Polish cuisine, and wash it all down with Polish-style beer from Threshold Brewing. There will be polka contests for both kids and adults, so don't forget to warm up and wear shoes you can dance in. SL
(Polish Hall, Overlook, free, Saturday–Sunday)

FILM

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Past Event Like List
It's not complicated. If Winona Ryder is on the screen, I'm seated in the audience. Even a reprisal of Beetlejuice, in which a frankly annoying spirit haunted a family back in the '80s, will suffice as long as Ryder appears. Director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton return for this fashionably late sequel, which follows three generations of the Deetz family (including Lydia, who's now a mom, played by Ryder) as they return home to Winter River and discover a portal to the afterlife that's been carelessly left open. I'm betting someone says a certain name three times. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $10-$12)

The Front Room Past Event Like List
A24 films have felt hit-or-miss lately, perhaps because they're consciously expanding in a more commercial, mainstream cinema direction. MaXXXine, Priscilla, and Civil War were met with polarizing reviews, while The Zone of Interest was (in this writer's humble opinion) a brutal, immediate classic. After a year of whiplash-inducing releases, I'll be happily seated for a straight-up scary movie starring Brandy as a pregnant woman besieged by her weirdo mother-in-law. The flick is also the first feature for director duo Max Eggers and Sam Eggers—yep, they're Robert Eggers' brothers. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, $10-$12)

Paris, Texas: New 4K Restoration Past Event Like List
Paris, Texas is my favorite film of all time, and my second and third are True Stories and 3 Women, both of which could arguably exist in Paris, Texas's universe. A disheveled Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) meanders out of the matte desert, where he's reunited with his eight-year-old son, Hunter, and his billboard-designing brother in the neon canyons of Los Angeles. He tries on different roles: He imagines becoming the "rich father," accomplishing nothing but to chase after his son's affection. A road trip then guides Hunter and Travis back to the root of their trauma. The result is a neo-Western that feels spiritually in tune with Twin Peaks, Repo Man, and—hear me out—the myth of Odysseus. It also did more to promote pink fuzzy sweaters than the entirety of Barbie's endless press campaign. By the way, I'd typically balk at a 127-minute runtime, but Wim Wenders' ultra-deliberate filmmaking (and Robby Müller's choreography) demands a slow read. Certain shots linger long after the credits roll. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, $8-$9, Saturday–Sunday)

The Portland 48 Hour Film Project Past Event Like List
Featuring dozens of short films created by Portland talent over 48 short hours, the 48 Hour Film Project is a fast-paced, pressure cooker film series that honors the quickest of the quick. The project bids filmmakers to create a film based on an assigned genre, so the results feel improvisational and invigorated. Celebrate the best of the submissions at the Clinton Street screenings, which include an award ceremony and announcement of which winners will advance to Filmapalooza and possibly screen at the Cannes Film Festival. Who knows—one of the hurried flicks you catch might go on to future greatness. LC
(Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy, $15, Saturday–Sunday)

GEEK & GAMING

Geek Week PDX Past Event Like List
The Rose City Comic Con brings geeks and gamers to Portland annually, and this year the fun continues in the days following Comic Con with Geek Week PDX, a new pop culture festival featuring activations across the city. You can partake in over 300 events hosted at 100+ nerd-focused small businesses, ranging from film screenings to game tournaments and cosplay parties (one of which is on an ice rink). There are multiple options for celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, including a progressive seven-day campaign hosted by TPK Brewing Co. If you prefer a more IRL adventure, the Treasure Quest photo scavenger hunt leads you on an exploration of the city; each quadrant of which the organizers promise will be "transformed into a new mythical realm." SL
(Various locations, Friday–Sunday)

PERFORMANCE

Timothy Yanick Hunter: Noise / Grain Remind Like List
Presented as part of this year's Time-Based Art Festival, the Toronto-based artist Timothy Yanick Hunter's Noise / Grain will open with a performance in the PICA Annex on September 14. Pulling from "experiential and aesthetic dimensions of the Black diaspora," you might note everything from historical photography to internet touchstones in Hunter's remixes and samples, which create "living mélanges" to decolonial meaning-making. Hunter, a first-generation Jamaican living in Canada, also draws from dub music's history of alteration, layering, and iterating to imagine mutable, evolving forms in sound. LC
(ILY2, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)

SHOPPING

5 Year Anniversary Party with Silver Pennies Yarn Co. Past Event Like List
As a knitter, I have a weakness for gorgeous hand-dyed indie yarn and could easily fritter away a frightening amount of my paycheck on it. Tahoe-based dyer and designer Justine Chenel of Silver Pennies Yarn Co. will drop by for a trunk sale to celebrate the fifth anniversary of St. Johns combo bookstore/yarn shop (talk about a dreamy combination) Two Rivers Bookstore and Weird Sisters Yarn and will show off her selection of whimsical, nostalgic yarns in various jewel tones and shades of gray. JB
(Weird Sisters Yarn, St. Johns, free, Saturday–Sunday)

VISUAL ART

Carson Ellis: One Week in January Remind Like List
While looking through some old boxes, illustrator, and author Carson Ellis discovered several pages of diary entries from 2001, which documented her first week living in Portland. The journals detailed 25-year-old Ellis’s new life in the city, as she moved into a “scrappy but cheap and fabulous” Southeast Portland warehouse, smoked a lot of cigarettes, and hung out with her housemates and fellow artists, including her future husband and Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy. Ellis got a kick out of the old entries, which offer a snapshot of Portland during a time of creative abundance and cheap rent. She painted 30 new pieces of art to go along with the diary entries from 23 years ago, and compiled them into a book, One Week in January: New Paintings for an Old Diary, which was published by Chronicle on September 10. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 14 from 2-5 pm. PORTLAND MERCURY NEWS REPORTER TAYLOR GRIGGS
(Nationale, Buckman, free, Saturday–Sunday; opening)

Cat Rabbit & the Seven Seas: Toy World Past Event Like List
Naarm/Melbourne-based textile artist Cat Rabbit and illustrator/sculptor The Seven Seas will present a fresh collaboration based on their mutual love of toys. The results are genuinely enchanting: Cat Rabbit's style, which uses hand-stitching on felt and vintage fabrics, blends with The Seven Seas' bold, colorful aesthetic to create potato chip mayors, wizard cats, and Freaks & Geeks-inspired animals. Each piece is a joy to look at, so Toy World seems like a sure bet if you're prone to the Sunday scaries. LC
(Nucleus House, Alberta, free, Saturday–Sunday)

Nate Harris and Josh Stover Past Event Like List
If you haven't stopped by Nucleus on Alberta Street lately, now's a good time to visit the unassuming gallery—dual solo shows by multidisciplinary artist Nate Harris and creative sign painter Josh Stover lend a contemporary feel to the space. Harris' works are funky tesselations and often come housed in chic frames. Stover, the co-owner of the Richmond, VA-based Variety Shop studio, creates abstracted still lifes with a vintage, highly graphic aesthetic. LC
(Nucleus Portland, Alberta, free, Friday–Sunday)

Sad Girl Summer: A Hot Pink Gallery Show Past Event Like List
Whether or not it's grounded in Audrey Wollen's Sad Girl Theory, I'm intrigued by local artist Natalia Cardona Puerta's Sad Girl Summer, a bubbling cauldron of hot pink bedazzled swans, lambs the color of strawberry milk, and butterflies bedecked with stars. The artist's new body of work was created during a depressive episode, and its emphasis on dreamy figures and an unflinchingly whimsical aesthetic is bound to lift your mood a little, too. Head to the show opening to "explore castles in the sky, dreamland princesses, and lovely magical creatures." LC
(Sonny's House of Tattoos and Treasures, Kerns, free)

Summer Collective Past Event Like List
Chefas Projects is one of my favorite summertime spots—the gallery's shows typically highlight a vibrant, contemporary art style that fits right in with hot, sunny weather. This group exhibition is a foolproof way to gather some seasonal inspiration (and beat the heat for a few minutes). Summer Collective features new pieces by Jess Ackerman, a Portland-based painter of eye-popping tabletops and sparkly flora, alongside DIY-inspired illustrator/painter Ryan Bubnis, abstract artist Jordan Clark, and multimedia artist Emily Kepulis. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, free, Friday–Saturday)

Xavi Bou: Ornithographies Past Event Like List
Inspired by childhood walks with his grandfather along Spain's Llobregat Delta and his background in geology, Xavi Bou's ongoing photography project Ornithographies documents something that typically escapes human perception: the "invisible patterns traced by birds in the sky when they fly." Merging a poetic eye and ongoing consultation with naturalists, Bou's work captures the lightning-fast flapping of wings in a single frame, making visible the imperceptible through organic shapes and abstracted forms. LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, free, Friday–Saturday)