Big summer energy is heading our way as Memorial Day traditions like the Multnomah County Fair Past Event Like List and the Portland Rose Festival Past Event Like List make their CDC-approved returns. Read on for those and other picks for the three-day weekend, from a birthday party for Pix-O-Matic Past Event Like List to drive-thrus to check out en route to your day-trip destination (like Sugarpine Drive-In Like List ), and from the Portland Flea Past Event Like List market to a live concert with Jacob Miller Past Event Like List at the Lot at Zidell Yards. Plus, check out our guides to the best things to do online this week Like List and juicy Memorial Day events in Oregon wine country Like List .

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Jump to: Day Trips | Food & Drink | Festivals | Art & Performance | Other Picks & Happenings

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DAY TRIPS

Hike the newly reopened trails at Cape Lookout. Situated along the north Oregon coast headland, Cape Lookout State Park Like List 's eight miles of old-growth trails are ideal for breaking in your hiking boots and honing your eye for beachcombing (and whale-watching, if you're lucky). The Oregon Parks Department reopened the park's Cape Trail and South Trail on Monday after an eight-month hiatus, so fill up the ol' Nalgene and head for Highway 101. While you're in Tillamook, make a day of it by stopping by the Cape Meares Lighthouse Like List just south of Tillamook Bay (about a half-hour drive from Cape Lookout) before heading east to the Tillamook Creamery Like List in hot pursuit of ice cream and a to-go grilled cheese with tomato soup. 

Hit up some drive-thrus. There’s no time like a long weekend to head out for an impromptu road trip. Don't forget the best part of every vehicular jaunt: stopping for snacks. We suggest Top Burger Drive-In Like List , Eastwind Like List , Skyline Like List , Mike's Drive-In Like List , Big Burger Drive-In Like List , Dea's In & Out Like List , and Dandy's Drive-In Like List . Also, check out the dreamy destination Sugarpine Drive-In Like List , which recently added Da Pine Grinds Like List , a pop-up food truck serving Hawaiian fare.

Go the extra mile for Memorial Day. There's something to be said for spending a long weekend doing as little as possible, but if you want to take advantage of the extra 24 hours of leisure time afforded by Memorial Day (Mon May 31), there's still time to plan. We've cherry-picked Like List a few noteworthy events in Portland (like Rose Festival Porch Parade Past Event Like List ), plus out-of-town fun to seek out in Astoria (sea lions and beer!) and Hood River (art tours and hikes!). 

FOOD & DRINK

Grab last-minute food for Memorial Day. Did the three-day weekend sneak up on you before you had the chance to secure some type of festive meal? We’ve got you covered. Check out Olympia Provisions' sausage grill kit, which comes complete with Martin's Potato Rolls (a soft, squishy favorite that's hard to find on the West Coast), bratwurst, frankfurters, kielbasa, a jar of Wilder's Original Mustard, and a jar of pickled sauerkraut. Or swing by Sisters Gourmet Deli Like List 's East Coast-themed "Tails & Claws" collaboration pop-up Past Event Like List with Bento Bros on Sunday, featuring a menu of lobster rolls, lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, lobster platters, beer-battered fish sandwiches, lobster mac and cheese, popcorn shrimp, and popcorn lobster.

Celebrate Mint Julep Day. This Sunday is Mint Julep Day, a prime time for leisurely sipping the refreshing bourbon-based beverage on your porch (or a patio) and watching the world go by. We suggest tracking down a version at Screen Door Like List , Interurban Like List , Old Gold Like List , Southland Whiskey Kitchen Like List , or Clyde's Prime Rib Restaurant and Bar Like List .

Visit AAPI-owned restaurants. There are just a few days left in Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Finish the month strong by paying a visit to some AAPI-owned restaurants and businesses around town. Some of our favorites include Mirisata Like List , Hanoi Kitchen Like List , Top Burmese, Shanghai Restaurant Like List , and Yoko's Japanese Restaurant Like List . For more ideas, check out our directory of AAPI-owned restaurants and our list of ways to support AAPI-owned communities and businesses in Portland Like List .

Visit one of the best bars in America (according to Esquire). After a year of drinking at home, we’re more excited than ever to return to dimly lit bars filled with the sounds of music, conversation, and rattling cocktail shakers. And Portland is lucky enough to lay claim to one of the best places to drink in America for 2021, according to Esquire: the distinguished whiskey den Scotch Lodge Like List . Culture and lifestyle director Kevin Sintumuang writes, “It’s simple: If you’re looking to have your mind expanded through whiskey, come here. You’ll find everything from rare Macallans to obscure, soul-heating bourbons. Single-ounce pours mean you can really take a round-the-world journey. While whiskey bars with deep lists are nothing new, Scotch Lodge has a decidedly sophisticated yet unpretentious energy, impressive bites, and a cocktail list that is a master class in pushing what Scotch can do. Try the Islay daiquiri.”

Other notable weekend events:

Oregon Wine Month Past Event Like List
Oregon Wine Month offers a full slate of safe and socially distanced programming celebrating Oregon-grown vino, including self-guided tours, educational seminars, talks, tastings, and more.
Various locations (Friday-Monday)

Pix-O-Matic One Year Birthday Past Event Like List
Pix Pâtisserie's magical 24-hour "Pix-O-Matic" vending machine will dispense free birthday cake all weekend to ring in its first trip around the sun. While you're there, submit your favorite memory of Pix Pâtisserie in a "memory box."
Pix Pâtisserie, North Portland (Friday-Sunday)

Portland Cà Phê Pop-Up with Hey Chaudy and Heyday Past Event Like List
The Vietnamese coffee roaster Portland Cà Phê will join forces with the pop-ups Hey Chaudy and Heyday for a trifecta of deliciousness: a pandan coconut cheese foam cold brew from Portland Cà Phê, two coconut baked rice flour doughnuts with a mango glaze and coconut shavings from Heyday, and banh mi bỏ xiêm (a spicy marinated beef skewer sandwich) from Hey Chaudy, all for $20. As part of the pop-up, the Diaspora Coffee team will take over the Portland Cà Phê space and serve drinks—all proceeds from the day will be donated to their upcoming non-profit neighborhood cafe Jubilee Hall PDX.
Portland Cà Phê, Southeast (Monday)

 

FESTIVALS

Take part in a modified Rose Festival. Firework displays and the traditional grand parade are on hold until 2022, but far be it from the City of Roses to put off their landmark festival Past Event Like List altogether. A slew of CDC-approved events are kicking off this weekend, including the Porch Parade Past Event Like List (May 31-June 13), which invites Portlanders to decorate their front porches, street-facing windows, yards, and/or walkways with decorations that fit one of four themes: Grand Floral Parade ("All things grand and floral"), Starlight Parade ("A sparkly, illuminated display for a nighttime celebration with lights"), Junior Parade ("Creative concepts and decoration for our kids, done by kids"), or Rose Garden ("Showcase your beautiful flowers for all to see"). Use the site's map to go on a self-guided tour of all the participating locations. Also on deck is the annual Rose Festival Treasure Hunt Past Event Like List (May 30-June 12), whose treasured object in question is a small block of Lucite with a special Rose Festival medallion embedded inside, which participates can hunt for using clues posted daily on the festival's website. 

Other notable weekend events:

Multnomah County Fair Past Event Like List
This annual family-friendly festival returns for the 115th year with a virtual talent show boasting up to $1200 in cash prizes, as well as an in-person showcase of photographic, sewing, and garden exhibitions at Oaks Park, tickets for which are limited.
Oaks Park, Southeast (Saturday-Sunday)

ARTS & PERFORMANCE

23window Past Event Like List
This local party band will head up Edgefield's Little Red Shed with their interpretations of classic blues and rock standards. 
McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale (Friday)

Castletown Celtic Duo Past Event Like List
Saddle up for the "AmeriCeltic" folk stylings of genre-bending Irish group Castletown, featuring a healthy dose of fiddle.
McMenamins Kennedy School, Northeast (Friday)

Cumulative Shadow Past Event Like List
Jovencio de la Paz merges digital technology with the physical, using textiles hand-woven on a computerized Thread Controller loom to reference "imaging conundrums in which layered computer-generated shadows are unable to darken within digital environments."
HOLDING Contemporary, Northwest (Friday-Saturday; closing)

The Gates of Hope: Connecting Cultures Past Event Like List
Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the East Japan earthquake and tsunami and the devastating nuclear disaster that followed, this retrospective highlights two lost kasagi, beams of a sacred Shinto gate that traveled across the Pacific Ocean for two years before washing up on the Oregon Coast.
Portland Japanese Garden, Southwest (Friday-Monday)

JT Wise Past Event Like List
Get ready for a Grateful Dead cover or two as roots-rock jammers JT Wise take the stage for an afternoon set.
McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale (Saturday) 

Live at The Lot: Federale Past Event Like List
If you're into Spaghetti Westerns and Giallo horror movies, you'll dig the stylings of Portland's seven-piece ensemble Federale, who draws inspiration from European soundtracks from the 1960s and '70s.
The Lot at Zidell Yards, Southwest (Sunday)

Live at The Lot: Rosé and Roses with Jacob Miller Past Event Like List
Guests can enjoy cans of Union Wine Co. rosé while singer-songwriter Jacob Miller (a former contestant on The Voice) plays his "minimalist pop." 
The Lot at Zidell Yards, Southwest (Mon May 31)

MUSIC + MOVIES at The Lot at Zidell Yards Past Event Like List
Hollywood Theatre has partnered with the Lot at Zidell Yards for a summer filled with socially distanced outdoor live music and film pairings. This weekend brings E.T.: Extra-Terrestrial and the Portland Cello Project (Friday, sold out) and Love and Basketball and Karma Rivera (Monday).
The Lot at Zidell Yards, Southwest (Friday & Monday)

Rich Layton Past Event Like List
Touting themselves as "keepers of the flame for American roots music," this Portland group conjures visions of East Texas roadhouses and marshy swamps. 
McMenamins Kennedy School, Northeast (Saturday)

Sonny Hess Past Event Like List
Local blues legend Sonny Hess will treat Troutdale to a night of soulful vocals and "sensual" guitar.
McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale (Saturday) 

2021 University of Oregon MFA Thesis Exhibition Past Event Like List
University of Oregon MFA artists Sajad Amini, Claire Tierney Anderson, Devon DeVaughn, Eden V. Evans, Ian Sherlock Molloy, Tannon Reckling, Caroline Turner, and Nathan Alexander Ward show a wide range of work.
Disjecta, North Portland (Friday-Sunday; closing)

We Gathered Past Event Like List
Patterns "repeat, stack, diffuse, iterate, mirror, and mimic" in this solo show from Portland artist Jeremy Le Grand.
Carnation Contemporary, North Portland (Saturday; closing)

OTHER PICKS & HAPPENINGS

All Power to The People: Black Panther Party Legacy Tour of Albina Past Event Like List
As part of the Vanport Mosaic Festival (don't miss Friday's virtual concert Past Event Like List ), this walking tour of the historic Albina district places an emphasis on the legacy of Portland's Black Panther Party.
Matt Dishman Community Center & Pool, Northeast (Saturday)

Crystal Ballroom Tour Past Event Like List
Follow along as a guide takes you on a 45-minute tour through the historic Crystal Ballroom and Lola's Room.
Crystal Ballroom, Southwest (Saturday-Monday)

Open Mic Vigils for Victims of COVID-19 Past Event Like List
Community members are invited to honor the lives of the 2,500-plus people who have died of COVID-19 in Oregon at these open mic-style vigils throughout the month.
Various locations (Friday-Sunday)

Portland Flea Past Event Like List
This open-air market plays host to purveyors of clothing, vintage wares, home goods, and more on the last Sunday of each month.
Nova, Southeast (Sunday)

Skatemobile at the Waterfront! Past Event Like List
The Rose City Rollers are bringing their skating pop-up to the waterfront, a decidedly more scenic location than Lloyd Center. Reserve a spot online (tickets are limited to 75 spots per session) and don't sweat the small stuff; RCR's skatemobile will be onsite if you forget your gear. 
Hampton Opera Center, Southeast (Saturday-Sunday)