It's never too early to think about weekend adventures for the year ahead. So here are 40 Portland area events to mark on your 2019 calendar right now.
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Rose City Classic Dog Show
Jan. 16-20
It doesn't get much more "Best in Show" than Portland's largest gathering of dogs and dog people, with agility and conformity competitions for more breeds than you can wag a tail at. Just bring your lint roller.
Details: Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive; rosecityclassic.org
Fertile Ground Festival
Jan. 24-Feb. 3
Fresh performance and theater material -- including a reimagined Frankenstein musical set in 1990s Oregon -- takes center stage at this festival of premieres and workshops to incubate more new works for next year.
Details: Venues across town; fertilegroundpdx.org
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
International Cat Show
Jan. 25-27
Feline fans get their days of revelry in January too when a worldwide parade of little fur balls comes to Portland for competitions and showcases for various breeds.
Details: Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Dr.; internationalcatshowportland.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Worst Day of the Year Ride
Feb. 10
Any Portland cyclist knows that sometimes you've just got to embrace the nasty weather and keep on pedaling. And this four-, 19- or 42-mile ride rolls right into February's often foul forecast.
Details: Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, 915 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.; eventsbyaxiom.com/worstdayride
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Wizard World
Feb. 22-24
This traveling comic convention and the pop-culture powerhouses it brings along always receive a warm welcome in Portland. Check it out for cosplay that just won't quit and free rein to let your geek flag fly.
Details: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; wizardworld.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Polar Plunge
Feb. 23
Even as feeling vanishes from extremities, smiles appear on faces all around at this mass dip into the frigid Columbia River and fundraiser for Special Olympics Oregon.
Details: Broughton Beach, 4325 N.E. Marine Dr.; plungeoregon.com
Mike Zacchino | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Bricks Cascade LEGO exposition
March 2-3
If you don't find yourself pining for your old LEGO collection after seeing the painstaking custom creations at Bricks Cascade, you never had an old LEGO collection.
Details: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; brickscascade.com
Portland International Film Festival
March 7-21
For the 42nd year, Portland film fanatics will be treated to a buffet of worldwide cinema curated by the tack-sharp tastes at the Northwest Film Center.
Details: Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 S.W. Park Ave.; nwfilm.org
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Shamrock Run
March 17
It's all good times, green tutus and burning legs at Portland's 30,000-participant, Ireland-inspired footrace, which falls bang on St. Patrick's Day this year.
Details: Downtown Portland; shamrockrunportland.com
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest
March 23-April 29
They say April showers bring May flowers. But that old adage will seem irrelevant when you're surrounded by fields of blooming tulips at the end of March. The fantastically photogenic event celebrates 35 years this year.
Details: Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, 33814 S. Meridian Rd., Woodburn; woodenshoe.com
Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Hard-Pressed Cider Fest
April 20
Hard cider needs fruit, and the Hood River Valley has that in spades. When the apple, cherry and pear trees bloom, it's drinking time. For all of April, enjoy Hood River Valley Blossom Time, with family-friendly farm events, craft shows and more.
Details: 3315 Stadelman Drive, Hood River; hoodriver.org/hood-river-valley-blossom-time and hoodriver.org/cider-fest
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Auto Swap Meets
April 4-7
Garage dwellers and grease monkeys rejoice every April when the Portland Swap Meet and the PIR Auto Swap Meet set up shop at the neighboring Portland Expo Center and Portland International Raceway to sell car parts and memorabilia, ordinary and obscure.
Details: Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Dr., and Portland International Raceway, 1940 N. Victory Blvd.; portlandswapmeet.com, portlandraceway.com
Design Week Portland
April 6-13
Design is everywhere, and this annual festival of workshops, showcases, talks and open houses aims to expose the craftsmanship of design across disciplines. As an uber-hip hub of all things aesthetic, Portland is poised to make a design fan out of anyone.
Details: Locations across town; designweekportland.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
May 3-5
Waterfront Park becomes a little slice of Mexico with music, dancing, food, boxing and art. Just remember, Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico's 1862 victory over France in the Battle of Puebla, not Mexican Independence Day.
Details: Tom McCall Waterfront Park; cincodemayo.org
Dillon Pilorget | The Oregonian/OregonLive
UFO Festival
May 16-18
UFOs get a treatment both silly and serious with a big costume parade and talks from UFO experts. Believe in UFOs or not, this festival is out of this world.
Details: McMenamins Hotel Oregon, 310 N.E. Evans St., McMinnville; ufofest.com
Courtesy of Filmed By Bike
Filmed by Bike
May 17-19
Spend the weekend watching a festival full of bike films fit for a city as cycling-obsessed as Portland. And between screenings, ride to brewpubs with the filmmakers or attend a Q&A.
Details: Hollywood Theatre, 4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd.; filmedbybike.org
Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Rose Festival Parades
June 1, 5 and 8
The Rose Festival keeps Portland celebrating for much of the summer, but its famous parades are the main attractions. The glowing nighttime Starlight Parade takes to the streets first, followed by the kids of the Junior Parade and the ever-elegant and impressive Grand Floral Parade.
Details: Downtown and Northeast Portland; rosefestival.org
Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest
June 8
Sandcastle builders descend upon the Oregon Coast for a little friendly competition at the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest.
Details: Cannon Beach; cannonbeach.org
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Festival of Balloons
June 21-23
Balloon launches, night glows and tethered rides are just part of the fun when Tigard hosts this annual festival in Cook Park.
Details: Cook Park; tigardballoon.org
Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive
World Naked Bike Ride
June 29
While it's technically a protest against oil-dependent transport, among other things, no one will hold it against you if you strip down for this unlike-anything-else group ride just for fun.
Details: Location TBA; pdxwnbr.org
Anna Spoerre | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Waterfront Blues Festival
July 4-7
With days of riverside tunes and an annual roster that'll keep you rocking even after the July Fourth fireworks, the Waterfront Blues Festival is sure to give you that "Portland in summer" feeling.
Details: Tom McCall Waterfront Park; waterfrontbluesfest.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
The Big Float
July 13
Take a float down the Willamette River with a fleet of fellow inner-tubers and end up at a beach party in the heart of the city.
Details: Tom McCall Waterfront Park; thebigfloat.com
Sarah Silbiger | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon Brewers Festival
July 24-27
Craft beer aficionados know no home like Portland's waterfront come the last weekend in July. With more taps than a secret agent's telephone line, you're bound to find a new brew - or a few - to call a favorite.
Details: Tom McCall Waterfront Park;
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Portlandia Mermaid Parade
July 27
After three successful and scale-clad years, the Portlandia Mermaid Parade has become a bonafide summer institution. Or should we say "bonafinned"?
Details: Tom McCall Waterfront Park; portlandiamermaidparade.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Pickathon
Aug. 2-4
The antidote to the typical music festival, Pickathon is about as laid-back as they come. Great music, great people and a great setting (we're talking stages in the woods with hammocks hung all around) converge to deliver a truly fun weekend of rocking out.
Details: Pendarvis Farm, 16581 S.E. Hagen Road, Happy Valley; pickathon.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Bridge Pedal
Aug. 11
This ever-popular bike ride travels over Portland's bridges - including the car-free upper decks of the Fremont and Marquam bridges - for unprecedented views of the city.
Details: Bridges across Portland; providence.org/bridge-pedal
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
PDX Adult Soapbox Derby
Aug. 17
The DIY downhill dash on Mount Tabor is a highlight of the summer for anyone who enjoys a day designed with good times firmly in mind. Catch garage engineers from Portland and beyond as they pilot creative homemade gravity cars and try their darndest not to crash.
Details: Mt. Tabor Park, Southeast 60th Avenue and Salmon Street; soapboxracer.com
Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Faerieworlds
Aug. 23-25
Strap on some wings and let your inner faerie fly at this music festival set among the woods, with mystical melodies washing over the costumed crowd.
Details: Horning's Hideout, 21277 N.W. Brunswick Canyon Road, North Plains; faerieworlds.com
Thomas Boyd | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon State Fair
Aug. 23-Sept. 2
Who could forget the state fair when planning their activities for the year? If we're talking about big events, the fair is the granddaddy, having run for more than 150 years.
Details: Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. N.E., Salem; oregonstatefair.org
Stephanie Yao Long | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Mount Angel Oktoberfest
Sept. 12-15
Dream Germany vacation just not panning out for this year? Get the next best thing at Oregon's unofficial "Little Germany" as it celebrates the harvest season, lederhosen and all.
Details: downtown Mount Angel;
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Rose City Comic Con
Sept. 13-15
Portland's homegrown comic book convention stays true to the genre while welcoming pop-culture celebrities and cosplayers alike for a weekend of equally down-to-earth and far-out entertainment.
Details: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; rosecitycomiccon.com
Beth Nakamura | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon International Air Show
Sept. 20-22
With all the high-flying acrobatics and aeronautic awesomeness local and national acts bring to the state's largest air show, you won't even be upset when your neck hurts the next day from looking to the sky so much.
Details: Hillsboro Airport, 3355 N.E. Cornell Road; oregonairshow.com
Dave Killen | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival
Sept. 21
Whoever said sidewalk chalk is child's play has never been to Forest Grove in September. Artists of all abilities and styles transform the town's quaint downtown sidewalks into a colorful concrete canvas to be enjoyed by all.
Details: Downtown Forest Grove; valleyart.org/chalkart
Anna Spoerre | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Final Sunday Parkways
Date TBA, usually the third or fourth Sunday of the month
If you miss the monthly neighborhood bike rides throughout the summer, the final scheduled ride is your chance to get out on some car-free streets and pedal around with your neighbors.
Details: Location TBA; portlandsundayparkways.org
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta
Date TBA
You might as well do something with all the giant pumpkins harvested each October, so the folks in Tualatin hollow them out to create boats in this clever and kooky race.
Details: Tualatin Lake of the Commons, 8325 S.W. Nyberg St.; tualatinoregon.gov/pumpkinregatta
Dillon Pilorget | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Portland Retro Gaming Expo
You won't just relive your childhood spent in arcades; you'll live your childhood arcade dreams. All the best in old-school gaming, from pinball to Pac-Man, lies at your fingertips at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo.
Details: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; retrogamingexpo.com
Dillon Pilorget | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Portland Book Festival
Date TBA
After a strong revival and a name change (from Wordstock), Portland's big literary festival is back in full swing with acclaimed authors, publishers and other wordy folks from just around the block to far beyond.
Details: Portland Art Museum and surrounding area; literary-arts.org
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Portland Tree Lighting Ceremony
Nov. 29
Once you've finished your leftover turkey and potatoes on the day after Thanksgiving, head to Pioneer Courthouse Square to see Portland's 75-foot holiday tree light up.
Details: Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 S.W. Sixth Ave.; thesquarepdx.org
Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Santacon
Dates TBA, usually the second and third Saturdays in December
Many large cities see Santa-themed pub crawls as the holidays approach. Portland, however, has three: the PDX Santacon, NoPo Anticon and Stumptown SantaCon
Details: Bars across Portland; pdxsantacon.com
Mark Graves | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Holiday Ale Fest
Dec. 4-8
Nothing's quite as cozy as a warming winter brew at the Holiday Ale Fest, which brings lots of seasonal beers to take the edge off the cold - and the holidays.
Details: Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 S.W. Sixth Ave.; holidayale.com
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