The three daffodils I saw on my sanity walk this weekend would like to inform you that IT IS MARCH. Yes, you already knew that, but have you really taken it in? The Bad Months are over. The Okay Months are here!!! And with this shift comes several opportunities to remove your puffer coat and wear, like, a regular coat. Among them: $10 sandwiches alllll week long thanks to the Portland Mercury‘s Sandwich Week, and Tortoise is not not jazz and not not krautrock, but also a secret third thing. The Portland Small Press & Art Book Fair delivers what’s on the tin. Also, yo-yo contests are real, and your donation at Queer Soup Night benefits the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition. Onward…
Monday, March 2
The Portland Mercury‘s Sandwich Week
IT’S A FACT: Sandwiches are the best thing since sliced bread. And thankfully, it’s time to celebrate this feat of ingenuity with the Portland Mercury‘s Sandwich Week! (Big thanks and “what’s up!” to our pals at Jim Beam and Travel Portland for their help). Starting Monday, March 2, through Sunday March 8, Portlanders can feast on delectable creations built by 88 (!?!) fabulous chefs for only $10! And better yet, you can win delicious prizes with the Mercury’s SANDWICH PASS. Get your pass NOW and check-in to sandwich locations to be automatically entered to win restaurant gift cards and Mercury swag bags. Are you kidding me? NO, WE ARE NOT! (Various locations, March 2-8, $10/sandwich, more info)
Lauren Groff in Conversation with Lydia Kiesling
In a 2023 interview with the New York Times, Lauren Groff explained her editing process. After completing the first draft of a novel, she places it in a banker’s box, and never reads it again. Then, she starts from scratch, with the goal that only the most vital and potent aspects of her story will remain. Seems kind of extreme. But maybe a little extremity is good for the creative process. Clearly it’s working for Groff, whose novels (Fates and Furies, Florida, Matrix) have snagged three National Book Award nominations. She’ll chat about Brawler, her new short story collection, with local writer Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility. (Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7 pm, $41.95, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Portland State Vikings vs. Weber State Wildcats
The Portland State Vikings clinched the Big Sky Conference title for the first time since 2008, so this last home game of the college basketball season is a call for celebration. Three Vikings starters will play their final game at Viking Pavilion: the highlight dunk/passing machine Jaylin Henderson, Terri Miller Jr., the forward dubbed the “Big Sky Jokić” by local comedians/basketball sickos Seth Allen and Andy Clark, and the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year, Tre-Vaughn Minott. The key identity of this squad is an elite turnover forcing defense and relentless pace of play instilled by the caffeine-soaked brain of head coach Jase Coburn. The Viks take on Weber State, and while this is the final game at Viking Pavilion this year, the season isn’t over yet. The Viks head to the Big Sky Conference Tournament next week, and will hopefully be an early round upset pick in the March Madness tournament later this month. (Viking Pavilion, 930 SW Hall, 7 pm, $12+, more info, all ages) CAMERON CROWELL
Tuesday, March 3
Michael Pollan With Dave Miller
Best known for his food world investigation books like the Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) and In Defense of Food (2008), non-fiction author Michael Pollan excels at breaking down complicated systems in interesting, even illuminating, ways. Somewhat inevitably, that means you’re at a party with someone who thinks Pollan’s arguments fully support why you personally should eat meat. But just because he writes know-it-all fuel doesn’t mean we should throw him out with the bathwater. The framing of his most recent book, A World Appears, makes heavy use of words like “exploration” and “journey” as it introduces a dozen or more theories on consciousness. That could also be a byproduct of Pollan’s recent books on cannabis and psychedelic use. Attendees of this talk benefit from the professional question-it-all of OPB’s Dave Miller who interviews Pollan and moderates questions. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 7:30 pm, $52.22 includes a copy of A World Appears, more info, all ages that can quietly enjoy sciencey talk) SUZETTE SMITH
Tortoise / Spacemoth
For fans of Ui, Jeff Parker, The Durutti Column
Chicago’s Tortoise will play two nights at Aladdin, supporting the late-2025 release of their album Touch. Not not jazz, and not not krautrock, Tortoise have been delivering and defining cool since the early ’90s. Is this what the Grateful Dead would sound like if they were good? Hard to say, but Tortoise are real good and real hard to define with any certainty. Replacing SML as the opener, Spacemoth will pull up sounding like she sat between Broadcast and The Fiery Furnaces in Stereolab’s class. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, March 3-4, 8 pm, $43.73, more info, all ages) NOLAN PARKER
Also worth it:
Middle-earth Film Festival, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), more info
Speak, friend and enter the mythical realm of Middle-earth; this festival honors J.R.R. Tolkien’s monumental novels-turned-blockbuster movies with extended versions of all six films from The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies.
Wednesday, March 4
Lizard Boy
Composed and written by the PNW’s own Justin Huertas, this hybrid indie rock opera and superhero story is a love letter to weirdos and a beautiful story of finding acceptance. Lizard Boy follows Trevor, a young man who was left with green scaly skin after an encounter with a dragon as a child, who now only leaves his house during the once yearly MonsterFest extravaganza. Every character plays an instrument live on stage—guitar, cello, ukulele—making the performances even more impressive and the songs more grand. Don’t miss this uniquely musical coming-of-age chronicle, especially with one of the main roles being played by Portland music royalty Lo Steele. (Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th, Wed-Sun through March 29, $34-$68, more info, 15+) BRI BREY
Also worth it:
Slough Fest, various locations, more info
Bird Alliance of Oregon and other nature-happy organizations will lead a series of events on the Columbia Slough through March 8, including birding treks, guided walks, and a regenerative agriculture workshop.
Thursday, March 5
Portland Small Press & Art Book Fair
Small press and art book fairs are like zine fests with less trades. You’ll find some zines. You’ll find some interesting art books, priced for small print runs ($$) but exclusive and limited in their number. Absolutely check what Container Corps is up to. See if Secret Room Press has anything new. Kate Bingaman-Burt’s Outlet will be there, as will a number of new publisher-printers foraying into the field. (Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway, March 5-7, more info, all ages) SS
Portland Jazz Festival
Recently I’ve had several friends and people in prominent Portland bands say they’re keen to check out more jazz in 2026. If not at the Portland Jazz Festival, then where? This year, as with all years, the festival’s cup runneth over with local and international talent by jazzists and jazz-adjacent artists. 2026 festival highlights include Portland’s own Shirley Nanette—this year’s “Portland Jazz Master”—opening for the incomparable Mavis Staples; Pickathon favorites SML; Portland’s first all-femme big band, Stumptown Sirens Jazz Orchestra; Rose City rising jazz luminary Charlie Brown III; and the forever homies in Dreckig. Read our full festival breakdown here. (Various locations, times, and prices, more info) NP
Also worth it:
Kelly Reichardt retrospective, Clinton Street Theater, more info
Oregon’s favorite director receives some well-deserved flowers with Clinton Street’s month-long series, which screens alllmost her entire filmography, opening with Old Joy on March 5. If you missed The Mastermind (2025), you’ll have another shot on March 22. (Read our review here.)
Friday, March 6
Third Rail Repertory presents A Mirror
A reflective and cryptic wedding ceremony becomes an exploration of free speech in this Sam Holcroft “multi-layered exploration of censorship and storytelling,” apt for the fraught times we live in. Can you believe a story of government censorship hits home right now? I’m interested in anything described as “meta-theatrical,” and the hall of mirrors structure reveals more as the play goes on, deepening the audiences’ involvement in the narrative and the theatrical action itself. If you’re unsure what you just witnessed once the curtains close, not to worry; a talkback will follow most performances. (Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh, through March 15, $7 – $60.50, more info, 16+) BRI BREY
Also worth it:
WWE Friday Night Smackdown, Moda Center, more info
Professional wrasslin’ comes to Portland in this edition of Smackdown, featuring brawling from a host of your faves, including former WWE champion Cody Rhodes who in January lost his belt to the detestable Drew McIntyre—awkwardly enough, he’s also on this bill. (Wonder if anything fucking crazy will happen?)
Saturday, March 7
Pacific Northwest Regional Yo-Yo Contest
Okay, look… I don’t want to hear any bullshit from you, particularly on the subject of being too cool to attend a yo-yo competition. The facts are these: You live a largely boring life without enough day-to-day variety. It’s time to break out of your monotony, and do something weird, and I think the Pacific Northwest Regional Yo-Yo Contest will fit the bill nicely. The best yo-you tricksters in the region—along with some duos—will face off against each other and strut their most amazing stuff in this daylong contest to get a coveted seat at the upcoming national championships. Plus, there will be plenty of fun and vendors on hand, which might inspire you to pick up a yo-yo of your own—thereby making you far more interesting (and therefore) cool again. (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9:30 am-5 pm, $11, $5 for 13 and under, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
The Wild Bunch
For those who like their wine on the wilder side, The Wild Bunch, a festival celebrating low-intervention AKA natural wines, is returning for its five-year anniversary. There’ll be over 400 wines and ciders from 70 different wineries, cideries, and distributors all over the world to sip on. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from vendors including Hayward, Astral, and Puff Coffee, and music will be spinning all afternoon from DJ Rev Shines. The event usually sells out in advance, so don’t count on being able to grab tickets at the door. (Premier Gear & Machine Works Building, 1715 NW 17th, 11 am-4 pm, $58, 21+, more info) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Fellow Travelers
You loved the Showtime miniseries. Why not try it as an opera? Adapted from the novel by Thomas Mallon, the opera version of Fellow Travelers tells the story of two politico paramours, eking out an affair under the oppressive gavel of ’50s McCarthyism politics. Somewhat ironically, the wizened and well-connected Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Joseph Lattanzi) gets his bright-eyed, younger lover Timothy Laughlin (Andy Acosta) an aide position in Senator Joseph McCarthy’s office as a way to gather information on the emerging Lavender Scare. (Newmark Theater, 1111 SW Broadway, select dates, times vary, $31-$106, more info) SS
Mosh Pit
You’re a fan of heavy metal music AND comedy?! You’re certainly a special snowflake, aren’t you? Finally there’s a comedy show just for YOU. Mosh Pit features a live, onstage episode of the hilarious What’s More Metal podcast—in which host Nariko Ott (Portland’s Funniest Person 2016 and a Mercury Genius of Comedy) along with the also hee-larious Dan Weber (Reading the Bible with Dan) compare a variety of things to determine which are indeed “more metal.” PLUS, there will be sketch comedy from Death Hammer (SF Sketchfest, Out of Bounds Comedy Festival) as well as some primo riffage from guitarist Eric Faucette—who knows a thing or two about shredding. So if you like metal, it’s like the devil made this comedy show especially for you! (Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $18, more info, 18+) WSH
Sunday, March 8
Erinn Kathryn and M. Earl Williams: A Land That Remembers
Queer Soup Night
Although this winter has been “milder” than winters past, it’s still been a freezing, less-than-pleasant time. As we emerge from the worst months of the year (argue with the wall), Queer Soup Night makes its triumphant return to warm our hearts and bellies. Queer folks and allies alike are invited to the creepy yet homey bar the Uncanny for steaming bowls of vegan soup and baked good offerings made by queer local chefs. The community care is two-fold: You’ll nourish yourself and hopefully meet some new friends. Plus, the suggested donation benefits the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition’s vital work. (The Uncanny, 3560 N Mississippi, 4–7 pm, $15–$20 suggested donation, more info) JANEY WONG
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
