If you're wondering whether the city is, indeed, "war ravaged," the answer is no, as evidenced by this colossal autumn leaf pile of EVENTS. It's almost October, which is soOoOo crazy if you think about it. Stave off the chill with a hot pile of wings this week, then check out Paul Thomas Anderson's shift toward action cinema, Lambrini Girls' all-femme punk, and an outdoor celebration of Dead Moon. Letsssgo!

Monday, September 29

The Portland Mercury’s Wing Week

As you know, the Mercury’s food week offerings (Burger Week, Pizza Week, et al.) always add gustatory joy to your year… so are you ready for the next one? Well LET’S GO, because from Monday, September 29 to Sunday, October 5, the Portland Mercury’s Wing Week returns with one-of-a-kind chicken wings available from some of Portland’s favorite bars and restaurants! Even better? Each order of wings will cost you a mere $10! Trust us, these local hotshot chefs are pulling out all the stops to bring you the most delicious and creative wing recipes, so check out our Wing Week map, download your Wing Week pass to find all the hot wangs near you, and see how your wing intake matches up against other Wing Week lovers. Do not deny your tummy what it wants any longer! (Various locations, Sept 29-Oct 5, $10 per plate, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY

What Is Costume?

Movie Madness University presents this one-off, two-hour lecture, dipping a toe into the expansive history of Hollywood costume design. De Thieman is a former manager of production archives for a major studio and a regular MMU instructor, taking past classes on tours of costume designers they ought to know and women filmmakers who shaped film history. Regular MMU fanciers take note: This class is at Portland State, and with just two hours on the clock, there'll barely be time for the curriculum and a few clips—not a whole film. (Lincoln Hall at Portland State University, 1620 SW Park, 7 pm, $45, more info, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH

Also worth it:

Peachy Springs Bingo, Show Bar, more info
Portland’s fave drag artist bingo caller brings fabulous energy and fun to the classic group game.

Tuesday, September 30

One Battle After Another

The new action-packed blockbuster from [checks notes] Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another perfectly captures the relentless exhaustion of being alive in 2025 Mercury film critic Dom Sinacola calls the film a funny, breathless, sometimes overwhelming spectacle of American violence, containing career-defining performances and Leonardo DiCaprio as a “broadly, deeply, understandably everyguy.” Anderson used VistaVision to present the film in much higher-resolution formats, like IMAX and 70 mm, without sacrificing 35 mm film’s grain and romance. Purists will seek those screenings out. (playing on 70 mm at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy; standard or IMAX in wide release at various theaters, 162 minutes, rated R) DOM SINACOLA

Also worth it:

Justin L'Amie: Dismal Nitch Polyphemus Moth, PDX Contemporary Art, more info
The gift of a dead moth from a Washington rest stop inspired L’Amie’s nature-focused watercolor and gouache compositions, which are imbued with something like magic.

Wednesday, October 1

Dubai Chocolate Bombolini

Wake up, babe… new Doe Donuts seasonal flavors just dropped. Now, I’ve had some memorable Doe creations in my time, but perhaps none have gotten me as hyped as this Dubai Chocolate Bombolini. I mean, they knew they were cooking with this one. It oozes pistachio cream and is dunked in chocolate before getting topped off with pistachios and shredded phyllo. I’d say run, don’t walk, but luckily, Doe keeps its seasonals around for two whole months. As an avowed pistachio enthusiast, I say: long live the Dubai chocolate trend. (Doe Donuts, 4110 NE Sandy) JANEY WONG

Hokus Pokus Live!

If you love the hilarious art of drag, the 1993 film Hocus Pocus (starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), and laughing your guts out, you’re gonna love this Venn diagram. It’s Hokus Pokus Live! starring the absolutely divine Ginger Minj, Jujubee, and Sapphira Cristál as the witchy sisters in this loving parody/tribute to the classic Halloween flick. Expect singing, dancing, magical production values, drag king Landon Cider as the undead Billy Butcherson, and OF COURSE the snappy (and bitchy) repartee you’ve come to expect from the queens you know and love. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $62.49-$175.99, more info, all ages, 13+ recommended) WSH

@thegingerminj Introducing our amazing cast for this years Hokus Pokus Live! Tour! @jujubee @sapphiracristal and @Landon Cider have joined our coven and are ready to run amok around the country! Announcement coming tomorrow at 12pm/ET! #dragrace #drag #queer #fypシ ♬ original sound - Ginger Minj

Also worth it:

Stevie Nicks, Moda Center, more info
The grand dame of witchy rock kicks off her “Rock a Little More” tour in Portland.

Thursday, October 2

Alex Falcone

Longtime lovers of Portland comedy will definitely remember Alex Falcone as a co-host of Earthquake Hurricane and his always entertaining talk show parody/tribute Late Night Action. (You may also remember him from his hilarious essays in the Portland Mercury.) While Alex has moved on to the big league in Los Angeles, he loves his PDX peeps and is returning home for a one-night only appearance at Mississippi Studios. He’s been featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, was a Portland’s Funniest Person winner, and is planning a laugh-filled evening of jokes featuring his brand of relatable, slightly annoyed common sense comedy. Snap up those tix, the late show is already sold out! (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 7 pm, $32.21, more info, 21+) WSH

Beyond House

Initiates of Nobuhiko Obayashi’s ' 77 cult classic House will be at least somewhat prepared for the director's lesser-known, yet equally idiosyncratic sci-fis and pop-art fantasias. While House’s Scooby-Dooian antics have long overshadowed Obayashi's other output, the Hollywood’s Beyond House series has made headway by screening four of his most vibrant seishun eiga (coming-of-age films) over the past month. The series closes out on October 2 with The Island Closest to Heaven, a grief-struck summer vacation film. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7 pm, $10-$12, more info, not rated) LINDSAY COSTELLO

Also worth it: 

PNCA Symposium 2025—Beyond Boundaries: Visions of Ecological Futures, PNCA, more info
The art college's three-day symposium explores ecological futures with Meech Boakye's bioplastics workshop, lectures, panel conversations, and more.

Friday, October 3

Portland Poetry Confluence

Organized by local literary types like Dao Strom and David Abel, the first Portland Poetry Festival is stacked with talent: The two-day fest opens with evening readings by Portland State University creative writing professor and shamanic healer Janice Lee, 2020-2024 Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, and poet Stephanie Adams-Santos. More words, workshops, and panel discussions will flow throughout Saturday; the October 4 class on hydrodynamic "flow zones" and polyvocal poems sounds intriguing. The festival concludes with a Saturday evening reading by Pulitzer winner Rae Armantrout, memoirist Jane Wong, and David Seung, whose debut poetry collection explores the Korean sijo form. (Breathe Building, 2305 SE 50th, Oct 3-4, programming at various times, free, more info, all ages) LC

Also worth it:

Múm, Wonder Ballroom, more info
The Icelandic indietronic outfit drops by with songs from History of Silence, their first studio album since 2013’s Smilewound.

Portland Tattoo Expo, Expo Center, more info
Top tattoo artists (and their fans) gather for demonstrations, art exhibits, and to show off their ink. 

Saturday, October 4

Gamjam 4

Melty art hive assemble! The fourth annual single-day fest showcasing Grass Hut's favorite makers—toys, ceramics, glass, art prints, and zines—Gamjam 4 (AKA Grass Hut Art Market) promises an "eyegasm of artists from around the world," but includes plenty of locals too. Recent "Anatomy of a Sculpture" subject Erika Reir will be there, as will Jason Sturgill, special guest Michael Skattum AKA Draculizer, and tons more. Organized by Floating World Comics, Mallrats, Secret Room Press, and Brandon "Bwana" Spoons—who operates Grass Hut out of Floating World Comics—it's important to note this fest will be in the Lloyd Center, but won't be at Floating World. They've got their own spot for the day, in the old Ulta space near the old Marshall's. (Lloyd Center Mall, NE 15th and NE Halsey, Sat Oct 4, 11 am-6 pm, $2 at the door, RSVP pack is $26 but comes with goodies, all ages) SS

The Bed Trick

Tired of dusty Shakespeare revivals? Then you may fall in love with Seattlite Keiko Green’s sparkling, modern version of All’s Well That Ends Well—now called The Bed Trick—which updates the farcical tale with a sexy, youthful, and thoughtful spin. Three college freshmen engage in a wild plot of revenge and trickery when they discover that one of their boyfriends is a cheater—leading to a hilarious series of events that include catfishing, deception, and romantic betrayal. While hilarious, this effervescent story also promises to be an eye-opening treatise on consent, modern romance, and the “problematic” plays of the Bard. (Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison, 7:30 pm, $5-$60, more info) WSH

Lambrini Girls / Edging

At their Mississippi Studios gig earlier this year, Brighton, UK’s Lambrini Girls tore it the fuck up, easily facilitating one of the absolute best shows of 2025—forging community in the shape of a 10-person human pyramid that a circle pit immediately formed around. The radical, all-femme outfit plays fast, witty punk for those interested in Palestinian liberation and queer and trans rights. It’s Cuntology 101, bitch! (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $38.11, more info, all ages) NOLAN PARKER

Bijoux Cone / J. Graves / Keeks

Spinning “Don’t” off Bijoux Cone’s benzo-pop breakup letter, Love Is Trash, is an excellent way to get upstairs at Dream House poppin’. Bijoux—Miss Cone if you’re nasty—is one of the busiest musicians in Portland. This year she’s played keyboards for Gossip on tour, played solo shows in Brazil, opened for of Montreal on tour, and reunited her project The Mommys. A little birdie also told me she just shot a new music video and is working on fresh sounds. Rounding out this gay ass all-Portland bill is the dancy post-punk of J. Graves and in the opening spot…? It’s that Keeks with her femme queens not given’ a fuck. (Mississippi Studios, 9 pm, more info here, 21+) NP

Sunday, October 5 

AromaKind

AromaKind, Portland's first of its kind cruelty-free scent expo, is about to have you smellin' FRESH. Every single product is vegan, cruelty-free, and made by indie perfumers, "scent-based artisans," and ethical beauty brands from the Pacific Northwest. We love the joint slay of being kind to animals and keepin' it local. In addition to finding your new signature scent and perhaps picking up some gifts (it's never too early to start holiday shopping, IMO), you might also want to check out presentations on the art and ethics of perfumery, a perfume swap, and a charity raffle. (Jupiter NEXT, 900 E Burnside, 12-5 pm free; $5 suggested donation, more info) JW

Dead Moon Night

Almost one month to the day before Fred Cole’s death in 2017, the City of Portland officially sanctioned and celebrated October 5 as Dead Moon Night. Overstating the impact Fred and Toody Cole continue to have on Portland’s music topography is hard to do. The couple, married 50 years when Fred passed, have fronted numerous punk and garage bands together and separately: Dead Moon, King Bee, The Lollipop Shoppe, Pierced Arrows, The Range Rats, The Rats, The Weeds, Zipper, and more. That’s nuts in-and-of-itself, but the real kicker is they did it all themselves. Dozens of records, dozens of tours, hundreds of interviews, one (thus far) documentary, millions of lives changed. This year’s celebration will look a lot like Michael Hurley’s memorial in the year: A concert in Cherry Sprout Park with musicians and fans gathering to play exactly one song from the band’s catalog before scooting off stage for the next performers. Toody’s in the mix for this DMN, as well as Mississippi Records across the street, and Red Fox will be spinning Dead Moon all night. (Cherry Sprout Park, 5134 N Albina, 5 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) NP

Related: Read our 50th anniversary review of Zipper’s only album.

Also worth it:

The Smashing Machine, Cinema 21, more info
A24 heavyweight Benny Safdie’s latest stars Dwayne Johnson in prosthetics as legendary MMA fighter Mark Kerr.

Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!