This past weekend at Cooper Mountain Nature Park, I watched a smattering of wild iris and pond lily sway against a backing scene of scraggly oaks, jays and juncos flitting in between. I sat on a log with my partner for two hours, staring at the pond, chatting about nothing and everything. Two ducks floated by, and we said, “That’s us!” I recommend this kind of mind-emptying, screen-absent activity. The following events are pretty chill, too—three festivals re-envision cinema and performance, vegan curry from Java and Sumatra is on the menu, and David Byrne’s dancing into town. Plus, cyclists and their hype teams are cruising around Ladd Circle 500 times in a row this weekend. (The Mercury will be there.) What are you gonna do?
Monday, April 6
64th Annual International Affairs Symposium— Crumbling Pillars: The Age of Authoritarianism?
The title of this student-run symposium explains its own relevance. In 2026, authoritarianism doesn’t just loom on the horizon; it’s in full-blown, fucked-up swing, and the democratic institutions we previously leaned on to fight against it are all but decimated. Through three days of public events, including letter-writing campaigns, storytelling sessions centering the immigrant experience, and a podcast taping on the erosion of democracy, the oldest student-run symposium in the US offers plenty of ways to engage. Prominent Marxian economist, professor, and author Dr. Richard Wolff serves as this year’s keynote speaker and will discuss the impacts of economic inequity and xenophobia. (Lewis & Clark College, 615 S Palatine Hill, 3-8:30 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) BRI BREY
Also worth it:
Magnolia Festival, Lan Su Chinese Garden, more info
Lan Su’s scenic Chinatown garden brightens with blushy magnolia blossoms and seasonal programs all April.
Tuesday, April 7
David Byrne
Indicative of his entire 50+ year career, David Byrne isn’t afraid of asking the tough questions on his new album Who Is the Sky? More cohesive than his last album-turned-Broadway-musical American Utopia, WITS? continues Byrne’s toeing the lines of pure pop bliss, Studio 54 style, and the avant-garde of Max’s Kansas City. All the while, he’s still critiquing us, himself, and the powers that (shouldn’t) be—though in a brighter tone than we’ve heard from the broad-shouldered cutie in a minute. Is the hopeful cheer coming from his recent marriage or the ever-elusive contentment of elderdom? Hard to say, but it feels good regardless. (Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 8 pm, $104.22, more info, all ages) NOLAN PARKER
Wednesday, April 8
TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition
As a ’90s child growing up 1.9 miles away from Universal Studios Florida, two things mattered to me: Slime Time Live and Titanic: The Experience. The latter was an interactive exhibition installed on the city’s most touristy strip; visitors were assigned a boarding pass and found out at the walkthrough’s conclusion if they died or survived. Morbid and memorable times were had; I want that for you, too. TITANIC: The Artifact Exhibition appears to be very similar, perhaps even an evolved version of that original ’90s show. It invites visitors to “assume the role of a passenger on the ship’s first and final journey” and check out 100+ artifacts. (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), 1945 SE Water, Tue-Sun 9:30 am-5:30 pm through Oct 18, $22.50-$29.50, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Wajan x Veganizer: Indonesian Nasi Padang Style Feast
Indonesian restaurant Wajan is never short on vegan options—after all, Java is the ancestral home of tempeh—but this special feast in collaboration with Veganizer is an opportunity to dive into the regional cuisines of Java and Sumatra, sans gluten and animal products. Chef Feny will prepare eight small plates with rice, many of which are unavailable on Wajan’s regular menu. Look for potato patties with green onion, coconut lemongrass curry with pounded cassava leaves and green eggplant, and oyster mushroom rendang, plus durian ice cream with caramelized banana and black sticky rice for dessert. (Wajan, 4611 E Burnside, April 8-12, 5:30 pm, $75 including gratuity, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Thursday, April 9
Portland Panorama
The second year of Portland Panorama Film Festival is looking stacked with interesting screenings and showcases. Every night has something making that festival pass sound more and more worthwhile. There are horror shorts, documentary shorts, international shorts, several interesting features, and even a special environment created at Zidell Yards (they’re calling it the Old Moody for some reason) to show virtual reality works that “cannot exist on a traditional screen.” Read the Mercury‘s picks here! (Various locations through April 19, $15 per screening, passes $150-350, more info) SUZETTE SMITH
Project Hail Mary
In Project Hail Mary, Gosling’s banter feels like a sustained act of grace. Coincidentally, that’s the name author Andy Weir (The Martian) gave Gosling’s character: Ryland Grace. (Haha, come on.) In all seriousness, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have given dulcet life to Weir’s sci-fi novel with this adaptation. The premise: A genius science teacher wakes up alone on a space ship, speeding light years from Earth, without a memory of how or why. As the past comes back to him in visions of Ryland’s superior Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) doing karaoke or caulk tube bowling at the hardware store, Grace realizes he must save his planet from apocalypse, and the distant star to which he’s been flung may hold the key to that survival. Read the rest of the mini-review in Art Snack. (Now open in wide release) DOM SINACOLA
Friday, April 10
Laura Burke: So Be It
Brooklyn-based artist Laura Burke’s last two solo shows at Chefas Projects played with the artist’s interest in fairy tales and spirits, imagined through scenes of household objects, liminal realms, and natural elements imbued with delicate magic. (One show’s title, Bright Blue His Jacket Is, and His Boots Are Yellow, was a quote from The Fellowship of the Ring.) Burke is one of my favorite contemporary artists, due in no small part to her devotion to folkloric figures and curious, yet somehow perfectly balanced compositions, evoking a modern Mary Fedden. Expect more where that came from inSo Be It, which includes paintings of a vase giving side eye and a moth stroked with gold light. (Chefas Projects, 134 SE Taylor St Ste 203, Wed-Sat 1-6 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
This is the most important Blazer game in half a decade. The Clippers and Blazers are in a virtual tie for 8th place, meaning the winner of this game will likely secure an eight seed in the Western Conference and only have to win one game in the NBA play-in tournament, instead of two in a row, to make the playoffs. Thankfully for your Zers, Jrue Holiday is playing out of his mind. He posted 30 (seven made threes) in a win over the Clips last week in Los Angeles, immediately following it up with 27 points (seven more threes!) against the Pelicans. Some were skeptical of signing another aging point guard, but Jrue is for real a champion. (Moda Center, 1 N Center Ct, 7 pm, $30+, more info, all ages) CAMERON CROWELL
Alyssa Edwards
Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race, prick up those ears! Alyssa Edwards, one of the iconic queens from the show (season five, as well as a fourth-place finisher in All Stars season two, and the top winner of 2024’s Global All Stars) is hitting the road for a national tour, which is pulling up (and snatching wigs) in Portland. Get ready for a fabulous evening of personal stories, hilarious comedy, and high-energy dance numbers befitting the performer who RuPaul graciously called “Queen of the mothertucking world” and cattily called “Alicia.” Miss at your mothertucking peril. (Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $58-$77.75, more info, 18+) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Fertile Ground Festival
The 17th Fertile Ground Festival of New Works achieves lift off on April 10 and soars for 17 days of imaginative readings and plays—some infusing the form with interactive or multimedia elements, others searching boldly for identity through wit and writing. We’ve got picks from the nearly 100 projects pitched: the return of Jonathan Hernandez’s sellout show The Mask I Wear, a play that sounds sort of like the Sandra Bullock movie Gravity, and the deepening hilarity of Love, Shakespeare’s improvised riffs. The Mercury‘s picks are here! But we heartily suggest diving into the schedule with your own shrewd eye for talent; see some things! (Various locations and prices, more info) SS
Also worth it:
Sci-Fi Film Festival, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), more info
An invitation to see science fiction flicks the way god intended: on the Empirical Theater’s gigantic four-story screen. OMSI screens spacey greats this month, with genre classics and more recent entries represented.
Saturday, April 11
Ladd’s 500
Bike racing isn’t just for folks kitted out in spandex. The tagline of the Ladd’s 500 is “let’s do something stupid,” and what could be more stupid than riding around Ladd Circle 500 times in a row? Ride the whole thing yourself, or bring friends for a relay—counting is lax, and hardly anyone finishes the whole thing. “Nothing matters and life is finite,” the rules read. The circle crowds with people (many of them costumed) on roller skates, tall bikes, twelve-passenger party bikes, and skateboards. Everyone else picnics in the circle’s center, handing riders freshly grilled hot dogs and warm pancakes. Join the party. (Ladd Circle Park & Rose Gardens, 1988 SE Mulberry, 10 am-5 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) KCH
TAG! Queer Shorts Festival
You’re it! TAG! Queer Shorts Festival highlights work from exclusively queer and trans directors. The inspiration behind the film fest borrows from the street art community, with the motivational phrase “Get Up!” encouraging folks to make their art aggressively visible. Themed screenings include The Shapes of Queer Space, exploring how LGBTQIA2S+ folks show up for their communities, Sex is Back with a romantic and kinky bend, a Tagging Cascadia category for films from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, and Queer Kaleidoscope, which is a catch-all for the rest of the multi genre films. (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, $15-$45, 4 pm, more info) BB
Also worth it:
Cherry Blossom Bazaar, Povey Building, more info
This weekend’s mindfulness assignment: Put down your social media feed full of cherry blossom photos and instead hunt for unique Japanese collectibles at this sale, which benefits the Japanese American Museum of Oregon.
Sunday, April 12
The BIGGEST Clothing Swap in the Northwest!!!
Fact: You need a new wardrobe. Second fact: You need it for CHEAP. That’s why the smart clothes horse will attend the excitedly-named “BIGGEST Clothing Swap in the Northwest!!!” in which $11 and a bag of clothes will grant you admission to the clothing swap of your dreams, which include nonbinary sections, plus-size wear, shoes, accessories, and (of course) a bar and hot spins from DJ Gregarious. Note: Make sure the clothing you bring is clean (no holes or odors), and no underwear, socks, hosiery, or children’s clothes, thankyouverymuch. No bag of clothes to share? Buy an empty bag for only $5, and start shopping! (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 12-3 pm, $11-$12 plus one bag of clothes, more info, all ages) WSH
Nashville
The deeper you look into the construction of Robert Altman’s Nashville, the more you’ll discover surprises. Yes, Shelley Duvall wears proto-Spice Girls platform boots, and Elliott Gould plays himself. But past Nashville’s familiar faces and country gospel jangle is a critique of American apathy that’s so deeply embedded, it almost seems to stumble upon itself. Without giving away the tragic irony of the film’s closing scene, know this: It drew an authentic Nashville crowd, enticed simply by 10-cent hot dogs. This is the kind of restless, chaotic authenticity Altman does very well. Plus, the songs are good! Read more in Second Run Portland. (Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 2 pm, $15, more info, R) LC
DOA Wrestling: Portslamdia
Portland, Oregon, is a true pro wrestling city. DOA remains a hot spot for diehard fans eager to escape reality with a few high-octane hours of larger-than-life characters, jaw-dropping acrobatics, and pure passion for the sport. Portslamdia heads to Morrison Market, an intimate venue that amplifies every moment of the live wrestling experience. Join the chants, feel the energy as the action spills into the crowd, and soak up the magnetic presence of performers from around the world. While the match card is still TBA, organizers have confirmed the return of the undead bride, Su Yung. (Morrison Market Stage 722, 722 SE 10th, bell at 5 pm, $20-$40, more info, all ages) ANDREW HARLAN
Also worth it:
On Cinema: The Certified “Five Bags of Popcorn” Tour, Revolution Hall, more info
With over a decade of commitment to the bit, Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington continue to probe one of the most important questions of our time: What if film critics are weird, corny, and egomaniacal?
Dersu Uzala, Cinemagic, more info
Cinemagic’s Akira Kurosawa series includes several lesser-sung films by the Japanese director, like Dersu Uzala (1975). The story requests your patience, but pays off with its depiction of deep camaraderie between an Indigenous taiga hunter and a Russian explorer in the Siberian forest.
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
