August 8 marks the Lloyd Center’s final day of operation, so plan to drop by this weekend to pay your respects the way the mall would want you to: with an elaborate funeral procession. Fans of Colin Meloy’s Wildwood should catch his chat about illustrated books with Mac Barnett and Anis Mojgani on Thursday, August 6; on Friday, August 7, a city-wide scavenger hunt for the birds of Wildwood unveils, too. Plus, the Portland Art Museum reveals an asphalt mural during peak “walk around Portland” season, and Bimbo Tennis brings a Chekhov adaptation to the Colonel Summers Park tennis courts. Lessgo!
MONDAY, AUGUST 3
Come Thru Black and Indigenous Market
Come Thru Market is in its eighth season of hosting Black and Indigenous farmers and makers and catering to the needs of BIPOC shoppers. This year, the market moves to Open Signal in the historically Black Eliot neighborhood and is open for business the first and third Monday of every month through October. Shop for fresh fruits and veggies from Fonzie Farms, Guerrero Produce, Happiness Family Farm, and Peachwood Orchard. You can also pick up pastries and bread from Sister Products, nutrient-dense eggs from Astral Farms, and homemade Haitian and Caribbean sauces from La Belle Fleur De Lillie. If you come to the market hungry, Bap’s Korean baked goods pair perfectly with a coffee beverage from the Cream & Suga coffee cart, or you can order Cuban-Mexican fare from Caiman Cafe or West Indian dishes from the Mad Man Pop Up. (Open Signal, 2466 NE MLK Jr, every other Monday through Oct 19, 3-7 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) BRI BREY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4
PDX Live
Hot damn! The PDX Live concert lineup is usually pretty good, but this year it is absolutely stacked. Running through most of August, the series brings the heat to downtown Portland with shows featuring queer indie pop icons MUNA, Canadian alt-rock legend Ani DiFranco, Australian indie rock star Courtney Barnett, and influential ’90s rockers Built to Spill—and that’s only three of the 14 shows on the docket! I’m also looking forward to catching Suki Waterhouse’s cinematic pop and Vince Staples’ frenetic hip-hop energy. Now if only there were a discounted pass to attend every concert in the series… (Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th, Aug 4-20, times and prices vary, more info) SHANNON LUBETICH
Keep Pickles Weird Night
Look, I know the “Keep Portland Weird” motto is vague and overused, but this event actually has something of a call to action, and thus we’re all for it. Wear something weird (duh) and participate in weird activities like the Pickle Swing, where participants have pickles tied to their waists and have to wiggle, swing, and thrust that pickle around until they successfully snag a bite. Plus, it’s one of your final chances to catch a Pickles game this summer. The regular season ends this week, and with Monday and Wednesday’s games already sold out, this is your last chance to catch a game before playoffs begin on Thursday. (Walker Stadium, 4727 SE 92nd, 7 pm, $12, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5
Lindsay Stripling: Where Do Geese Fly at Night?
Dream worlds pool across the canvas in Lindsay Stripling’s amber-lit watercolors. The San Francisco-based artist’s show title, Where Do Geese Fly at Night?, nods to the “unseen journeys taking place beyond the limits of perception,” imagining a migratory flock that counts surreal logic, memory, and the natural world among its flapping wings. Go forth and immerse yourself—it’s good for ya. (Chefas Projects, 134 SE Taylor Ste 203, Wed-Sat 1-6 pm through Aug 22, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6
Bimbo Tennis
Shakespeare in the park is passé—this summer, it’s all about Chekhov on the tennis court. Playwright Emma Gardener and director Laura Loy will bring the play Bimbo Tennis—an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard—to life this week at the Colonel Summers tennis courts. The play, which Gardner promises contains some “messiness and risk,” is at least somewhat about the pickleball epidemic threatening to ruin tennis culture all over the country. The folks behind the great publication Portland Tennis Courterly have been working for some time to bring Bimbo Tennis, which premiered in Santa Monica in 2024, to Portland, and it’s finally here. Check it out, but watch your back for the pickleball bros. (Colonel Summers Park, 1925 SE Taylor, Thurs-Sun through August 16, 6:30 pm, $15-30, more info, not suggested for young children) TAYLOR GRIGGS
Mac Barnett Considers the Picture Book with Colin Meloy and Anis Mojgani
Sometime around 2005, I saw The Decemberists perform a rollicking rendition of “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” during which they had the crowd pantomime the storyline involving a sailor being swallowed by a whale. The experience felt like a whimsical storytime activity, so I wasn’t surprised when the band’s lead singer Colin Meloy began authoring children’s books. Seven publications later, his novel Wildwood has been adapted into an epic stop-motion animated film that’s set to be released by Laika later this year. Meloy will be joined by national ambassador for young people’s literature Mac Barnett and former Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani to discuss the art and lyrical technique of venerated illustrated books. The event is a part of the Library of Congress’ “Consider the Picture Book” initiative, which invites adults to reexamine the great literature of children’s storybooks. (The Evergreen, 618 SE Alder, 6:30 pm, $38, more info, all ages) BB
Portland Fire vs. Toronto Tempo
Portland Fire fans, get ready: The battle of the WNBA expansion teams is heading to the Rose City. The Fire/Tempo game will mark the first time the two newest teams in the league have faced one another since May 23, when Portland thrashed the Tempo 99-80. The Fire’s players aren’t the only ones being tested: The Tempo is coached by longtime WNBA veteran Sandy Brondello, who will be looking for payback against newcomer Alex Sarama. The Fire also can’t count on a surefire win this time around, as far too many weeks will have transpired since that first match and both teams have been doing a lot of growing. That’s where you come in—snag some tickets, get some merch, practice your basketball chants and cheers, and get ready to support the home team as loudly as possible! (Moda Center, 1 Winning Way, 7 pm, $16 & up, more info, all ages) STEPHANIE KALOI
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
Wildwood: Follow the Crows
Follow the Crows is a city-wide scavenger hunt for the birds of Wildwood, the new Portland-set animated film hitting theaters in October. Local stop-motion animation studio Laika based their latest project on the bestselling children’s fantasy novel of the same name, written by Colin Meloy of the Decemberists with illustrations by his wife, artist Carson Ellis. Locals will be able to spot all manner of popular Portland landmarks in the movie, but you can also go explore the city for some Wildwood-inspired art! Similar to the 2024 project Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail, this self-guided public art walk features five-foot-tall sculptures of our city’s ubiquitous avian inhabitants. The crow sculptures will be auctioned off in October to raise funds for OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. (Various locations, more info, all ages) BB
PDX Pop Now!
Returning this summer to the Midtown Beer Garden, PDX Pop Now! has celebrated local music with its free, all-ages, volunteer-run festival since 2004. This year’s installment is no exception, with the organizers teasing a lineup of more than two dozen artists spanning a variety of genres, over 25 food carts, craft vendors, kids activities, and more. It’ll be the most fun in the sun you’ve had since, well, the last PDX Pop Now! Don’t forget to support the nonprofit’s endeavors by making a donation at the fest or purchasing its curated annual compilation album on Bandcamp. (Midtown Beer Garden, 431 SW Harvey Milk, through Aug 9, FREE, more info, all ages) SL
Ali Wong
The ceaselessly hilarious Ali Wong swings by Portland for another one of her crowd-pleasing nationwide tours. Blasting onto the scene with her 2016 Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, Wong has expanded her reach into films (Birds of Prey, Always Be My Maybe) and TV (Fresh Off the Boat, Beef), and continues to be one of the sharpest voices in comedy today. If you love whip-smart stories and rants on the topics of sex, feminism, post-divorce dating, and more sex, then the lewd and wonderful Ali Wong is exactly the night of entertainment you ordered. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7 pm, $66.20-$352.75, more info, probably not for kids) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
Lloyd Center Funeral Procession
Some Bike Summer rides are joyful; others are a time to mourn. This one, sadly, is the latter. August 8 is the last day of the Lloyd Center as we know it, so don your best funeral wear (or Tonya Harding outfit) for a bike ride through the Lloyd’s many maze-like parking structures. Afterward, riders will take to the ice rink for one last open skate. I hope Joe Brown will still have some of their famous caramel corn that day, too. (Holladay Park, NE Holladay and NE 11th, meet 1 pm, ride 1:30 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) KCH
Also worth it:
Yinka Ilori: Mountains Full of Blessings, Portland Art Museum, more info
British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori’s joyful new asphalt mural adorns a section of Southwest Madison, which PAM is currently working to transform into a cultural plaza and extension of the museum.
Cavity, Helen’s Costume, more info
Jackie Stewart and Ju Suk Reet Meate, who may be best known for their experimental sound art under the L.A.F.M.S. (Los Angeles Free Music Society) umbrella, showcase interesting multimedia works alongside Chanel Conklin, Cody Brant, and Lena Lutz at Montavilla gallery Helen’s Costume.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9
LCD Soundsystem
I’m going to come right out and say it: LCD Soundsystem is timeless. While I’ve never considered myself a hardcore fan, I watched their documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits in college because James Murphy fascinates me (and my most indie-head friend told me to). Murphy was born in 1970 in New Jersey, was clearly influenced by Talking Heads, is surprisingly not British, and crafts nu-disco music with a quality that gets fans dancing from age 2 to 102. Victoryland, the experimental pop-rock project from Brooklyn-based guitarist and vocalist Julian McCamman, is also on the lineup for a groove-filled two-night run at Edgefield. (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale, 6:30 pm, $92.50+, more info, all ages) SL
Also worth it:
Sewing Seeds, Carnation Contemporary, more info
Curated by Sarah Farahat and Alexandria Saleem, Carnation Contemporary’s latest exhibition brings together work by nine SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) artists, including a collective textile installation.
Grand Prix of Portland, Portland International Raceway, more info
We’ve never actually watched a car race at PIR (only bike races), but maybe this weekend that’ll change—the event lasts three days, but Sunday is the big IndyCar race.
Providence Bridge Pedal, various locations, more info
Providence is ending the health insurance side of its operations next year, but the bike ride, now in its 30th year, is pretty fun—you get to cross seven bridges traffic-free and frustrate drivers all over Portland along with 10,000 other riders.
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
