Memorial Day is here, and with it, plenty of event momentum: floral installations bloom across downtown Portland, Pickles baseball returns, and the Mercury‘s got enough highballs lined up to make “just one cocktail” a relative improbability. Plussss, you can chase after woodpeckers, catch that new film with the freaky yellow trailer (Backrooms), or let comedian Jacqueline Novak fill you in on some quality notions. But most importantly: Go outside!
MONDAY, MAY 25
The Portland Mercury‘s Highball Week 2026
DON’T LOWBALL—HIGHBALL! Get ready for the return of the Portland Mercury‘s HIGHBALL Week! That’s correct: an ENTIRE WEEK (May 25-31) of specially crafted, original cocktails mixed by the best bartenders in town for only $10 each! 🤯 We’ve teamed up with the finest bars and restaurants in Portland—along with our cocktail-lovin’ pals at Jim Beam—to bring you this extravaganza of boozy concoctions. Remember to tip your bartenders well for good luck. (Various locations through May 31, $10/cocktail, more info, 21+)
TUESDAY, MAY 26
Bloom Tour
Spring has sprung and the Rose Festival starts this weekend! Make the most out of the Bloom Tour’s fleur festivities by checking out dozens of large-scale floral installations throughout downtown and Old Town. Botanical pieces designed by local florists and artists are displayed in many of Portland’s unique shops, restaurants, and hotels in this hybrid walking tour/art show. The event runs through early June, and some local retailers along the route will be offering special floral deals. Check out the map (physical maps are available as well) for more details and get ready to feast your eyes (and nose) on the colorful creations. (Various locations through June 7, more info, all ages) JANEY WONG
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
Ray Bull, Babehoven
New York pop duo Ray Bull may be the headliners on this show—the tour itself supports their new album Please Stop Laughing—but Babehoven is the band bringing us out. The Mercury has long been fans of onetime-Portlander singer-songwriter Maya Bon’s beautiful melodies, and as the project expanded to include vigorous guitarist Ryan Albert, Babehoven has stolen every show we’ve seen them open. Their is firmly wedged in our heads since its spring release. Consider this a warning to any and all susceptible to lofi earworms; their new single “Blue Around You” is soft, atmospheric, and likely to stick in your head for days. (Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 7 pm, $25.82, tickets here, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH
Queer Baile: Cumbia Norteña
Don your hat and boots and get ready to dance. Queer Baile is a beginner-friendly partner dance lesson and social dance, with different styles of dance featured at each monthly event. Cumbia norteña isn’t taught often, so jump on your chance—it’s a little slower, more romantic, and more cowboy-tinged than most cumbia. DJ Mala keeps the party going after the lesson. (White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE 8th, 7 pm-8 pm lesson, 8 pm-10 pm social dancing, FREE, more info, 21+) KCH
Carte Blanche: Michelle Zauner
Fans of writer/musician Michelle Zauner and her musical project, Japanese Breakfast, should jump on this chance to see Zauner read her work live, reflect on her career, and participate in an audience Q&A. She’s fresh off the release of her 2025 album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and is currently working on her second book. If you’ve ever listened to her music or read her memoir, Crying in H Mart, you know how devastating yet beautifully poignant her prose and lyrics can be. (Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division, 7 pm, $65, more info, all ages) KCH
Topic Thunder Season Finale
One of the hottest, funniest comedy shows in town, Topic Thunder, is having their season finale episode—though don’t worry, hosts Adam Pasi and Nariko Ott promise to return in the fall with lots more whip-smart (and occasionally hilariously dumb) jokes based on the news of the day. As usual they will be joined by a bevy of local stand-up talent who will also offer up original riffs on the latest headlines, AS WELL AS their special non-topical headliner, the amazing Nathan Brannon! A winner of both Portland’s Funniest Person as well as the Seattle International Comedy Competition, Nathan brings an honest, no-holds-barred approach to stand up that will leave you in stitches. Miss this one at your (comedic) peril! (Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi, Wed May 27, 7:30 pm, $20, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Also worth it:
Woodpecker Walk, Smith & Bybee Wetlands, more info
The Bird Alliance of Oregon hosts this easy wetland hike with the stated aim of spotting all five Portland-area woodpecker species.
THURSDAY, MAY 28
Backrooms
Twenty-year-old director Kane Parsons is way ahead of the game, scoring an A24 release for a horror film that appears to make one pointed argument: Liminal spaces are freaky. Backrooms, based on his 24-episode YouTube series, feels like Lovecraftian creepypasta—plus, the trailer doesn’t give it all away. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, through July 4, various times, $11.99, more info) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY, MAY 29
Criterion Mobile Closet
As part of Portland Art Museum’s Center for an Untold Tomorrow (PAM CUT) annual fundraiser, the Criterion Mobile Closet pulls up and parks on Portland’s South Park Blocks. There’s no reservations and no RSVP—just show up to line up and check out the prestige film company’s mini vault of classic titles. Your experience is likely going to be 99 percent standing in line. But if the company’s good and the stock holds strong—visitors can buy the titles at a 40 percent discount—a lucky few will snag three minutes to browse and even self-record their own Closet Picks video. Arguably, that’s the most popular form of multimedia storytelling today. (South Park Blocks in front of Portland Art Museum, SW Madison and SW Park, May 29-May 30, 11 am–7 pm, May 31, 10 am-3 pm, sign up at criterion.com, all ages) SS
Portland Pickles Opening Night + Rockin’ The Walk
The 2024 WCL champion Pickles return to the chair-raising Walker Stadium for their season opener. Pickles games are a Portland summer institution and last year was a record breaker for attendance and wins, but the team ultimately fell short to the Bellingham Bells (CRINGE MASCOT ALERT) in the championship game. Not this year, Pickles fans. The boys are back and ready to reclaim their title as the best team in the collegiate league. Watch them batter up against the Victoria HarbourCats and rock the walk—there’ll be live music before first pitch, tattoos by Anatomy Tattoo, and the usual on-field activities, which tend to get unhinged when mascot Dillon T. Pickle gets involved. (Walker Stadium, 4727 SE 92nd, 7 pm, $15+, more info, all ages) BRI BREY
Live Wire with W. Kamau Bell, Lindy West, and Okaidja Afroso
At this edition of Live Wire, prolific essayist (and beloved former Stranger writer) Lindy West, author of the think-piecey new memoir Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane, will chat with W. Kamau Bell, who hosted the CNN docuseries United Shades of America for seven years. The event’s musical act is worth your attention, too: Ghanaian percussionist, dancer, and singer-songwriter Okaidja Afroso pulls from the traditions of Ghana’s Indigenous Ga-Dangme ethnic group to craft a range of ambient and percussive tracks he calls “Afro-Zeng.” The results are layered with vibrant instrumentation and ecological wisdom. (The Reser, 12625 SW Crescent, Beaverton, 7:30 pm, $24.50+, more info) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer
Artist, writer, activist, and former elected official Kristina Wong brings her one-woman karaoke musical comedy to Portland Center Stage. Wong loves food banks and their bountiful harvests, but hates the oppressive systems that created the wealth gaps that make food banks necessary. It takes a particular type of talent to handle heavy issues like food justice with a balance of humor and anger at the system, but Wong, a 2022 Pulitzer Prize drama finalist, just might be the one to do it. (Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th, Wed-Sun at 7:30 pm, 2 pm matinees on Sat, Sun, and select Thurs, $25-$98, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
SATURDAY, MAY 30
Coyote-Palooza
Learn about those big ‘ol canines in your backyard at this free, family and pet-friendly event right by the PSU Farmers Market (and pick up some Hood strawberries while you’re at it). There’ll be opportunities to learn how to identify coyotes, how to coyote-proof your space, and how to keep pets safe, plus hands-on activities for kids and adults. (North of the PSU Farmers Market (SW Park and SW Montgomery), 8:30 am-2 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Portland Fire vs. Indiana Fever
The Fire will already have been tested this week when they host the Atlanta Dream on Friday, May 29, but Saturday’s game will bring Caitlin Clark—a player some (like my teenager) might describe as WNBA Jesus—to town for the first and only time during the regular season. (The two teams will play in Indianapolis on May 20 and again on July 31.) In other words, if you want to see what the fuss is all about when it comes to Clark, Saturday’s game is pretty much your only chance. While the Fever are definitely formidable opponents, the Fire are scrappy and have really been putting on a show of late at the Fire Pit (as their home court is called), and this weekend’s game will likely give fans the chance to see them pushed as far as they can go—hopefully, in a good way. (Moda Center, 1 N Center Ct, 5 pm, $36-$348, more info, all ages) STEPHANIE KALOI
Sierra Ferrell
Getting ready for the second day of Redmond, Oregon’s FairWell Fest last year, I asked my host, Howl Goods head haunch Alicia Renner, if she knew any artists playing that day at the now-defunct country music festival. Her biggest shout for the day was Sierra Ferrell, an artist I had never heard of, an artist that is now, hands down, one of my favorites—country or otherwise. Ferrell’s lyrics and music are so infectious you might be shushed in your own office for singing her songs. You might fall in love with her smile, her stage outfits, and the fact that she’s mad religious but loves the gays. Sierra, if you’re reading this, I’d love to take you to the dollar bill bar. (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale, 6:30 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, all ages) NP
Rhododendron
I’m a sucker for a beautiful band name, so Portland’s post-everything rockers Rhododendron had my heart in their talons long before I heard “Like Spitting Out Copper” off their tense and heavy forthcoming album, Ascent Effort. Just don’t Google “Rhododendron Portland” and try to find them. You’ll be redirected to information on the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Actually, I take that back—the garden rules. Go there with some headphones and zone in. Rhodo hits Aladdin with noisy duo Sea Moss to celebrate their album release. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $18, more info, all ages) LC
Also worth it:
Bloody Mary Festival, The Redd on Salmon, more info
Over a dozen competitors compete for the title of best Bloody Mary, including Jam on Hawthorne, Pine Street Biscuits, Screen Door, Loyal Legion, C Bar, and Dolly Olive; the event benefits St. Johns Food Share.
Burnside Bridge Centennial Party, Burnside Bridge, more info
The bridge at the center of it all celebrates 100 years with a walking historical exhibit, live music, food and arts vendors, community booths, and even LEGO bridge building activities.
SUNDAY, MAY 31
Jacqueline Novak
Novak is a comedian interested in pursuits of the spirit—past life regression, Jungian dream analysis, Women Who Run with the Wolves. She blends amla powder into her smoothies, prioritizes beauty in the home (vintage Christmas blow molds), and channels self-optimization at all costs (through her Hobonichi planner). Yes, she’s particular and product-craving and also a podcaster (she co-hosts Berlant and Novak with fellow genius Kate Berlant), but Novak’s mind spins so quickly that you, too, will get caught in its centrifugal force. Her Emmy-nommed 2024 special Get On Your Knees was, on the surface, “about blow jobs,” but actually offered a dense philosophical exploration of sexual firsts. What will be the target of Novak’s obsession this time? (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $50.14+, more info, all ages) LC
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
