The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Good morning, Portland! We are set for a dry and balmy day […]
c3Category — Arts & Culture
Posted inDo This, Do That
The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for February 9-15
This week: floating saunas, African filmmaking, and showing moss some love.
Hope you’re into… well… everything, because this week’s round-up of cultural events is like a magician’s endless ribbon trick, with opportunities to hear planetary chamber music, bake bread with an Indigenous Argentine artist, aaand catch a ’90s anime sci-fi that might’ve inspired Inception. Plus, an all-ages venue officially opens, Milwaukie Bay Park will host a […]
Posted inEverOut
Get a Friday the 13th Tattoo at One of These Portland Shops
Special Flash Deals for February 13, 2026
Friday the 13th occurs three times in 2026—the most it’s possible to have in a calendar year—which means more flash tattoos and more fun. This month, the inky tradition coincides with Valentine’s Day weekend, prompting fun designs that are both creepy and cute. Whether you’re looking to get your first tatt or you’re running out […]
Posted inTheater & Performance
Portland-Raised Playwright Kallan Dana on Her Lynchian Thriller Racecar Racecar Racecar
Artists Repertory’s 2025-2026 season produces works by women playwrights with ties to the Pacific Northwest.
The foggy nature of childhood memories lends Racecar Racecar Racecar its weirdness.
Posted inBooks
Literary Arts Announces 2026 Oregon Book Award Finalists
It’s no surpise to see Lidia Yuknavitch, Leah Sottile, Breena Bard, and David F. Walker among the nominees.
Literary Arts announced the finalists for its coveted 2026 Oregon Book Awards this morning, selecting via juries of out-of-state judges just 35 works from 200 submissions. This list always largely dictates our spring reading plans, as we fill in what we may have missed before the ceremony night on Monday, April 20. This is a […]
Posted inThe Trash Report
THE TRASH REPORT: Love Is Trash (Except, of Course, for Heated Rivalry)
Open up your heart and fill it with gossipy trash with this week’s special Valentine’s edition!
Hello my little lovebirds! Welcome to this very special Valentine’s Day edition of the Trash Report. Love is a wonderful feeling, and although this is a very stupid holiday, this column will be extremely layered and complex. I hope you’re ready to access the darkest corners of your heart you’d forgotten even existed. Just kidding! […]
Posted inEverOut
The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: Feb 6–8, 2026
Cascade Festival of African Films, Portland Winter Light Festival, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $20
We’re getting you ready for the weekend with options from the Portland Winter Light Festival to Neighbors for Change: A Civic Action Fair and from the Cascade Festival of African Films to a block party for the opening of the exhibition Dear Portland. Plus, pull up to one of the many Super Bowl watch parties […]
Posted inMusic
Portland’s Newest Music Festival and Conference Comes Out Swinging
Soundscape Northwest’s inaugural lineup is international, local, of color, and stacked.
Nolan Parker
Posted inEverOut
Ticket Alert: Andrea Bocelli, Metric/Broken Social Scene/Stars, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week
Plus, Motionless In White and More Event Updates for February 5
Thursdays are for ticket drops. Legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli celebrates the 30th anniversary of his breakthrough album Romanza. Ready to feel all the feelings? Canadian indie rock bands Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars hit the road together this summer. Plus, metalcore group Motionless In White visits Portland on their Sweat and Blood Tour. […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Second Run Portland: In Picnic at Hanging Rock, Valentine’s Day Turns Mysterious
This month, nine films on love, desire, and human psychology.
I’m certain I don’t need to tell you this, but: Shit sucks. Are you taking care of yourself right now? One reliable method is through the poetry and dissociative capacity of good cinema. This month, options abound with screenings of Picnic at Hanging Rock (romance is cryptic), You’ve Got Mail (romance is online), and In the […]
Posted inEverOut
Where to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2026
Ring in the Year of the Horse at These Events
Celebrated across many Asian cultures, Lunar New Year is a time of renewal, gathering with family, and enjoying festive foods. The holiday falls on February 17 this year, and 2026 is the Year of the Horse, a zodiac sign that symbolizes adventure, energy, and freedom. To kick off a prosperous year, head to events like […]
Posted inFree Tickets!
FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Win Tix to Two Feet, UPDATING, Cristela Alonzo, and MORE!
Who’s ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland’s best concerts and events; our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst… if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider […]