Love Our Arts & Culture Coverage?
You can help fund it!

Posted inGood Morning, News!

Good Morning, News: Trump-Loving Suspect Indicted for Police Shooting, 2026 Winter Olympics Begin Friday, and Is Oregon Ready for Waymos?

If you appreciate the Mercury‘s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered! Good Morning, Portland! WEATHER NICE? WHAT IS THIS. 😧 LADDERS AND LADLES WE ARE IN THE FEBRUARY FAKEOUT. IN LOCAL NEWS:• The man […]

Posted inEverOut

Where to Eat for Valentine’s Day 2026

Heart-Shaped Desserts, Tasting Menus, and More

Whatever your Valentine’s Day plans may be, we’ve gathered a bouquet of swoon-worthy options around town, with tasting menus at Mis Tacones and OK Omens, plus sweet treats from Gluten Free Gem. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide. AdelledaLove is in the air at Vtopian’s sibling restaurant, which has a three-course […]

Posted inOpinion

Remembering Judith Arcana

Portland’s own underground abortionist-turned-poet was a legend. She was also my friend.

In 2017, Judith Arcana sent a postcard to the old Mercury offices in Old Town/Chinatown. I was the arts editor at the time—it was my first real journalism job—and after many stories covering local theater (I still think about the plays I saw at Shaking the Tree) and books (a reading at Powell’s followed by […]

Posted inDo This, Do That

The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for February 2-8

Heated Rivalry, surreal ceramics, and a Minneapolis fundraiser with wontons.

What’s up, February? The annual Portland Winter Light Festival illuminates the city this week, with glowy mood-enhancers like a “cosmic” cuttlefish and touch-sensitive light installations. Topping the list of “dudes you have heard of” are Chuck Klosterman and Todd Barry, both of whom will swing by to share their stuff—a new football-themed book and new […]

Posted inNewsblast!

YOUR SUNDAY READING LIST: Stopping the ICE Creep, Beloved Restaurant Closes, and a BANGER of a Pickathon Lineup!

GOOD MORNING, SUNDAY! It’s the perfect time to catch up on some of the great reporting and stories the Mercury churned out this week! (PRO TIP: If you despise being “the last to know,” then be one of the first to know by signing up for Mercury newsletters! All the latest stories shipped directly to […]

Posted inEverOut

The Best Things To Do in Portland This Month: February 2026

Portland Winter Light Festival, Cardi B, and More

February may be the shortest month of the year, but there’s no shortage of exceptional things to do. In addition to big dates like Black History Month, Lunar New Year, and Valentine’s Day, there’s the usual array of concerts, major author appearances, food and drink events, and more. Find all of February’s highlights below, with events […]

Posted inBooks

Hurricane Envy Has Something to Do with You

Sara Jaffe’s short story collection digs deep into queer parenting, the rise of the music algorithm, and the many shapes of adulthood.

In Sara Jaffe’s short story “Today’s Problems,” the narrator keeps a living document of national and international headlines—police violence, Israel’s potential annexation of Jerusalem—alongside intimate anxieties, like their own kid’s possible ringworm. The combined list functions as a reminder that “today’s problems” aren’t abstract forces. They express themselves in the strange frictions of everyday life. […]

Posted inEverOut

The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: Jan 30–Feb 1, 2026

ICE OUT, Wiener Week, and More Cheap & Easy Events Under $20

We’ve got the makings of a busy weekend with cheap and easy picks from ICE OUT! Justice for Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and all others murdered by ICE to Labor Says ICE Out and from The Portland Mercury’s Wiener Week to a Howl at the Moon gathering. For more ideas, check out our top picks of […]

Posted inEverOut

Ticket Alert: Kid Cudi, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week

Plus, Em Beihold and More Event Updates for January 29

It’s time to bust out your concert calendar. Genre-bending rapper Kid Cudi will bring M.I.A. and Big Boi along on his Rebel Ragers Tour. Blues rock 12-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band supports their forthcoming album, Future Soul, at Edgefield this August. Plus, rising indie pop singer Em Beihold hits the road after her debut album drops […]

Gift this article